Big Girl Room!

Guess who is fast to sleep in her big girl bedroom? Yep, its Ariel! We finally got her furniture and spent most of Saturday setting things up. Two youth, Pastor Dan and Ken went and loaded the truck that morning and after 2 short trips and much sweat getting it upstairs, we had it all ready to assemble.


While Ken kept Ariel busy, I arranged things, moved her clothes, toys and made up her little girl paradise. Back several months ago I had asked Ariel what she wanted in her new room, her reply was cupcakes and fairies. An interesting combo, but hey it can work. I was so excited to finally lay out her new quilt, and now I really need to finish the extra decorative pillows and pillow sham.

I am so happy with how it came together and when we brought up Ariel when it was finished, her response was 'Its beautiful!'


Just a few more pictures to see things... the dresser with the mirror


...tall dresser with some of her dolls...


...the kitchen play area with a display area for her purses...


... the set also came with a desk that doesn't fit in her room now, but we put it in our office / storage room for us to use until she needs it.


That afternoon we decided to go see 'Up' since Ken was eager to see it opening weekend. Ariel seemed excited to go, but then the promise of popcorn is also a big draw. It was an amazing film and so original. Ariel enjoyed the floating house with the balloons and the funny dogs. The beginning is kinda sad, and I found myself crying. It just hit a little too close to home, and yet it felt nice to cry in a dark theater. A fun family activity and by the time we got home it was close to bedtime.

Ariel's first night went very well and she probably wouldn't have woken up in the night had she not gotten a nose bleed. She scratched it in her sleep and called for me. After a quick clean up she was back to sleep quickly. I however didn't, so I played on the computer and finally was sleepy enough to go back to bed. I must say the being unable to sleep thing is getting old. Sigh.


Sunday morning we headed to church early so Ariel could practice with Kim and the other girls a dance they were performing during the service. They only met that morning to learn it and it was so special to see her up there, especially since it was an emotional morning for us. Ken taped it so I could share it with you, enjoy!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Yes, today was difficult, mostly because you are dealing with other people's emotions about everything that happened. Pastor Dave called me this week to tell me about what he was planning on saying about everything that morning and asked how I was doing. Basically, I am lonely. Plain and simple, I miss her calls and just talking to her. Every time the phone rings I go, oh its Nana checking in to see what we did this morning... and then I come back to the realization that its not her. Its a daily journey, some days are better than others.

Stella had ordered some flowers to be at church that morning, they were very pretty. Nana would have loved them.


Tonight we had been invited to Pat and Phil's for supper with their family. It was great to visit with Michelle, who is expecting her baby at the beginning of August. We finally got to meet her boyfriend Jug, and he was a really nice guy. Dinner was really good, and Ariel showed us a new combo of carrot sticks dipped in salsa. Hee. She also became fast friends with Wicket the dog. So cute!


By far the funnest moment came when dessert was served and she insisted that she pray for it. We all watched as she folded her hand, bowed her head and sat quietly in front of her brownie and strawberries. Ken figured she was praying it would get bigger. Either way, it was so cute and melted my heart. She is such a sweet girl.

Ariel wanted to share her new watermelon outfits with you. I love red on her!


Daddy loves this one!


Tomorrow we have dance class and a lunch date with Aunt Deborah, so some fun stuff to look forward to. Its hard to believe its June tomorrow, and yet the weather reminds you that summer is coming. Our fan got plugged in this weekend, and its a huge relief to this pregnant gal. Didn't I say we would get a hot summer this year... less than 3 months to go... my feet just started to swell. Blah!

One Week Later....

So as of yesterday it was one week, and in a way it was the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. Since I last checked in, there was lots of action happening around here. Aunt Penny and Uncle Bill returned from the island with Papa with the news that the place in Comox could take him in right away. So it was decided that by Thursday, they wanted to be back there for him to move in today. That gave us 2 days for packing and moving stuff! A tall order but everyone really pulled together and made it happen.

