Baby J's Shower

October 9th, we celebrated our little guy at our baby shower given by Rachael and Camille.  It was held at Adam and I's church.  After inviting 97 people total... with kids, infants, and all out of towners... I would say there were about 50-60 who came.  It was a beautiful day to honor our son, (so weird to say this.) 

Everyone was so generous in gift giving, it was quite overwhelming.  The presents were numerous and I did my best to keep up with opening them.  Thank God, for Adam helping and Coraline too.  I know that baby showers aren't the  most entertaining thing, but I was really glad to have everyone there and equally as excited as we are for this little boy to join our family.

Adam and helpers were able to squeeze every last gift into Kona.  I was impressed.

And it just occurred to me that I never did post our announcement on "it" being a boy... so here's that.

Baby J

Come December, Adam and I will have a new leader of our club... our BABY!  It's crazy!!  Crazy to know there is a living, heart beating, breathing little fetus in my body.  It's crazy to watch my body slowly change shapes.  I am woman, hear me roar.  I never looked so... so... female?   It's been crazy to share the news with everyone, some reveals didn't work out the way I had wanted them too, but overall everyone seems to be excited... a lot of people had seemingly given up on the thought or idea of children in our future... so to see some surprised faces was fun.  It's funny to hear things like "I thought you didn't like kids." or "Are you sure you are pregnant?" "I didn't know you were trying." or "It's about time."  As if you can choose when a life will be started within you.  People say the darndest things, and think they should be privy to decisions we have made and hardships we have endured.  And in pregnancy, it still rings true.

The funniest thing that someone has said to me...  "You'll be a wonderful, and a bit wacky, mommy."  I couldn't be more pleased with this statement.  While a lot of my ideas and thoughts are unconventional about all things in life... and you may roll your eyes or shake your head at what I think or what I do or what I get mad about or what I love.  I can't change a thing about it.  And I have never quite cared.  People who accept it have stayed, and I have lost a few to my wackiness.   I am certainly going to try my best to give this baby a great life in a world full of maddness.  And to do what I think is right.  I will accept advice... but I will not feel bad if I choose not to follow it.  I will try to lead by example.  I will understand that everyone does it differently.  I will have a few things on my registry that are mostly for me and not baby.  I look forward to all the unknown ways a baby will change your life and your heart about things, things you didn't even know it would.  But in the end it's super scary to think about a future with baby.  I don't want to mess him or her up too bad. 

"A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for." -unknown.

Boston

One of my bucket list wishes for many years has been to go to Boston.  Why?  I have no idea.  I just feel like it's a smart, educational city, with smart people walking around with books in their hands.  I imagine dressing in white shorts, and a navy blue and white striped shirt to go sailing.  I imagined a lot of seafood.  Good, fresh seafood.  I imagined a baseball game, a game I understand and makes sense to me, in one of the oldest stadiums around.

While in Boston, I learned that we were going to have friends there from Orlando!  So we met up with Amie (Adam and I's old boss from Splash Mountain!) and her fam along the Freedom Trail, right in front of Paul Revere here.

Here ya got some clam chowda and a lobsta roll... nevermind the fact Adam dropped this lobsta roll walking it to our table... our 22 dollar lobsta roll mind you... but don't worry... the good people of James Hook and Company replaced it, telling me "the next one is on you!"

The seafood was quite abundant and here is a amazing platter for two.  I did not eat this all myself.  Next time I am visiting to Boston, I am staying in the North end, and never leaving it...Little Italy.

The place to go was Mike's Pastry... however we heard from the locals that Modern Pastry beats Mike's Pastry hands down.  We tried them both and we agree.  

It was a hot one at Fenway... and the Red Sox won!!!  Fenway is no Wrigley, but I still felt super privileged to be there.  

Bean Town was very good to us... next stop.... Seattle???

Hawaii

We had a planned trip to Mexico at the end of May and were looking forward to it.  I found out that I was pregnant at the end of April... called to make that first appointment with the doctor... mentioned that I had a scheduled trip south of the border, and doctor strictly forbid, 100% no'd, and put the kibosh on me going due to the threat of Zika virus.  Naturally, I looked up cases found of Zika in Hawaii... and BOOM... with a few fees here and there, and not much headache,,, we were going to HAWAII!!!!!!!!  It's good to be young, and childless (at least for the moment!)

