Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween!

Inexplicable

It is hard to explain how it feels to see the face your child for the first time.
I can't wait to hold her.

Here is a close up of Z's face...I think she has my nose...


Here she is, curled up and kicking it...


And here are her big feet...I think she got these from her dad....


Happy Halloween!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Starbuck gets the joke

When the leaves come falling down...

Today we went to a popular state park for autumn vistas. Of course, I took the opportunity to try out the new D60.
Below is a slideshow of my favorite pictures.


The video quality doesn't do the D60 justice, so if you want to look at the pictures themselves, take a peak (actually the first two are of my doggies, but they are cute too!)...
Fall 2008

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Love's Recovery

For some reason I have had this song playing in my head for a few weeks....

It is really beautiful. It doesn't really speak about my life these days...a few quips from it are my favorite, and they will always speak to me....

'There I am in younger days, star gazing,
painting picture perfect maps
of how my life and love would be.
Not counting the unmarked paths of misperception,
my compass, faith in love's perfection,
I missed ten million miles of road I should have seen....'

I have a very vivid memory that I relate to this line...It is me, walking in the mid - evening with my best friend on our beautiful college campus...It was the end of summer vacation before my junior year. I had spent a lonely hot summer living on a campus where there were perhaps 6 other students. My best friend had graduated in May and part of me was wondering what I would do with my time in the coming year. That is the me that I see in the 'There I am in younger days', but the picture perfect maps were never very clear during those years. I sometimes felt swallowed by the unknown...the possibility. I could be a nun (I was very serious, people - no joke)...I could get married (yeah right)...I could be boldly independent.

I never became a nun....as my current state shows (LOL). I never felt confident enough to take the first commited steps, and I suppose it came down to point that NOT making a decision IS making a decision.

And I did get married...once I finally understood the point...once I understood that marriage could be whatever my partner and I made it to be...and not the same old scary confinement that loomed over me during those days.

And these days I am thankful that there is not so much unknown in my life. The unknown of infertility and pregnancy is tough enough. If I was still wondering about major life directions, I would be more insecure. I try to remember everyday how blessed I am. I try not to let the unknown how little Z is and when we will go into labor and whether I will need surgery and whether she will be early. I am thankful for these worries. And there will always be whatifs in my life. I just don't worry about the past whatifs too much and try not to worry about the future ones....


'Tell all the friends
who think they're so together
that these are ghosts and mirages
all these thoughts of fairer weather'

Not that my life is static - I look forward to the changes that will occur...in my family - with little Z, with career possibilities, what new places we will live in and visit, there are so many opportunities again - and I do make a choice every day to be married - it's not perfect - but it is beautiful, and I am able to grasp my strength and not let unknowns cause insecurities...

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

The arrival...of the D60 that is....

My new toy was delivered tonight. Thankfully it is in tact and I have been playing around with it. I say 'thankfully' primarily because the UPS person left it with my neighbor without my consent. I am not surprised, because she works for UPS, so she probably told them that I would be ok with it. It sort of bothers me, because it looked like someone tried to cut the tape on the sides of the box to get a peek at what was inside. A lot of nerve...eh? I suppose I have a case for a complaint to UPS, but I really don't want to bother with it. All is well that ends well, as I have my new camera and it is intact. I want to believe that her intent was to be helpful because she knows I work a ways away. I just wish she would have asked me this evening and then offered to have them drop it there tomorrow. OK. Moving on...

I have had a chance to play around with it.
Here are some pictures for your delight. I have a lot to learn about all of the settings, but just playing around with it is fun too.

Starbuck....


Gus....


Grace...


The Big Belly...

Saturday, October 18, 2008

OK - No more whining

Sorry for the whiney post. I know those days just come and go.

I went to my Terre Haute for a play last night. It was a nice rendition of a play they did when I was there (I Sleep but My Heart Watches). It was about the life of the foundress of my college, Saint Mother Theodore Guerin (the eighth Catholic Saint from North America). I wasn't exactly in it when they did it because I went to Italy for MTGs Beatificaion the week before, so I was supposed to sing a solo at the end. Then a very close person to me died the day of the dress rehearsal so I ended up not being in it at all. Needless to say, it was a very hard time for me.
And this year they put the production together at the last minute in honor of Sister Sue. I made it a point to be there in homage to Sue and Mother Theodore and the wonderous place that is Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
I am glad I went, even though it meant staying up way later than I have been able to these days. The play started when I am usually falling asleep. I got home at 11:30pm, but I wasn't too exhausted.

In other news, I made a big purchase today that is related to our little Z. I ordered my first DSLR camera. I went with the Nik.on D60. I can't wait to start learning how to use it. I talked DH into getting it now so I would have plenty of time to understand all the bells and whistles before little Z gets here. I am just so excited. :) It is something I have been dreaming about for a while...I took some photography classes a few years back and since my current camera will cost 200+ to fix, I figured now was the time.