Sep 12, 2007

 An athlete in the making

So yes, I realize that she's not even born yet. But Emma (and her parents) has just signed up for her first race! Since we'll be in town for Thanksgiving, what better way to spend a beautiful fall morning than greasing up the jogging stroller wheels?

Now - don't expect miracles from any of us - we don't plan on setting any records. We plan to make it a family day - and hopefully Aunt Rachael and big bro Parker will be joining us (it is pet friendly). I am already so stinking excited I can't stand it!! :)

Check out more details about the "race" and send us some light feet!
http://www.thanksgivingrun.org/

 A pregnant woman WILL change her mind!

Ok, today's post will be a lot less serious. I can *finally* post pics of the finished nursery. The only thing missing from this picture is the lamp behind the chair with a light blue shade.
As you can see - I have changed some things. I decided to go with a more romantic theme to match the furniture. So while it's not totally "shabby chic" I think it works pretty well all together. Enjoy!
Close of up the new bedding - mostly pinks and blues.

New Chair - it's awesome! It rocks, glides AND reclines. Thank you Grandma Lee!

Close up of the chair and the new lace sheers.

One of these will be her coming home outfit - I can't decide!

Her dresser, topper and the frame above it is one that *I* made 20 years ago! It says "I love ice cream". My dad kept it and gave it to me on my 30th birthday. And what better place to put it then in Emma's room? It's also apropos - I have been enjoying lots and lots of ice cream! :)

The armoire, hamper and closet door.

View of side of armoire, walking in the room.

This little pipsqueak already has a better wardrobe than either one of us! :)

And just for kicks - me at 38.5 weeks! Aaagh!

Sep 11, 2007

 I will always remember....

.....where I was this morning 6 years ago. I am sure a lot of people today are thinking back to that same moment. I just wanted to share my experience of that day:

I had gotten laid off from my internet start up company the day before (monday, the 10th), and I was at my mom's apartment in Arlington working on my resume. Both Roger and my mom had already left for work, my mom had taken the metro down to the State Department around 8am that morning.

Mark and I were on the computer when his niece called to tell us to turn on the news. That's when we saw what had happened in New York - I think only one of the towers had been hit. The details were somewhat sketchy, but at the time - it was just an airplane crash as far as anyone knew.

We all know what happened - so there's no need for me to recap. But I'll flash forward to the part where I remember looking out of the apartment window, and in the near distance, seeing the smoke rising from the Pentagon. I remember specifically looking down at the street, and seeing cars lined up like a parking lot, but nobody was moving. But nobody was honking - it was so quiet. People were walking - tons of people were walking the street, traveling west out of the city. We hadn't had any luck calling Roger (who was working downtown at the time) or my mom, since all the cell phones were jammed.

About an hour or two later, my mom walked through the front door, tears streaming down her face. She said she had never experienced anything like it. She had gotten on the Metro just like any other day at 8:15- 8:30am. By the time she made it down to her stop on Capitol Hill (roughly 30-40 minute ride) it was like she had gone through a time warp. She stepped off the metro to see the national guard running down the street, fully armed. It was sheer pandemonium (it was probably around this time that the 4th plane had gone missing, and rumored to be heading toward the Capitol). She didn't know what to do, where to go. what was safe or even what was happening. She was terrified.

Shortly thereafter, Roger walked through the front door as well - visibly shaking. He had walked all the way from his office on 12th Street to our apartment in Arlington - the only choice he had at the time.

We all just sat there that day, glued to the tv. I kept going over to the window to see that smoke from the Pentagon, as if I didn't believe it the first time. I don't feel the need to explain the feelings - we all know them too well. What's hard for me to believe is that it was SIX years ago. I think about what's happened in those last 6 years. I think about how - this will probably be (for my generation) one of those epic moments in time that seem to stand still. I still remember what I was wearing. I think about how we were all affected by that day, but some so much more so than others. I think about the stories of all the babies born after 9/11 - and for a woman 9-months pregnant, the thought just absolutely breaks my heart.

I think what also hits me - as bizarre perhaps as it may sound - is how proud I am to be from Washington, D.C. In my humble opinion, it is where things happen - for better or for worse - it's where so much of this country starts. Living on the west coast, I find myself frustrated sometimes when people seem fuzzy about the details of 9/11. Not to be insensitive, I realize everyone handles profound situations like that differently. And I just have to say for the record - that this has NOTHING to do with political affiliation. But I'm shocked when the subject of 9/11 comes up (at work for example), and there is almost an "Oh yeah" feeling. That bothers me - over and over. It's not fair for me to make any blanket generalizations - and I am definitely not saying that all Californians are blasse about the subject. What I am saying though - is that there is a definite, and obvious difference between the two coasts - in my experience - when it comes to this subject. These are simply my observations, based on my experiences.

Anyway, this isn't about comparisons, or one-upmanship. This isn't a political statement either. It's simply my thoughts. I just wanted to say this on today's post, that I DO remember, I'll always remember. And that I am proud to be from our nation's capital.

Sep 9, 2007

 Things I am grateful for Today: (and by no means is this an exhaustive list!)

1) Emma has turned! That's right, our little buttercup is "locked and loaded". I have no idea whether she decided to turn on her own, or if the accupuncture, massage, chiropractice, hypnosis, flashlight shining, ironing board lying, polar bear positioning that I tried had anything to do with it! :)

2) The weather has cooled off!! I almost melted last weekend (Labor Day) - and yes, I mean literally. It was approximately 95-98 degrees in the sun in San Diego, and it was 4000 degrees inside our house (we have no A/C). If it weren't for the use of three fans, very little clothing, 19 popsicles and the ocean five blocks away, I wouldn't have survived. It is a cool 69 degrees outside now.

3) I am officially done with work - at least until 2008! It was an almost surreal experience walking out of my building at 6:30pm on Friday afternoon. I was by far, the only person there, and I kept having panic attacks that I had forgotten to hand off an event, or that I didn't show my staff where I left a particular binder, table, key, whatever. I guess I felt this uber-sense of responsibility, like I was abandoning my post. I worked very hard to make sure that everything I was working on was organized and documented for my replacement - but it was still hard. I guess I had come to really appreciate my role as a manager, and I felt very protective of my staff. I also had another thought, as I was putting my box of things into the back of my car: I've been in that position for exactly 9 months. In other words, Emma and I had been working together as a team for the entire time that I was Manager of Project and Event Support. Pretty cool, huh? We already make a great team! :)

4) I am grateful for having such an amazing support team of friends and family, who generosity has allowed us to barely have to supply anything for Emma's arrival. I think we're set - and we're set really well. And I truly appreciate it.

5) That my weight gain has finally stopped! I think the pea-size stomach I have these days is primarily responsible. Of course, I think I'm making up for it by retaining water. My poor, poor feet. I am sorry.
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