Thursday, September 23, 2010
hi
No time or energy to write a real post, but wanted to say Happy Thursday to all of you. I may or may not have some significant changes after tomorrow, and if so, I will share with you this weekend. Ooooh the suspense!
Friday, September 3, 2010
What do you like more, Christmas or Wedding Season?
I have to be honest, I'm really really jazzed for this weekend. Not maybe so much for the 8 hour solo drive across IL,WI, and Minnesota, but for the part where I get to spend the whole weekend with my most dear friend Rachel Lee Mattson and most definately for the part where I will stand up and witness the uniting of said Rachel Lee to Jonas Andrew Capistrant, a fine, strapping nordic man.
To be fair, I always love a wedding. I love the getting ready, the ceremony, the reading of Paul's first letter to the people of Corinth, the ample amount of people willing to pose for my pictures, the dancing and general feeling of joy from the collective wedding guests. However, weddings are even more special and enjoyable when one of the two folks entering marital bliss happens to be a friend who has occupied 'sister status' and I simply can not wait to celebrate with my very tall, very pretty, friend Rachel Lee Mattson III.
To be fair, I always love a wedding. I love the getting ready, the ceremony, the reading of Paul's first letter to the people of Corinth, the ample amount of people willing to pose for my pictures, the dancing and general feeling of joy from the collective wedding guests. However, weddings are even more special and enjoyable when one of the two folks entering marital bliss happens to be a friend who has occupied 'sister status' and I simply can not wait to celebrate with my very tall, very pretty, friend Rachel Lee Mattson III.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Lyla Leone Millard
Last Friday I snoozed my alarm more times than I ought and groggily took a shower. I went into my room to change and noticed my mom was calling. It's on the rare that she calls so early in the morning, so immediately my scooby doo ears raised and I answered very quickly. I then sat on my bed, crying, with Sven on my lap, Boris rubbing against my legs and Mike holding my hand while my mom told me that my new baby niece was going to have to be delivered 9 weeks early. Apparently the baby wasn't getting enough nutrients in utero as was expected for a baby at 31 weeks. The doctors said she was 5 cm smaller than typical growth. Courtney, my sister, was checked into the hospital Thursday night, they had given her a shot to help develop the baby's lungs. The doctors were hoping that the baby would stay stable enough to wait 48 hours for the steroid to be fully effective. My folks were on the way to Sioux City and I was immediately making plans to get on the road myself.
Three hours later I'd taken care of a few last minute things at work, Mike had gotten out of work for the weekend and we were on the road traveling across the rolling corn fields of Iowa. We arrived around 7:30 p.m. and went straight to the hospital. At this point, everyone was optimistic. The doctors had a plan and the baby's heart rate was stable. Courtney was pretty uncomfortable, forced to stay in bed with a heart rate monitor strapped too tightly around her stomach in order to locate her tiny baby's heart rate. We were all stressed, but happy to be together. Courtney's c-section was scheduled for 10:00 a.m., Sunday morning.
Saturday morning, after a sleepless night that included a restless Lucia crawling into bed with us around 3 a.m., we were off again to spend the day keeping Cour and Drew company at the hospital. Between chess on the computer, white-board hangman and forced happy conversation, we passed the time. Everyone was nervous for the day and delivery that lay ahead, but we were all trying to stay strong for each other. We were so blessed by the outpouring of support from all corners of our collective life. Courtney, as usual, impressed me with her natural ability to stay collected and positive despite the stressful circumstances. We said goodnight and took Lucia back to the farm and had one more sleepless night.
Sunday morning, we headed back to the hospital. Waiting around for the baby to be born is not a feeling I want to experience again anytime soon. The boys had fallen into a deep computer chess addiction by this point, which was a welcome distraction for all of them. We had 'Father of the Bride' on in the waiting room to offer moments of repreive, but mostly we were tense to finally find out that both of our girls were doing well. Thankfully, that's exactly what happened.
