Brain Dump
Wednesday June 18th, 2008 at 6:05 pmA few blogs I visit have done this lately and since I have so many little things on my brain which none of them really warrant their own post, this might work nicely.
- tonight I’m attending traffic school .. I have to complete an 8 hour course before the 25th. I found one online, and I’m sure its going to be super boring but at least I can start and stop whenever I want and I have a few days to get this done.
- the dogs are worried about the storms heading this way. I like the approaching thunder. I dont like daisy laying on top of my chest or poor big pup shaking while curled up on my arm when I’m typing. I tried to take a picture of daisy on top of me but it just got really dark in here. Here’s one of just big boy on me before the storm clouds darkened the room.
- I’m going back on happy pills. Today I went to a doctor, a real family practitioner, not the walk-in clinic that I’ve been going to. I really liked the doctor (thanks for the referral Keri). She sat there and listened to all my complaints (swollen glands, weight gain, sleeping problems, no energy, arthritis-like pain in my hands) .. the whole time I talked I started getting more and more upset. Eventually I was bawling in her office for no reason. She set up lab work to test my thyroid function, a rheumatoid arthritis test and a bunch of other basic blood work. She suggested that if it all came back negative then it was most likely stress and we could try an antidepressant. I said with the way I was feeling just talking to her I better start taking the pills now. That made me realize the stress of life is really taking a toll on me. So hopefully they’ll help, and I’ll feel normal in 4-6 weeks when I go back for my followup. Though I’m really happy that I’ve found a Dr. that I like.
- Went over to Nikki’s after the Dr. appt and took some neat pictures of Elena. Can’t wait until she shares!
- I can’t believe Teryn turned 17 today! Makes you realize how quickly your little ones are going to grow up 
- Friday I’m planning on attending the memorial service for the little angel from Monday. The dad called and let me know about it today, and then even called me right back and told me I could bring a friend. Can you believe that in this moment of their life he was concerned with me having support at the service. I think that is just another example of how amazing this family is.
- I’m really looking forward to going home to South FL this weekend. Friday evening we’ll load up the car and head down. Spend a few days with the family, have some good food (I’ve requested Las Vegas for my birthday dinner) and I might even have a photoshoot or two. Hopefully I’ll have some relaxation time.
- I want chocolate chip cookies, maybe tonight I can finally make those cookies I’ve been trying to put together since Saturday.
- Ugh .. one of the dogs keeps farting .. blech.
And I’ll leave you with that :)
View 3 Comments | Add a CommentA trip to petco
Tuesday June 17th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Home
Monday June 16th, 2008 at 8:03 pmMom said to me, “I don’t know how I’m going to leave without him, but knowing that we have pictures of him makes this a little easier”
It was tough, but there were smiles in between tears.
View 3 Comments | Add a CommentOn Call, Again
Monday June 16th, 2008 at 12:33 amUnder very different circumstances. I’ve been trying to find the right words for this post for 4 days now, its not easy. So Ill start from the beginning.
This past January I attended a photography convention. While wandering up and down the aisles looking at all the neat trends in the industry I ended up in front of a display that has some of the most beautiful newborn portraits I have seen. I stood there and quickly read what the booth had to say. It was for a volunteer organization called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. That name said it all to me, I quickly grabbed a brochure and ran off to a corner to hide my tears. NILMDTS is a group of volunteers that capture memories of babies who, to put it lightly, don’t have much time on earth. I cried for at least 10 minutes, there in the middle of that convention floor. I had to call Liz to get my mind onto other things. A few weeks after the show I went through the swag I had brought home and found the NILMDTS brochure. After visiting their website and reading a few other photographers’ experiences I made the decision to sign up.
Fast forward to 5 months later I got the phonecall I’ve been worried about. I don’t want to share too many details for the family’s privacy, but the father told me their unborn baby has been diagnosed with a condition that is incompatible with life. Somehow we got through the conversation, I got the details I needed and we setup a maternity shoot for the next morning. The shoot went smoothly and I’m very happy with the moments I captured. Afterwards we filled out paperwork for the organization and they shared more details of their little ones condition. They said there had been alot of ’signs’ that he could be here any day now, so I decided to put my Father’s Day visit home on hold just in case.
Tonight I got the call that mom is in labor. Since the hospital is 30 minutes from my house, and this baby might only have a few minutes on earth I decided to hang out in the waiting room tonight (I waited 6 hours before heading up here) So here I am, just watched the Lakers beat the Celtics and just trying to stay awake. I tried to find coffee on my way here but everything is closed. Even the cafeteria here doesn’t open until 2 am. There’s a big family here waiting for their first grandchild, happily pacing the halls. I haven’t let my family know that I’m here, I don’t want them thinking about me in there.
