Somebody Needs a Nap

This is what I look like when I'm bored and tired and waaaay more than ready to go home.


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Serenity

Several months before my Dad passed away, my parents moved from their giant 6 bedroom house with no view to a tiny 2 bedroom apartment with this view.



Last August we had a family reunion in this little apartment with Mom, Dad, 5 siblings, 2 spouses and a herd of grandkids. We repeated the reunion in October for Dad's funeral. Both occasions I marveled at this view.

At times I was frustrated that the old giant house was sitting empty waiting for a buyer while we were packed like sardines in this tiny apartment. But mostly I was thankful. I was so thankful that my parents were able to find this little apartment close to the hospital and Dad's work. I was thankful that my parents no longer had to worry about taking care of the old house and that they were not knocking around alone in that big empty space. I was thankful my brothers and I get along well enough we were able to enjoy hanging out in the apartment together. Mostly I was thankful that we even had the opportunity to spend this time together.

Looking at that view reminds me of a time in my life where I was acutely aware of enjoying this moment right now. Not looking forward to something in the future, not happily remembering something from the past. Now.

Savor every moment.
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This is my contribution to Candid Carrie's Friday Foto Finish Fiesta



Previous contributions include:

• Watch Out
  
• What I didn't know
  
• Featured Prefromers
  
• Falling in Love

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On the Water

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Duck Family

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Watch out

I was known to throw my drink right over my shoulder so you're in my line of fire.


071021-071, originally uploaded by schwartzkids.

yeah, that little rug rat was me.

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This is my contribution to Candid Carrie's Friday Foto Finish Fiesta



Previous contributions include:

• What I didn't know
  
• Featured Prefromers
  
• Falling in Love
  
• How to Feed a Baby Woodpecker

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Sundial Hill, Gasworks Park

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Praying for bad things to happen to others

Dr. Dobson's group, "Focus on the Family" has started a prayer campaign to pray for rain at Obama's acceptance of the Democratic nomination.

This isn't the first time I've encountered "Christian" groups praying for rain to hurt others. When I was a teen, the band Cheap Trick came to play in my little town of Palmer, Alaska. My church started a campaign to pray that the concert would be rained out. I spent most of my youth wondering why "Christians" focus so much of their energy and prayer towards hating and hurting others rather than actually doing good. I still wonder.

By the way the concert was a rare, beautiful 70+ degree day.




Update: the weather was beautiful. The only rain occurred in the Fox "News" booth; it was flooded due to a sprinkler malfunction.
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Rust

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Baby Update

I'm really doing quite well. The biggest concern has been staying cool enough. So far I haven't had any morning sickness although there has been quite a bit of heartburn and I still have the dizziness.

Food Cravings: I've had several people ask me if I've had any strange food cravings. I would stand there on the phone (barefoot and pregnant in front of the stove) telling them "no, no food cravings at all" while I'm making myself another cheese and cranberry quesadilla. I eat at least one of these a day, sometimes more. I was actually thinking of writing up the recipe and posting it to my blog. It took a while for it to occur to me that this food pairing might be a little strange.

We went to the doctor last Monday and they gave us a couple books and a bag full of brochures, sent us on our merry way and told us to come back at the end of the month. I really thought they would have checked me out at that point, but aside from checking my blood pressure, they just asked a lot of questions about my health history. It was a little frustrating, but I guess it's normal operating procedure to do the first real checkup at week 8 or later.

We are nearly at week 6, the baby is due April 8.

Mr. H has been wonderful. Yesterday he sent me to my mom's house so he could disinfect the house. He didn't want me to breath the cleaning fumes. And he holds my hand when I cross the street. A little protective?
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Dusk

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What I Didn't Know

I am humbled and wowed by your response to my Wanna-Be-Mommy post about infertility. We've been trying to conceive for four years and I was feeling hormonal and tired and cranky and quite frankly nearly giving up hope when I wrote that piece. Your response lifted my spirits.

It is amazing to me that I can post a message to the internet and receive such an outpouring of support and comfort and hope. So many of you I could not pick out of a police lineup, yet given a paragraph of your writing I'd know exactly who you are. Thank you, all of you.

This week has been busy for me. My world has been turned upside down and sent spinning. I've fallen behind on my blog reading and commenting, in fact at the moment I've got well over a thousand posts in my reader. I've been extended another award, to which I have yet to respond. Thank you, My2Boyz! And I'm trying not to let myself get too far behind on my homework from school.

You see, the dizziness, and the hormones, and the fatigue were not just in my head. What I didn't know when I wrote that post last week, was that I was already
[happy dance]

Thank you, all of you, for your support. You have no idea how much it means to me. I imagine I'll need your support and advice even more over the coming months and years.

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This is my contribution to Candid Carrie's Friday Foto Finish Fiesta


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The Great Tree

There's nothing quite like sitting together under a great tree by the water when the weather is blistering hot.










Anyone know what kind of tree this is?
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