Wednesday morning I picked up Stella so we could go pack up the place into boxes for the thrift shop, things for Papa's new place, things for us to take and stuff to be moved to my Dad's until we could figure out what to do. While at Stella's, Ariel surprised me and pointed to the necklace I was wearing and said, 'that's Nana's!' She was right, it was Nana's necklace she wore daily. We had given it to her several years ago on her birthday. The details my girl remembers always surprise and amaze me.

Aunty Fran joined us at the suite, along with Aunt Penny. Uncle Bill took Papa out for a long drive all morning so that he wouldn't be in the way of all the action. We got started shortly after 9am, Ariel was happy with her snack and played while we worked, she really was excellent that day, such a blessing. Packing up Nana's clothes was hard at first, seeing the familiar outfits that she always looked so pretty in. So bright and colorful, I'll miss that. I felt like it was such a waste because she had such pretty sparkly shirts, but were too big for us. Then Stella came up with a wonderful idea of making a t-shirt quilt for Ariel out of them! Oh I loved it, and so we made up a large bag of pretty things that were so her and would bring comfort to snuggle in later.

Then things got funny as we pulled out vest after vest after vest! She loved her vests, and I never realized how many she actually had! I kept a few things for myself that I could wear including some beautiful large wraps. I was stunned, they were so gorgeous and yet I don't ever recall her wearing them. One was a deep plum colored one with sheer painted flowers. It was so pretty and when I put it on I just was in love. I will be wearing it to the memorial with my black dress, just seems right. Ariel is modeling it for you, hee.


Another thing I found was a scarf with the Thomson tartan pattern. I believe she got this on her trip to Scotland years ago. I remember my mom had a kilt in this pattern too, a great family keepsake. Maybe one day we will make it there and discover more of our family roots.


Here is an amazing treasure. For years this picture has hung in my Nana's room. I never knew who it was. I don't know why I never asked and yet I just figured it was a pretty old style picture. Auny Penny told me its MY Great-Grandmother! Wow, how amazing is that! For my whole life she was just a name listed on my family tree in my baby book and now I have a face to put to that name. Just a very cool discovery indeed.


Then came unloading the cupboards, fridge and freezer. I can't believe how many bags of frozen blueberries we pulled out of that tiny freezer... not to mention the muffins, cookies and goodies that she would save for visitors. So we packed till about 2pm when we loaded up the car and took several boxes to my place, then made a trip to the thrift shop. Our fridge is stuffed with all the extra food and stuff they had. I must say I made fast work of the dill pickles, and Xander REALLY enjoyed them as he kicked like crazy. Haha.

That evening we had a final dinner with Papa at the home in the special dinning room. It was nice to relax and enjoy the meal, but sad too. Its just hard to believe another major change was coming the next day.


The next day was the big furniture move. We were up early and over at Papa's place just after 8am. It was already crazy when we arrived with the helper from our church that came. Such a huge blessing, especially since Mike works, Dad is out of town and so was Ken who was flying home that day from Alberta. We took several things over to my Dad's to store until we figured out who gets them, and some stuff we plan to sell as well. The minivan was stuffed with all of the things Papa was taking to his new home and ready to go. By 11am it was done, and before I knew it we were saying good bye to Papa.

Bill and Penny drove away with Papa and I got in the car and drove home. From Thursday last week to Thursday that day, one whole week, I had lost 2 grandparents. Of course Papa was just moving, but it was far away and its a change. I pray he transitions well, I know it may be hard for him when he finally is settled.

Ken got home and it was perfect timing and we just sat and talked. I just wanted to be held, it was a hard, long week. We had a nice dinner with Jack and Stella, then came home and relaxed until bedtime. I didn't end up sleeping well, tossed and turned trying to get comfy. I guess its the sign of 3rd trimester coming. Then I woke up at 4am, totally wide awake. I went downstairs and surfed the net for awhile, catching up on blog friends. I went back upstairs and watched a cooking show in bed, it was a baby shower one where they were making 'baby sized' food, yummy. It was fun and helped mellow me out. My body was still on 'go go go' mode I guess. I think I finally fell asleep after 6 sometime when Ken was getting up. Too bad I didn't sleep to long, as Ariel was waking me up before 8am.