The delivery went exactly as planned and Lyla let out a few delightful cries right as she was born. They immediately put in a breathing tube as a precaution and rushed her up to the NICU. The better part of an hour later and we were able to talk to an adequately-medicated Courtney, who was looking wonderful and feeling relieved for the best-case-senario birth of her 1 pound 6 ounce beautiful baby girl. Cour and Drew named her Lyla, after my father, Lyle. They chose Leone for her middle name, which has a long legacy on the Rambow side. It began with my grandma Donna Dee's mother, Leone who died when Grandma Donna Dee was just 16, was passed down to my aunt Ronna Leone, then to me, then to Ronna's grandaughter Sophie Leone (who was one of Mike's and my flower girls) and now to precious Lyla Leone. At the risk of sounding incredibly cheesy, it is my sincere hope that the strength of the women in our family through the years will be passed onto Lyla and help her in the great struggle that lies ahead.
Today Lyla is 2 days old. She is doing incredibly well despite the circumstances. They have already removed her breathing tube and she is breathing on her own with the assistance of a nasal tube which allows her to breath natural air, but makes it easier for her to inhale. She has been upgraded from her IV to small normal feedings. Her lung and digestive functions are operating normally and she is very active, kicking and squirming. We could truly not be more thankful for how extrodinary Lyla is and how well things have been going thus far. Lyla will require the care of the incredible hospital staff for at least another six weeks. If things continue the way they have been going, we are very optimistic she will grow up to be a very healthy, bouncy little girl ready to jump in the lake in no time at all.
Thank you to everyone who has said a kind word or offered up a prayer for my darling niece. It is a very humbling feeling to have so many people in our lives who support and care for us.
xoxo c.
Three hours later I'd taken care of a few last minute things at work, Mike had gotten out of work for the weekend and we were on the road traveling across the rolling corn fields of Iowa. We arrived around 7:30 p.m. and went straight to the hospital. At this point, everyone was optimistic. The doctors had a plan and the baby's heart rate was stable. Courtney was pretty uncomfortable, forced to stay in bed with a heart rate monitor strapped too tightly around her stomach in order to locate her tiny baby's heart rate. We were all stressed, but happy to be together. Courtney's c-section was scheduled for 10:00 a.m., Sunday morning.
Saturday morning, after a sleepless night that included a restless Lucia crawling into bed with us around 3 a.m., we were off again to spend the day keeping Cour and Drew company at the hospital. Between chess on the computer, white-board hangman and forced happy conversation, we passed the time. Everyone was nervous for the day and delivery that lay ahead, but we were all trying to stay strong for each other. We were so blessed by the outpouring of support from all corners of our collective life. Courtney, as usual, impressed me with her natural ability to stay collected and positive despite the stressful circumstances. We said goodnight and took Lucia back to the farm and had one more sleepless night.
Sunday morning, we headed back to the hospital. Waiting around for the baby to be born is not a feeling I want to experience again anytime soon. The boys had fallen into a deep computer chess addiction by this point, which was a welcome distraction for all of them. We had 'Father of the Bride' on in the waiting room to offer moments of repreive, but mostly we were tense to finally find out that both of our girls were doing well. Thankfully, that's exactly what happened.
The delivery went exactly as planned and Lyla let out a few delightful cries right as she was born. They immediately put in a breathing tube as a precaution and rushed her up to the NICU. The better part of an hour later and we were able to talk to an adequately-medicated Courtney, who was looking wonderful and feeling relieved for the best-case-senario birth of her 1 pound 6 ounce beautiful baby girl. Cour and Drew named her Lyla, after my father, Lyle. They chose Leone for her middle name, which has a long legacy on the Rambow side. It began with my grandma Donna Dee's mother, Leone who died when Grandma Donna Dee was just 16, was passed down to my aunt Ronna Leone, then to me, then to Ronna's grandaughter Sophie Leone (who was one of Mike's and my flower girls) and now to precious Lyla Leone. At the risk of sounding incredibly cheesy, it is my sincere hope that the strength of the women in our family through the years will be passed onto Lyla and help her in the great struggle that lies ahead.
Today Lyla is 2 days old. She is doing incredibly well despite the circumstances. They have already removed her breathing tube and she is breathing on her own with the assistance of a nasal tube which allows her to breath natural air, but makes it easier for her to inhale. She has been upgraded from her IV to small normal feedings. Her lung and digestive functions are operating normally and she is very active, kicking and squirming. We could truly not be more thankful for how extrodinary Lyla is and how well things have been going thus far. Lyla will require the care of the incredible hospital staff for at least another six weeks. If things continue the way they have been going, we are very optimistic she will grow up to be a very healthy, bouncy little girl ready to jump in the lake in no time at all.
