Category Archives: heart - Page 2

Enter the cat

Posted by on March 4, 2011 No comments

I haven’t blogged in a while, so I have tons to catch up on.  New posts will trickle in.  First, enter the cat.

Now presenting… Femmer, the Incredible Purr-Monster!

We adopted a one-year-old cat from the animal shelter on Wednesday.  I met him Tuesday evening, but “visiting” hours were over so I could not adopt him until Wednesday.  It was fun, having the whole family meet him before taking him home, because they all fell for him like I did.  And he doesn’t set off my allergies!  At least, not so far as I’ve noticed yet, and I should have noticed something by now if it was going to happen, I think.

He’s social, talkative, a CONSTANT purr-er, playful, not aggressive, and loves to get cracked out on catnip.  He’s my first kitty since I was like 4 or 5, so he’s kind of like my first kitty since I wasn’t primary caregiver of the one I had back then, and we didn’t have that one for long anyway.  Femmer seems SO grateful to be here, adores the kids, tolerates the dog, and loves to purr.  Now that he’s here, it just seems right to have him, like he fits in to our house and our family.

In summation…

Posted by on February 15, 2011 1 comment

Randomly, on another Tuesday:

  • I miss Melinda.  I’m talking to my little brother Michael again.  I’m talking to my sisters again.  I miss mama.  Loss is lonely, and each one exacerbates the others.
  • The flights down to Texas weren’t too bad.  Long, but not bad.
  • San Antonio was extremely warm the first several days, then cooled off to something tolerable for this Eskimo.
  • The kids had heaping tons of fun with Mimi, Popo, Aunt B, Uncle Schim, and cousins Matthew/Chewy, Nolan, and Colin.
  • They also had a great time with Uncle Lawrence, Aunt Susan, Brennan, and Uncle Ables.
  • Fun was also had at Chuck E Cheese’s with Uncle Alex, Aunt Kimberly, Adriana, Pops, Kyle, and Camden, Aunt Tasha, and cousins Morgan, Trent, and Natalie.
  • Miss Sally liked being chased by the kids, though she tried to pretend otherwise.  Lucky adored Milla.
  • Camilla is “kah-MEE-lah”.  We call her Milla (MEE-yah).  I’ve also written it as Mi’a.  She calls herself Illa/Iya/I’a (pronounced EE-yah).  Aunt B noted that it’s spelled/pronounced like tortilla.  I think this is going to stick with my poor girl forever now.
  • I got a tattoo by Jedidia Reid, owner of Element Tattoo Studio in San Antonio.  I LOVE it.
  • There will be a ton of photos uploaded in the coming weeks.
  • I hated the trip up to Chicago more than words can capture.
  • I loved being in Aurora/Chicago with Aunt Cara, Uncle Mike, and cousins Maddie, Ryan, and Tori.
  • The wind and humidity there make their winter just as cold and unforgiving as ours.
  • They have so much snow that I’m jealous.
  • I didn’t think I could be jealous of precipitation.  I am.
  • The trip back to Fairbanks was long, but nowhere near as bad as the one to O’Hare.
  • We picked up some kind of icky flu-ish/cold-ish bug that has us all feverish, with deep, racking coughs.
  • That hasn’t diminished the pleasure of being back home.
  • We all miss our friends, family, and travels.
  • We wish y’all were closer, and that we could see you more often.  Preferably through teleportation.
  • I’m trying to put the house back together, and will update with more details and pictures when I can.