Got dressed and walked to the coffee shop to meet Nana's friends. It felt like the right thing to do, and of course Ariel never complains when quiche is involved. Had a nice visit and walked home. Did a few things around the house and then left again to stop in to see Joanie at her shop. Tomorrow we are FINALLY getting Ariel's furniture! Plus the timing of it happening this weekend is nice since Ariel put up with so much craziness the past week, its a special treat for her. Will post pics as we get things together this weekend, whee!

Then we had an interview at Ariel's new preschool. It went so well and I really feel like its the right place for her. She loves her classroom and told us it was 'beautiful'. Ariel was having so much fun that she didn't want to leave! Thankfully the bell rang for lunch, and she knows enough from seeing 'Arthur' on tv that the bell lets you go outside, haha. She yelled 'its the bell! Time to go Mommy, lets go' practically dragging me out of the room. Too funny.


Right now I am going to rest a bit till Ken gets home. We had a friend bring us dinner for tonight, so I am off the hook for cooking. Good timing since I just feel exhausted after this week. Sunday will be the first church service back at the building since Nana died (last week was the outdoor service at May Days with other churches). Pastor Dave will be talking about everything, sharing what happened and details for the memorial we are having June 20th. Speaking of which, we start planning it next week, so lots still going on. Thanks for your continued support and kind words, they are appreciated and I love you all. Thank you!

And The Days Go On...

First off, thank you! Thank you for your support, love and prayers in this time. Seeing your kind words meant so much to us all. Its been a rough few days, and the shock is wearing off leaving the sadness that comes with these sorts of things. Its weird that its almost been a week since it happened. Lots of things have happened since then, and the ball is rolling so quickly at times, its hard to keep up. First off, the biggest concern was getting Papa a new home. He needs 24 hour care and where he was now didn't meet those needs. Nana was taking care of him, so a big decision had to be made... where does he go? After the research and meeting with people, it was discovered that if he was stay on the main land, the only place available was in Burnaby... which was much too far away for everyone, and frankly seemed cruel to drop him there alone. So then a place was found in Comox on the Island, and closer to Bill and Penny. It was hard to agree to let him go, but really its the right choice. We have had the honor of having him and Nana in our town our whole lives, so this was right thing to do. So this week will be a crazy one of packing stuff up and moving things out etc. I figure we will get to breathe after this week.

So Ken left this morning for a whirlwind trip to Alberta, I am really going to miss him with everything going on, but it was planned long before all of this happened. Blah.

The weekend here was pretty mellow. We had some nice distractions that made for some happy times, and then lots of times for tears. Stella brought me some pretty pink roses, which have really brightened up my living room. Nana pink I am calling them.


We finally had to talk to Ariel about things, as best as you can when dealing with a 2.5 year old. She came upstairs and found me crying in bed and basically it freaked her out. She went running to Daddy, hysterical and confused. We all sat down and basically she says now, 'Mommy and Daddy are sad because Nana is gone.' We told her Nana was in heaven, and I think that might be too much to grasp, so the idea she is gone seems to be it for now. Honestly, its the hardest talk I have ever had to have with her. Sigh...


When we went to see Papa off on the Sunday morning, I thought she might ask where Nana was, but surprisingly, she didn't. All she did was crawl up on Papa's knee with her book. I am going to miss these special moments of them together.


Other little moments this weekend included a trip to Costco for much needed toilet paper. I was planning to go on Thursday morning to get it, but of course everything happened that day. It wasn't until we came home from the hospital that night that I was like, oh crud. So we got our big package, and Ariel decided it made a perfect bed for her. Gosh she brings joy in times of sadness, I am so thankful for her.


While at Costco, they had all their plants out, so I picked out a rose to plant in a pot on our deck. Hoping I don't kill it right away, I don't have great luck with plants. Ariel helped me get it into the pot and we added one of my garden fairies to watch over it.