Thank you to everyone who has said a kind word or offered up a prayer for my darling niece. It is a very humbling feeling to have so many people in our lives who support and care for us.
xoxo c.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
A remark made as a result of mediation.
So it's been over a month since my last post. I just reread it and it is almost comical how optimistic I was about that weekend, not knowing that my good friend Breanna would pass away just hours after I posted it.
She was 28, weeks shy of her 29th birthday when I was to see her at the Luther Crest reunion. She was beautiful, whip smart and had an amazing laugh. She was a gifted writer and teacher. She had an uncanny ability to put life's annoyances into perspective. She had an appetite to learn and a thirst for creative cocktails. She had a beautiful voice and loved to share it. She was a person surrounded in light. She and Chris had been married for 3 years and had a beautiful 15 month old daughter named Karley. The doctors still don't know what happened. Earlier in the day she had returned from a trip to New York with her students, and then, without cause or notice, she slipped away.
It goes without saying that something like that really makes you sit back and reflect on the fleeting nature of life and how a gal is living hers. I've been trying to not be passive. I've been trying to appreciate. I've been making trips to Minnesota I ordinarily wouldn't take. I've been burning the candle at both ends, staying up too late, waking up too early, running too many miles with no rest. I've been trying to let little things go that ordinarily would have fired me up. I have tried to pay close attention to how I treat the ones I love. I've been trying to pray more, curse less and give more hugs. I've been trying to count my blessings more and air my grievances less. I have not always been successful. I have had one of the worst work weeks in the history of my life. I have contemplated making changes to better my circumstances, yet have actually done nothing. I have hated myself for it and cursed myself for allowing negativity in. I have struggled to understand life and how in a flash it ends.
I suppose these are all part of the grieving process and I suppose I have felt these things before and I suppose I will feel them again. Isn't it interesting how we age and grow and feel we accumulate a firm grasp on life, yet no matter how much wisdom we think we have, we actually know nothing? (Full disclosure, that is not an original thought, I want to say Aristotle?). And in my plagiarism, I find truth. On that note, I will leave you with more brilliant words I could never write:
I just want my life to true
just want my heart to be true
just want my words to be true
want my soul to feel brand new
Love to you all. I am blessed to know you. Sorry about the deep thoughts, not my usual fodder, I know, but I am pretty incapable of anything else right now. If I do not know you - wow, there are people I don't know who read this? Amazing. And welcome.
She was 28, weeks shy of her 29th birthday when I was to see her at the Luther Crest reunion. She was beautiful, whip smart and had an amazing laugh. She was a gifted writer and teacher. She had an uncanny ability to put life's annoyances into perspective. She had an appetite to learn and a thirst for creative cocktails. She had a beautiful voice and loved to share it. She was a person surrounded in light. She and Chris had been married for 3 years and had a beautiful 15 month old daughter named Karley. The doctors still don't know what happened. Earlier in the day she had returned from a trip to New York with her students, and then, without cause or notice, she slipped away.
It goes without saying that something like that really makes you sit back and reflect on the fleeting nature of life and how a gal is living hers. I've been trying to not be passive. I've been trying to appreciate. I've been making trips to Minnesota I ordinarily wouldn't take. I've been burning the candle at both ends, staying up too late, waking up too early, running too many miles with no rest. I've been trying to let little things go that ordinarily would have fired me up. I have tried to pay close attention to how I treat the ones I love. I've been trying to pray more, curse less and give more hugs. I've been trying to count my blessings more and air my grievances less. I have not always been successful. I have had one of the worst work weeks in the history of my life. I have contemplated making changes to better my circumstances, yet have actually done nothing. I have hated myself for it and cursed myself for allowing negativity in. I have struggled to understand life and how in a flash it ends.
I suppose these are all part of the grieving process and I suppose I have felt these things before and I suppose I will feel them again. Isn't it interesting how we age and grow and feel we accumulate a firm grasp on life, yet no matter how much wisdom we think we have, we actually know nothing? (Full disclosure, that is not an original thought, I want to say Aristotle?). And in my plagiarism, I find truth. On that note, I will leave you with more brilliant words I could never write:
I just want my life to true
just want my heart to be true
just want my words to be true
want my soul to feel brand new
Love to you all. I am blessed to know you. Sorry about the deep thoughts, not my usual fodder, I know, but I am pretty incapable of anything else right now. If I do not know you - wow, there are people I don't know who read this? Amazing. And welcome.