    • And lastly:

  • Bubbles are awesome.  (recorded in summer 2010)

Random on a Tuesday

Posted by on January 25, 2011 1 comment
  • My youngest sister, Melinda, died at 25 on January 14, 2011.
  • We drove to Anchorage for a small memorial service for her, held on Friday, January 21, 2011.
  • It’s got me mourning my mother all over again.
  • The kids got to play with Grandpa, cousins Faith, Caleb, and Vicky, Aunts Jessie, Tasha, & Sandee, and Uncle Darrell.
  • We took family photos at my parents’ house, courtesy of Sandee Rice Photography.
  • Back at the hotel, we took the kids down to the swimming pool.  They had a blast.
  • The chlorine in the pool did crazy tightening things to the dreads forming at the back of my head.
  • Bouncing Bears is the coolest place to get kids worn out before a long road trip.
  • The living room floor is the greatest place to roll around after many long hours cooped up in car seats.
  • The wolf and the orca share the same animal spirit in Yup’ik lore.  These are the two animals I debated between in trying to identify the animal essence of my youngest child River.  JR is a polar bear.  Camilla is a lynx/mountain lion/fox.
  • I’ve spun 4 oz of a pinkish-purplish wool/alpaca batt by Bohoknitterchic Spins into 400+ yards of a fingering weight single.  Melinda loved pink.  I’m going to knit a shawl out of this yarn.
  • I’m knee-deep in laundry that needs to be done before we leave Thursday night on vacation.
  • I get a kitten after we get back.  It will go nicely with the litter box and cat food I got from John for Christmas.
  • I’m planning on getting tattooed in San Antonio and Chicago during the next couple of weeks.
  • I’ll be starting a Little Acorn Learning curriculum for JR and Camilla after our trip.  I’m excited.
  • I definitely need to get back to daily workouts.  They’ve fallen by the wayside with a marked increase in fibro pain.
  • I nearly forgot how comfortable Vans are until I bought a new pair the other day.
  • I am very clearly doing anything possible to avoid laundry and packing.
  • I have to start all that now, before Thursday gets here.

Sigh.

New.

Posted by on January 1, 2011 No comments

(I’ll be back with 30 Days of Truth tomorrow-ish.  Just wanted to note this.  Workout: Complete, 20 minutes.  30 Day Shred 1, day 3 in.a.row!  Liking the burn I’m feeling.)

My guys (John and JR) got a much-needed haircut by me tonight, followed by showery freshness.  River practiced keeping his balance sitting up.  John went to bed in hopes of chasing away his chest cold.  Camilla fell asleep on the early side.  JR, River, and I hung out in the living room before they decided to go to sleep before midnight.

I thought about mama, and how we would call each other at midnight each new year, just to check in with each other.  I miss you, mama.  I thought about new year’s eves of past, shook my head, and said a prayer of thanks for my life today.  Sleep eluded me, so I came back out to the living room to do my workout as nearby fireworks rang in the new year.

New.  New goals.  New outlook.  New habits.  New hope.  This year, I’m going to reveal a new me.

Happy New Year.  May you find the newness you seek.

She looks so sweet

Posted by on December 29, 2010 No comments

when she’s asleep.  Don’t you agree?  Little angel.  We won’t discuss at this time the mischief she’s in when she’s awake.

Camilla Rose, asleep with her baby doll, December 27, 2010

Day 5 of 30 Days of Truth

Posted by on December 29, 2010 No comments

Looks like I fell down on the blog. Workouts have continued. Blogging did not. My bad.

Day 5:   Something you hope to do in your life
Workout: Complete, 45 minutes (Cardioke, part of 30 Day Shred Day 1 before it kicked my ass)

There are many things I hope to do in my life.  I hope to see my children grow old and have children of their own.  I hope to see a Boston Red Sox game along the 1st base line at Fenway Park.  I hope to see the buildings and sculptures of ancient Greece and Rome.  I hope to see the gray skies and green fields in Ireland.   I hope to get some piece of my writing published.  I hope to make a difference in someone else’s life for the better.  I hope to continue to better myself — mind, body, and soul.

Day 4 of 30 Days of Truth

Posted by on December 17, 2010 1 comment

Day 4:  Something you have to forgive someone else for

Workout:  Complete, 20 minutes   (Cardio Slimdown by Leslie Sansone, Exercise TV On Demand)

The 30 Days of Truth blogging project took a backburner while I got over a bad fall down the last third of my hardwood stairs.  Easing back into it with a 20-minute segment today; didn’t realize how much I’d missed it until now.