We spent 4 nights in Maui and 3 nights in Oahu.  It was really a wonderful time and I can finally see what all the buzz is about.  It's just beautiful there and there is so much to do... that even a month wouldn't be enough to visit all the islands and really enjoy it all.  One of our highlights was reconnecting with an old friend, Beth, who Adam met in Washington D.C.  Beth is now a Maui resident and was able to show us all the ins and outs and local spots.

We celebrated 7 years of marriage on Memorial Day in Hawaii.  Starting the day at 2:45 am leaving our hotel to make it for sunrise at the top of Haleakala.  It was worth the early start and was so amazing to see.

After which we headed back to the bottom, stopped for food, and then back to the hotel to lounge the rest of the day at the pool and beach.

Our anniversary ended at The Feast of Lele Luau.  It rained some of the time, but it provided this excellent very real rainbow in the background of this photo.

The next day we ended up snorkeling.  It was either that or do the Road to Hana.   Weather conditions were just rainy.  And I was nauseated basically the whole trip.  So it didn't make sense to be driving on a 2 lane windy, curvy road all day, where we were told had 600 turns.  We opted to snorkel.  I was a little worried with the bad weather, and bobbing of the boat.  But what really did me in with the "sickness" was the smell of the bathrooms.  That mix of mold and bleach to cover the mold was horrible.  After jumping in and exploring a bit, I finally saw 2 sea turtles.  They were magnificent and so gentle and graceful, it was worth the trip.  After that, I quickly got back on the boat and watched Adam snorkel around.  

We flew back to Honolulu... and drove around one day.  The coast line in North Beach is just amazing, and clearly you can see the weather was amazing.

After a beach day, we met up with my friend Shamim who I worked with at SAMC and just so turns out she had been living in Oahu for exactly a year that day.  We also met up with Vicki and her little lady Frances.  All together we enjoyed dinner at Dukes, with a great view of Diamond Head in the back.

  

   

Vicki met us again the next night and we ate at our hotel in this fancy Italian restaurant.  So I got to see her 2 nights in a row!

     

Hawaii really was a dream... and worth every penny we spent.  I would love to go back.  There was really not much not to love... except my 6 dollar cup of coffee... but even then... I can't wait to return.

and today, we pray for Orlando.

Columbine, Virginia Tech, Tucson, Aurora, Fort Hood, Oak Creek, Newtown. How many more colleges, how many more classrooms, how many more movie theatres, how many more houses of faith, how many more shopping malls, how many street corners... how many more? How many more? Enough, enough, enough, enough. Demand a plan. Right now. As a mom, as a dad, as a friend, as a husband, as a wife, as an American. As an American. As an American. As a human being. For the children of Sandy Hook. Demand a plan. No more list of names. It's not too soon, it's too late. Now is the time, before we all know someone who loved someone on that list. No more lists, no more who they might have been. No more if we had just done something yesterday. It's time. We can do better than this. It's time. It's time. It's time for leaders to act. Demand a plan. Right now. Demand it. Enough, enough, enough.

Taken from DemandAPlan.Org and that was in 2012! Nothing has changed in 4 years. Just more senseless acts of terror. More psychopaths who take other's lives and then most of the time take their own. Big or small. It's happening every.single.day. What is the answer here? What do we do? It's hit close to home before when a college just 40 minutes from me, Northern Illinois University was terrorized with my niece in lock down inside. Orlando was my home.... is my home, away from home. I have friends who go to Pulse. I have friends who are there right now on vacation. I have family on their way. I worked at the hospital system that is caring for those still hanging on. I have friends who still do, and are on the front lines of it all. There has got to be something we can do then switch our Facebook statuses for the day, hashtag #prayforparis, #prayforchattanooga, #prayforboston, and now #prayfororlando These tragedies happen so often, the world forgets about them just as fast as they are happening. How sick is that? It's hard to keep up. I just can't even think about it. And I am very afraid of those words that I purposely made larger in the above script.