Friday, June 18, 2010
It's just tequila and the beach, that's why it's salty when we kiss...
Happy Friday all! I am in the mood to not be at work. This weekend is going to be fantastic and here's why:
1. It's Prairie Fest in Oswego! Last night I was able to sit on my back patio, sipping a Jameson and Ginger, (aka Jimmy, Jinger, Redheadedstepchild, Blarney Stone) and listen to a pretty decent cover band over a lovely campfire. A+
2. Keith Urban/Dixie Chicks/Eagles at Soldier Field on Saturday night! Extra bonus that H is coming after a refreshing Hawaiian Vacation and Lacey and her fam are coming down from Minnie. I could not be more excited! A++
3. Prairie Fest 5k Sunday morning! I hope to run it in under 28 min - setting really high goals, I know. B+
4. Mike is running the Warrior Dash in Joliet Sunday afternoon wherein he will climb walls, roll in the mud and jump over fire! Fantastic! A+
5. Alfonso introduced me to a sweet radio station some time ago and I have been jamming to this song. I decided it's my official weekend anthem. A
Hope you all have a fab weekend!
cheers!
1. It's Prairie Fest in Oswego! Last night I was able to sit on my back patio, sipping a Jameson and Ginger, (aka Jimmy, Jinger, Redheadedstepchild, Blarney Stone) and listen to a pretty decent cover band over a lovely campfire. A+
2. Keith Urban/Dixie Chicks/Eagles at Soldier Field on Saturday night! Extra bonus that H is coming after a refreshing Hawaiian Vacation and Lacey and her fam are coming down from Minnie. I could not be more excited! A++
3. Prairie Fest 5k Sunday morning! I hope to run it in under 28 min - setting really high goals, I know. B+
4. Mike is running the Warrior Dash in Joliet Sunday afternoon wherein he will climb walls, roll in the mud and jump over fire! Fantastic! A+
5. Alfonso introduced me to a sweet radio station some time ago and I have been jamming to this song. I decided it's my official weekend anthem. A
Hope you all have a fab weekend!
cheers!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Fill it up again!
I am pretty bored at work right now. It's summer and it's slow and my boss is out of the office.
After exhausting facebook, creating a new budget and stalking all of my usual blogs, I have compiled a list of songs I will never be sick of hearing.
In effect, these are my 'desert island' songs that could be played on repeat to more enjoyment each time. This is in now way a comprehensive list - just what I could think of this morning whilst listening to Cities 97.
I invite you to add or subtract to my list as you see fit. Here they are, in no particular order (except the first song is there for a reason - probably my favorite song of all time):
1. Into the Mystic - Van Morrison
2. In My Life - The Beatles
3. Nightswimming - REM
4. Plush - Acoustic - Stone Temple Pilots
5. You Were Mine - Dixie Chicks
6. Sitting on the Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
7. Murder in the City - Avett Brothers
8. Fire and Ice - Garth Brooks (apparently Garth does not enjoy to have his songs on youtube, so you can choose to watch the lost video or not, let's face it, Kos will watch).
9. The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
10. Change is Gonna Come - Gavin Degraw version
11. This Year's Love - David Gray
After exhausting facebook, creating a new budget and stalking all of my usual blogs, I have compiled a list of songs I will never be sick of hearing.
In effect, these are my 'desert island' songs that could be played on repeat to more enjoyment each time. This is in now way a comprehensive list - just what I could think of this morning whilst listening to Cities 97.
I invite you to add or subtract to my list as you see fit. Here they are, in no particular order (except the first song is there for a reason - probably my favorite song of all time):
1. Into the Mystic - Van Morrison
2. In My Life - The Beatles
3. Nightswimming - REM
4. Plush - Acoustic - Stone Temple Pilots
5. You Were Mine - Dixie Chicks
6. Sitting on the Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
7. Murder in the City - Avett Brothers
8. Fire and Ice - Garth Brooks (apparently Garth does not enjoy to have his songs on youtube, so you can choose to watch the lost video or not, let's face it, Kos will watch).
9. The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
10. Change is Gonna Come - Gavin Degraw version
11. This Year's Love - David Gray
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