Today’s topic: forgiveness.  I don’t forgive easily.  This could be because I generally assume that individuals are essentially good and trustworthy people.  Once I’m crossed (and it takes a bit of effort), that’s pretty much it for me.  (Admittedly, this threshold of tolerance is lower when dealing with people in customer service roles.  It’s one of my flaws.)  I don’t forgive easily.  I can hold a grudge until the cows come home, and I’ve moved enough times that I’m not sure if the cows could find me anymore.

The slights I can think of are either understandable (falling within my general life view) or forgotten-yet-unforgiven.  Sort of that whole idea of “I was mad about something, and I must have had a good reason.”  There are a handful of things that are unforgivable, no matter what.  Some of you who know what they are can probably understand why they’re unforgivable.  The rest of you probably don’t know for a reason.

Hatred that I’ve harbored over the years has mellowed into a comfortable indifference, settling into a lovely disregard.  I’m good with it, so I’ll leave it be.

Let It Snow!

Posted by on December 7, 2010 No comments

One of the oh-so-many reasons I love living in Alaska:

JR & Camilla, catching snowflakes (photo taken by John, November 2010)

Awesome & Win

Posted by on August 9, 2010 8 comments

The nurse-in last Friday was made of awesome and win.  Thank you all.

I was so proud of the turnout — a photographer from the local newspaper pegged us at over 20+ mamas strong, not including daddies and babies and other supporters.  KUAC-FM mentioned us during the 12 pm newshour before the event.  CBS News 13 interviewed me before the nurse-in, and we were featured in the 6 pm and 11 pm news that night.  Two photos from the event were featured on the front page of the Fairbanks Newsminer the next day.

The energy from the participants was amazing, and the sentiments from passersby seemed largely positive despite a couple of unfortunate encounters.  The media was initially kicked out of the store, but were later invited back in.  John and I guessed that they didn’t want any more bad publicity.

We were there for about an hour inside the store, nursing, visiting with other parents, reveling in the positivity, enjoying the moment.  We had sort of descended on Starbucks en masse, and they were so patient even though I’m sure they were a bit overwhelmed.  The clerk nearest to us was very pleasant and polite.  Management stood by, looking rather nervous or insecure, possibly both.

I’m still so excited that it all went so well.  Overall it was such a wonderful experience.

Click images to enlarge


I’m so proud of the nurse-in, and of all of you out there who came out to support us, or sent your support from wherever you are.

I had mentioned to a few people how I’ve been wanting to expand my social circle, to meet like-minded people to hang out with and have playdates with, and one fabulous mama put it in an  awesome, empowering way:  I manifested a community around me, I manifested friends.  I guess I truly do have powerful magic.  I know I’m blessed to have had the support that I did, that I do.

What a great time it was.  I’m so hopeful that I’ve helped spread the message that there is nothing indecent about breastfeeding, and even more hopeful that at least one more mama will feel comfortable feeding her baby whenever and wherever he’s hungry.

At the nurse-in. Photo by Georganne Hampton, cropped by me.

A Friend in Need

Posted by on August 8, 2010 1 comment

My friend Benah has been diagnosed with breast cancer.  She is a lovely, intelligent, compassionate, funny, kind, fabulous mother of two, and her diagnosis breaks my heart.

She is set to have a double mastectomy next Friday, and chemotherapy is likely on the horizon.

She is participating in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Phoenix, AZ.  You can help her reach her fundraising goal.

Her family is transforming the guest room in their house into a healing & recovery room for her.  I think this is absolutely brilliant.  I’m working on a contribution myself, and will gladly forward on anything that you all care to send to me.  She could use all the positive healing vibes she can get!

Sending you lots of love, Benah!

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