Please pray, send positive thoughts, anything to help this family find peace. And thank you for reading my late night ramble.
[Update: 6/16/08 11:30am] After waiting in the hospital for a few hours I decided to head home. Realizing that things may not go as planned, and knowing the family is aware of the time it would take me to reach them from home, I decided to head back to my house. The father called me a couple hours after I had gotten home to let me know things are going smoothly and slowly, and they expect their little one to arrive sometime this afternoon or evening. I’m going to take a shower, get dressed and then head back to bed for a bit to try to catch up on my sleep. Thank you for all your kind words and encouragement, I struggled with whether I should share this experience at all, but if it helps spread the word that the organization exists, well I think that is a good thing.
If you’d like to watch the Today Show segment on NILMDTS you can: view it here.
View 9 Comments | Add a CommentGot a little crazy with today’s cooking session
Saturday June 14th, 2008 at 11:36 pmFinal count:
- 3 Sesame-Soy Steaks
- 12 cinnamon rolls
- 8 mojo marinated chicken breasts
- 6 mozzarella, tomato & basil stuffed chicken breasts
- 6 chicken cordon blue
- 6 chicken marsala
- 6 4-cup portions of chicken tortilla soup
and 1 homemade pizza that fueled that madness. At least a third of everything above will be heading over to the Konickis’ when they get home from the hospital .. so I’m really not that crazy
I didn’t get to make the cookies because I ran out of room, so I’ll throw those together in the morning. Amazingly my kitchen is clean! I only had 2 real messy moments, the first one was bad. I decided to try to shred fresh (soft) mozzarella cheese with my food processor. Either my lid wasn’t on right or I over filled it, but my food processor top came off and mozzarella was shot clear across my entire kitchen. I mean .. I was near the coffee maker and there were mozzarella bits on the pantry door (if you know my kitchen). Getting the soup into freezer bags was the 2nd mess, but even that wasn’t bad. It feels good to get that much done in a day, I’m going to sleep well tonight
Cooking and Cleaning
Saturday June 14th, 2008 at 12:51 pmWell I haven’t gotten to the cleaning part, but in less than an hour and half I’ve marinated 3 steaks (Sesame-Soy Sirloin from Fix, Freeze, Feast), put ingredients for cinnamon rolls in my breadmaker, and that’s working away and made a pizza which is now baking in the oven (dough from Publix bakery & fresh mozzarella). Still to come, Tortilla Chicken Soup and Best Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies to flash freeze. I can’t wait!
I read an article in the paper today (and by reading the paper, I mean checking out the RSS feed from Florida Today, technology rocks!) that its time to start planning your fall gardens. I’ve had my garden planned since last fall! So hopefully I can start marking out my plan in the grass and start planning what I want to grow in the fall!
No Comments | Add a CommentWelcome Elena Nicole
Friday June 13th, 2008 at 6:50 pmHere are a few pictures for her adoring fans
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On this day: TL vs Dumptruck
On Call
Friday June 13th, 2008 at 12:22 pmNikki is all set up at the hospital, ready to bring Elena into this world My camera is all ready and I can’t wait to get the call when its time to go meet her. [Updates Here]
In fact, I’m so impatiently waiting, I think I’m actually going to clean my house! :)
No Comments | Add a CommentOn this day: TL vs Dumptruck
Sunbeams & Smoke
Wednesday June 11th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Smitten Kitchen Night!
Wednesday June 11th, 2008 at 10:38 amA few weeks ago while surfing Pioneer Woman Cooks and Smitten Kitchen Nik and I decided there were so many beautiful recipes that we should get together and try them out. Last night was our first of hopefully many more get together dinner nights. Everything that was made was FANTASTIC!! Try them yourselves! As an awesome bonus, since Nikki’s mom was in town and could watch Halle, we went out to catch a late night show of Iron Man.
On the menu, Alex’s Chicken and Mushroom Marsala
Nikki’s salad (spring mix, strawberries, parmesean cheese, pecans and a honey mustard balsamic dressing)
Justin’s wild rice (which I forgot to get a picture of).
And Icebox Cake.
My family has been making a variation of this cake forever, its in the shape of a log, but this was so much more fun! And so easy too! All the details are on the Smitten Kitchen site, but here’s a shot of the chocolate wafter box so you can find them. Publix stocks them with the ice cream cones.
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