Ken got his article done for the MB Herald, so that will be in the August issue I believe, so if you get that magazine, watch for it. Ariel tried to help as much as she could... I guess moral support. Haha.


We also got to the post office to pick up a parcel from Ken's mom that we missed while at the hospital. Inside was Xander's new crib bedding and a cute outfit. Ariel got some sewing cards, and was thrilled to try them out. I took some time to put the bedding on the crib, so that was a nice distraction. Thinking about him being here in 3 months is crazy. I will need lots of baby snuggles, so I can't wait.


The outfit is super sweet too. A light green with a 'sweet pea' design. I had picked out a sweet pea baby book, so it matches, haha. The clothes are reversible too. I love Janie and Jack stuff, they are so precious. Can't wait to see him all dressed up in it.


Sunday afternoon Ariel got to play model for Maria from Frozen Reflections. She had a good time and Maria sent this picture from the shoot as a tease. I can't wait to see the rest. They are going to be used for a new promotion she wants to do for her business. Very cute indeed, but I am bias of course.


We got home in time to get things ready for our dinner date with Mike and Jo. This was our thank you meal for Jo helping us with our taxes. I pulled out Nana's good china to use on the table, just seemed fitting.


We had a great dinner and visit with them. Ariel and Auntie Jo came up with a fun game of dropping cheese into her mouth, pretty funny.


So that leads me to today and just sitting here taking care of organizing stuff for the week. I really could use a nap... hoping Ariel lets me... its going to be another long week.

That Day...

The phone rang at 7am, although at the time I didn't realize it was that early. In fact, the night before Ken had gotten home late and I stayed up to wait for him so I was really groggy. Ken grabbed the phone and it all began. I saw the look of concern and confusion on his face as he listened, then said it was Uncle Bill, and that Nana was in the hospital. I took the phone and briefly talked to him. They were coming over, just on their way to the ferries, and was asking to call someone to stay with Papa. I called Stella to see if she could take Ariel for a bit since I knew she was working later that morning. As I prepared to leave, I stopped. I looked at Ken who was standing at the top of the stairs and said, 'I think you really need to stay home, I don't have a good feeling about this.'

Sometimes I think I really do sense the worst before it happens, and I wish I couldn't at times. I got in the car and started driving and just cried. I was shouting to God that this wasn't it, why now, please don't let it be the end. Then I felt a wave of something I can't describe. Just this voice of calm saying, your 25 weeks pregnant with issues with your blood pressure, stay calm, or they won't tell you anything. I pulled into the hospital ER parking lot and took a deep breath before walking in.

As I asked for where I Nana was, I thought back to the time when I heard she was there with some issues and how I found her laying in bed, embarrassed that I had come to check on her. I was looking into each area, hoping to see that same image... but she was no where. I went to the nurses station and asked where she was. The nurse I talked to just came on duty and when she asked another nurse she said 'oh...' and looked up to see me, and my very pregnant belly. 'I'll get you the doctor,' she said. My heart sank and I knew it wasn't good.

The doctor came out from behind a curtain close to me and I realized the room with all the action happening in it was where she was. I tried to peak in, but the doctor pulled me aside to talk to me, asking questions about who I was etc. I told him about how she had been acting this week and some of her recent medical things that I did know about, which wasn't much. They indicated something about a stroke or heart attack, and when I said her voice sounded kinda slurred this week he seemed to be more certain that was the case.

I don't remember much else except they finally let me see her briefly. The nurse kept going on about what I would see... but I already knew what I was going to see. I saw my mom all over again... laying on that bed, the tubes, machines beeping and basically not the Nana that I loved so much... it was just a body. I took her hand and started to cry again, softly. Her hand was warm, but felt unfamiliar. I knew she was gone, but yet I whispered 'just go Nana, go home... go be with Mom... its ok.'

