Story A Day

We spent the evening with a number of my family members in preparation for my grandpa’s funeral tomorrow.  It was a nice time of reminiscing, and reconnecting with relatives that I don’t get to see as often as I’d like.  Here is a photo of me and my grandpa from about two years ago, before the Alzheimers and other illnesses settled in.  I have many fond memories of our time together as I grew up, and I am happy that he is no longer surrounded by confusion and pain…

I was heading up to CSB/SJU tonight for a work-related recruiting session, and it presented a perfect opportunity to stop by and see Christine and Augustine’s new little baby!  I was able to spend a bit of time at their home and get acquainted with little Alex.  They all seem to be doing very well.  Christine…glowing and already seeming like a natural as a mom.  Augustine…giddy about being a dad and also seeming like a natural with the baby.  Alex…wide-eyed and alert during my whole visit, and I only made him cry once   Here are some family photos…

As I sit to write this blog all I can think about is the sleep awaiting me I didn’t get enough sleep last night, on account of thinking about all the things awaiting me at work in the coming months.  Not a good thing to be thinking about when trying to sleep!  I still managed to get 6 hours, but those who know my sleep preferences know that I am an 8-9 hour kid.  Yeah, yeah, the moms out there have NO sympathy for me…fair enough!  Anyhow, tomorrow evening involves a drive to CSB/SJU for a recruiting session so this girl needs to get some sleep so I can stay awake driving tomorrow!  Don’t worry mom, I’ll pull over and get some food or something if I get sleepy driving

Not us!  But a few of my friends!  You may remember my blog entry a while back from the baby shower with two of my friends, Christine and Heather.  Christine delivered a healthy baby boy yesterday – Alex.  So exciting!   And it was a pretty fast labor too!  Heather is growing a bigger belly – see her new photos at her blog (link in my blogroll) – she’s at 25 weeks!  It seems like there are all sorts of people having babies!  A few others on my blogroll delivered little ones recently too – Casey and Jen!  Wow.  Congrats to them all!

…just blocks from home!  It’s getting to be that time of year when many of us MN dwellers start to feel cooped up and stir crazy.  Subzero temps, little sunlight, and dry skin are all taking their toll.  Alas, Tim and are were ready for a tropical escape!  Yesterday, we headed just a few blocks from our house to the Como Conservatory where we were met with humid air, the sounds of chirping tropical birds, a plethora of greenery, and beautiful orchids (courtesy of the Winter Carnival annual orchid show).  It was just what we needed!  Here are some photos of our escape…

Tim and I attended a fundraiser tonight for the Greg Marzolf Jr Foundation.  Greg passed away about 8 years ago from Duchene’s Muscular Dystrophy.  Tim works with Greg’s sister, Jen, at Fishbowl Solutions, and Fishbowl was one of the sponsors for the event.  We were excited to attend the event to support the foundation and Jen.  It’s amazing to see all of the heart and effort that Jen and her family put in to raise funds for research related to Muscular Dystrophy.  The proceeds stay here in MN and help fund a number of research efforts related to the disease happening at the U of M.  It was a very nice event…great people, great food, great cause.  They have some other great events throughout the year as well.  Learn more at: www.gregmarzolfjr.org.

That’s how many I tried on today before finding one that fit well.  Maybe that sounds like a lot to some of you, and not so many to others among you who are avid shoppers.  I am not an avid shopper, I don’t particularly enjoy it and typically shop only when a need arises.  Such a need was my motivation today.  Tim and I got invited to a fundraiser for a foundation that his coworker’s family started in memory and honor of a brother who died of Muscular Dystrophy…more details on the foundation tomorrow after the event.  In preparation for the event I needed a nice dress and only have one in the house (not much of a dress person) which I wore with the same crowd of folks a couple weeks ago. So, I was on the hunt for a nice, black dress.  See, as most of you know, I’m short.  Being short and buying dresses is a tough combo, they are often too long (and thus look goofy) or the waist in the wrong place (also annoying).  Thankfully, I found one!  And, the best part besides my relief in finding one that fit…it was on sale! I win.

An odd mixture for a title, yes?  Indeed.  That mixture summarizes my evening, since I had my second meeting with new group of women that I am meeting with for a “Spiritual Companioning Group” – an initiative created by my alma mater (St. Ben’s) to get people together to take time to reflect and discuss life and spirituality in an intentional and mindful way.  It’s a great time to meet with other women and talk about deeper issues than those that typically arise in casual conversation.  Tonight, we talked about our experiences with religion and spirituality growing up.  A great evening.  And what about the speed cleaning?  Well, I hosted since I am the only participant without kids   Since we just got back from vacation the house was certainly a bit of a mess, thus the rapid clean-up before my guests arrival, but it was well worth it!

Vacations are always fun, as was our time in DC. Though vacations also mean lots of work awaiting upon arrival home Today was one of those “first day back from vacation” busy days!  Time for some sleep…

The reason for my blog hiatus was a trip to DC with Tim for the past few days.  We were visiting family – my sister & dad and their spouses, and we happened to be there during inauguration week!  We had a great time both visiting with family and enjoying the excitement of the inauguration preparations.  We even ventured out on Sunday to watch the Inauguration kick-off concert from the National Mall.  Our days were filled with site-seeing, and our evenings with family time and board games.  Check out my photos!  And, since I’ve been gone for a few days, a FIRST for the Story a Day blog – video!  Check out the view and a short clip from our spot on the National Mall during the concert.