Not too much....

My cousin's funeral was very sad. Her son is a border patrol officer at the Buffalo/Canada border, so his colleagues were there at the funeral, as well as an Erie County Sheriff. It was a tender moment when then met up with each other.

My Sunday School class went well. I love teaching! Katrina, I think of you every week and hope you are not so terrified anymore.

The Buffalo Bills are 4 and 0!!! The Yankees bombed out and are not in the playoffs. The agony and the ecstasy.

Work today was organized chaos.

Fall is in the air and I love it!

My cousin Joyce

She died this evening. She had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer in November. I hope she was peaceful at the end. She had not been happy with God about this illness.

We were almost exactly the same age; she was about six weeks older than me. I am so sad. She was a good kid. I was in their wedding in 1973. She was such a pretty bride with long dark hair. That's me on the right, in green. The short one with glasses.

Shoulder SURGERY!!

Try saying THAT three times. Well the MRI gave the orthopedist the information he needed about the rotator cuff.  He believes there is a small tear which will only get worse. Surgery is the best option since the physical therapy didn't work and the cortisone shot didn't work, either. Hopefully he can do it without slicing me open too badly. I won't be able to drive or lift my arm over my head for SIX WEEKS! Right now, it's scheduled for November 13, but it may get moved up if there is a cancellation. Or I may move it to December depending on a possible client. Needless to say, I am a little apprehensive. It's my right arm, too. 

It will put a lot on Larry. I need a mother! I need a sister! I need a daughter! I have a cat.

...continuing the story

Wednesday - 

5am - wake up.

9:30am - while talking to pregnant friend/client, her water breaks, she promises to keep me posted.

10:30am - call from Red Cross to see if I am available to go to Strong Memorial Hospital to interview fire clients from the night before. It was the fire where those three little kids were hurt. I interview the family and provide assistance.

2pm - to the chapter to drop off the interview paperwork - have not eaten yet but someone saved me a plate of food from a meeting. Grateful.

3:30pm - rush back to Greece for my hair appointment, hoping beyond hope that pregnant friend/client does not call me to come when I have my head full of highlight solution.

5:30pm - made it! Head for home to have some dinner and wait for baby to come.

6:30pm - friend/client calls for me to come to the hospital, off I go.

8:30pm - we decide that I would leave because nothing is happening yet. They promise to call when labor kicks in.

8:45pm - I'm not even out the door of their hospital room when my cell phone rings. It's the 911 dispatcher saying there are two fires at once and wonders if I am available to respond. Off I go again, back to the chapter to get the team and head to the fire.

12:30am Thursday - back home from the fire after assisting lovely family who lost almost everything.

12:45am - just about to get into bed when phone rings. Labor has started and they would like me to come. Get dressed, go back to Highland.

3:43am - baby boy is born weighing in at 9lbs.5oz. Awesome labor and birth, one of the best.

5:30am - back at home, sink into bed and sleep for the first time in 24 hours!

No one would believe this week

It has been a long week:

Monday morning - went to a fire in Webster where two people died. When we got there, the fire chief said we didn't have to stay because the people were still inside the burning home. It was a murder suicide.

Monday evening - meeting of the Doula Cooperative

Tuesday - had an MRI for one the bad shoulders. The MRI wasn't so bad, just loud. Good thing they gave me earplugs!

Wednesday was nuts. I am so tired that I will have to finish this tomorrow.....

Just a great day

It was one of those cool, late summer days, with a beautiful blue sky, puffy white clouds and just enough chill in the air to want long sleeves. I spent the day with Pam, my best and eternal friend in all the world. Her little girls were in school all day, but they have a new puppy that needs constant attention right now, so we just stayed at her house and enjoyed the day together.

This is Isa, their West Highland Terrier. Is that the cutest face ever? She is 10 weeks old and just a sweet little girl. Isa is Norwegian for "ice."

Pam's husband brings in caterpillars for the girls to put in a bowl with milkweed. They wait for the caterpillar to spin its cocoon and then anxiously wait again for the butterfly to emerge. Today was the day! Oh and p.s. - Pam's wearing the bracelet I made for her!

Sleep is a beautiful thing -

- especially when you haven't had much of it in the past few days. I have had a hard time sleeping lately. But you moms know all about that. I don't know how you all do it. I am a complete mess without sleep. I do very well with catnaps though, which helps so much when I'm with a mom during a long labor. But I need a good 6 -7 hours to feel like myself and not look like an old hag. Makeup is a beautiful thing, too!

Speaking of makeup, I've discovered Bare Minerals. We have this cool store here called Ulta and boy do they have some great products, including this Bare Minerals stuff. I need a little more coverage as I get older and this stuff actually makes me look good! Braces and all. Speaking of the braces. I am tired of them already. It's only 8 months! I asked the orthodontist again if she thought it would really take a whole 2 years to finish this teeth project. She said absolutely not. Amen.

Thanks, Susan!

This is fun. It has some really lovely pictures, too. Apparently, I am an Optimist!

HBPS - The Optimist

You perceive the world with particular attention to humanity. You focus on the hidden treasures of life (the background) and how that fits into the larger picture. You are also particularly drawn towards the shapes around you. Because of the value you place on humanity, you tend to seek out other people and get energized by being around others. You like to ponder ideas and imagine the many possibilities of your life without worrying about the details or specifics. You are in tune with all that is around you and understand your life as part of a larger whole. You prefer a structured environment within which to live and you like things to be predictable.

The Perception Personality Types:

Take The Perception Personality Image Test 

Labor Day baseball

Is there anything better than a warm summer afternoon spent at a ball game? Okay well maybe some things are better, like a Neil Diamond concert, but this is pretty great. 

Rochester Red Wings!

Some of the players running sprints before the game. The guy wearing #50 won the game in the bottom of the ninth with a homerun blast!

I always enjoyed watching the grounds crew wet down the infield. I like this shot.