The nurse came in to take me to a room while they did more tests, and gave me juice boxes and access to a phone for anyone I needed to call. I really can't remember who I called, just at some point during it Stella arriving. By the time we were able to go back in to see her, Pastor Dave was there. I sat by her bed, and tried to think clearly of what needed to happen, and it was then I saw the clock and how early it still was. Time sure goes slowly in these moments.

Dave went over to relieve Ken and Ariel who was with Papa at this point. He arranged finding a place for Ariel to go so Ken could come stay with me, so that was very appreciated. He also was our phone number guy, as Nana had EVERYONES phone number in her directory, and was making many calls for us.

People started arriving as they got word of what had happened. I just remember sitting there as they came, rubbing my shoulders, kissing my head and the hugs. It all was nice, just kinda blurry in my memory really. I kept getting juice or water put in my hands, so I was being taken care of as well as Xander. I kept rubbing my belly thinking it wasn't fair she didn't get to hold him. Nana just loved babies, and was so eager and happy that we were expecting again. Then I thought of Ariel, how was I suppose to explain that her Nana was gone... usually thinking about those things got me crying again.

Aunty Penny and Uncle Bill arrived 1130am and we got an update from the doctor at that point. Basically he went over what had happened. Papa found Nana collapsed on the floor early in the morning. She had no pulse, and the staff at the home had done CPR. The ambulance arrived and they were able to resuscitate her, however the time frame had deprived her brain of oxygen for a certain amount of time, and after the scan of her brain, they saw very little brain activity. Really, it could have been read from the account of Mom's heart attack 9 years ago, just so familiar, almost creepy.

Wasn't too long before Ross and Kailey arrived at the ferry and Ken went to pick them up. Kyle came in from Calgary via plane and both cars arrived at the hospital at the same time. Again it was a flood of emotion. I looked up watching Aunt Penny comfort her sons... and suddenly I felt very alone. I didn't have my mom and my dad was so far away on his retirement trip with Rita. It was then I realized another chain in my family was gone. Nana was so much a part of my life when mom died, I moved in with her and Papa until I got married to Ken. She really was another parent to me, not just my grandparent.

So many friends were coming to see Nana, and even brought lunch for us all. Rose and Maria prepared beautiful sandwiches and treats for us to refuel our energy. I am so thankful for everyone who did something for us in this time. I love my church family, they are amazing. During our lunch outside, Ken was getting up to grab a drink and heard something and looked up. He nudged me and I looked to see 2 eagles soaring above our heads, almost like they were playing. Anyone who knows about the eagle sightings after mom died, knew immediately the significance. Mom had come to greet Nana on her way to heaven. We all sat in awe, and it will be the memory that sums up the day... on a day like this, its comforting to have something beautiful to hold in your mind.

Sometime in the afternoon, everyone had arrived that was coming. People had their moments to say good bye and it was time to turn the machines off. I didn't want to be there, and Ken and I sat in the cafe down the hall. It wasn't long before someone came out to say it was over, she was gone. In my mind, she was gone shortly after 7am when I arrived, but it was official now. Stella and Jack opened their home to our whole family and ordered Chinese food. It was nice to visit and laugh with my cousins and just relax. It was also WONDERFUL to see my beautiful girl. I just hugged her tightly and felt her little arms around my neck. She was happy to see us and showed us the beautiful cookies she made.

By the time we got home, my body felt sore. It felt like I had sun stroke or something. I just was drained, yet I wasn't tired... or maybe I was so tired that I couldn't sleep. I briefly blogged that last entry, just to do something. I crawled into bed, where Ken was asleep with Ariel nuzzled up next to him. I pulled her into my arms and rocked her and cried. It was over... what seemed like the longest day of my life in a long time. I am thankful that Nana went quickly and it wasn't as drawn out as my mom's passing was as it lasted over a few days.

I don't remember what time I fell asleep, but I finally did. When I woke up the next morning to the sound of the phone shortly after 7am, I wondered if it was a nightmare or did it really happen. When I walked to the bathroom and looked in the mirror, I saw my eyes... yes, it happened... now to start the long journey of healing my broken heart. Pray for me... as this is just the beginning of a new path of my life.