take me to church

Some days I totally lose all my marbles in church.  Like, straight up crying like a maniac where Adam has to leave and go get me Kleenex from the bathroom.  It was like this long before my dad died, but in this case, at this song, at that moment in time, it had everything to do with my dad.  Our Pastor has recently lost his father as well, just a few months before I lost my own.  And he refers to him often, and his whole sermon was basically about him 2 weeks ago.  From beginning to end, I sobbed.  For I know, I am not the only one who feels this pain.  And I know, the people in my life who haven't felt it, will know that pain one day and what it's like.  And I hate that they will have to experience it too and really, truly know it.  The lyrics spoke to my heart, and still do just a couple weeks later.

"the testing of your faith produces perseverance, consider it pure JOY in the midst of pain"

All My Tears

Jars of Clay

When I go, don't cry for me

In my Father's arms, I'll be

And wounds this world left on my soul

Will all be healed and I'll be whole

Sun and moon will be replaced

With the light of Jesus' face

And I will not be ashamed

For my Savior knows my name

It don't matter where you bury me

I'll be home and I'll be free

It don't matter where I lay

All my tears, be washed away

Gold and silver blind the eye

Temporary riches lie

Come and eat from Heaven's store

Come and drink and thirst no more

'Cos it don't matter where you bury me

I'll be home and I'll be free

It don't matter where I lay

All my tears, be washed away

So weep not for me, my friends

When my time below does end

For my life belongs to Him

Who will raise the dead again

It don't matter where you bury me

'Cos I'll be home and I'll be free

It don't matter where I lay

All my tears, be washed away

Updates.of.2016.

So I think about him every day, multiple times a day, and for awhile, that was ruling my life... but little by little the saddness of losing him and the awful memories of him being sick and not himself, have been replaced with the goodness of him, the funniness of him, the love of him.  I thought I would never be able to forget the real awful things that happened in the end, and while I haven't forgotten, I think more about the good.  This is what has been  happening that has been good.

   

Taking it back to December.... Andrea and Amanda, their hubs, and their kids came over and did a little cheering up!  As always, I love to see them all at once.   

Jeremy and Kim tied the knot in January!  I can't say enough how proud I am of them.

The beach.  My happy place.  I got there.

In January, there was a college program reunion put in place by Disney, inviting 35 years of us college programmers back.  I had been looking forward to it since last summer.   And turns out a little bit of Disney magic was what I needed.

   

   

     Mom celebrated 72 years!

   

I celebrated with my nursing school buddies, 10 years of being nurses!  I can't even believe this.  I got them each a bouquet with these words written on them.

"Be strong when you are weak,

 Be brave when you are scared,

 Be humble when you are victorious,

 Be badass, everyday."

         

This little monkey I found on the internet makes me smile ever single time.  And I have needed a lot of those.  Just throwing it out there.

         

                          Oh yah, Anna Claire was born February 13th!  And I got to visit!!!!!

         

Pre St. Patrick's Day, I was downtown watching the Chicago River turn green and doing a little freelance work for a friend of mine's sister in law.  So fun!!!

           

I really can't say enough how much my siblings have helped me in the past 6 months.  Due to our age difference, it's never really been a close relationship.  But when your Pop gets sick, there is no one you would rather turn to--- to deal.  My loss is theirs.  I keep saying that.  This was my ode to them on #nationalsiblingday

      

I called Erica Day a few weekends ago.  A day where we do whatever I want, when I want, how I want.  And Adam just has to make it happen.  He isn't a big fan of going downtown on the weekends since he does that Monday thru Friday.  So, I usually request we do that.  This particular day, we had a donut at Stan's, went to Eatly, and then off to a Cubs game.  Afterward, we met up with his friend Justin who was in town from Virginia and had BBQ!

We have a lot of going away parties, and retirement parties coming up in my department at work.  This one was Ferdie's at the Lucky Monk.

Vicki made a visit with her daughter Frances all the way from Hawaii!!  So it was great getting together with her.

And then here is Lisa's going away party at the Saddle Room, just last Friday.

"my thoughts can not move an inch

                                                                        without bumping into some piece of you"