I love you Nana...

But those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:31

Not much I really want to say yet... I am sure there will be lots in the next few days.... its been a very long day for me... for all of us. When I get a moment to really sit, I know my heart will need to flood out everything that has happened today. All I want to do is go hold my sleeping daughter for a while, I have missed her today.

Nana, I love you. I miss you... and know you are with Mom right now. It hurts so badly that you went so quickly, I wish I had more time with you. Thank you... thank you for everything.

Long Weekend Catch-Up

Ahhh, we had such a wonderful long weekend at home. Nothing major planned as Ken had lots of writing, animating and course building to do, but at least we were all together. I must say I am looking forward to Ken having Saturdays off this summer from teaching. Sure the extra money is always nice, but with the animation he is doing for Galen, it more than makes up for it. Yay. We also got the posters made up for the animation festival coming up. So everything is rolling along nicely. Woot!

Ariel spent most of the weekend being a baby. She wanted to be wrapped in blankets and rocked, very cute.

Wah, I'm the baby!

We also started planning a day trip down to Seattle to see a Jim Henson exhibit at a museum, hit the outlets for Xander shopping and have some yummy food along the way. I REALLY want to go back to XXX Root Beer, must be pregnancy cravings. Haha.

Speaking of Xander shopping, I ordered some duds for him, thanks to Ken's Dad who sent some 'shopping spree' money for him to catch up to Ariel,haha. Also, thanks to Julie for the Gymbo code and to America for their Memorial Day sale, woot! I will post pics when they arrive. I am eager for fall clothes, and they should be coming out soon. I am still trying to find a coming home outfit for him as well. I keep changing my mind. I am eager to get Xander's bedding in the mail next week. Ken's mom sent it off with some shopping she did, so I am excited to see what she found him. I also made more progress on his stocking, soooooooo cute!


Yesterday I got to talk to my friend Dianne. It was so nice to hear how things were going with her new little girl at home. I then put a giant bag of Ariel's old clothes together for her. Hope Hana likes them. Ken is going up to Alberta next week, so he can take them up for me.

Ariel also pulled out her bubbles to play with in the morning. She kept trying to lick the bubbles... apparently soapy water tastes good?! Yuck!

Success!

Today is beautiful and both Ariel and I are in sundresses. I am sure its not 'THAT' hot out, but it works for us. I feel warmer just knowing my friends in Alberta have snow today. Gack!


Ariel wanted to sweep my deck... of course she said she needed it to be dirty so she took some dirt from my planters so she had something to clean. I guess that is one way to do it.


We are still trying to sort out a day for Ariel's furniture to come. Sigh. It was all planned for this weekend, had the youth booked to move it and then we found out that the family had gone out of town at the last minute, totally forgetting the plans. Sooooooooooo, we are going to try again at the end of the month, really hoping this is it. Haha. Ariel keeps asking when her bed is coming, and I really don't know what to tell her anymore except soon.

Tomorrow I have an ultrasound. They didn't get super clear pictures of some of the organs last time, so we are gonna try again. Lets see if he co-operates this time. Stella is going to join us to keep Ariel under control, haha. I also plan to drop off Ariel's preschool application, as I have it finished finally. Lots of paperwork for just 2 mornings a week! Ariel's excitement about going to school hasn't worn off either. She is looking forward to our visit to the classroom soon to watch a class in action.

Well, I am going to go do some sewing and get my feet up. Have a good week!

Rock On Gold Dust Woman!

Yes, its been almost a whole week since I checked in. Sorry, its been a hard week energy wise for me. The iron pills are helping, but they also make me sick, so its a toss up. Blah. Ariel and I spent most of the week at home or walking around town in the sun shine. Ahhh, so lovely. Thursday morning we had breakfast with Dad and Rita since Evie was visiting. Ariel kept calling her Katie most of the morning since in some ways they do look the same... just a different granddaughter. Ariel eventually caught on that it was a different girl, haha.

We went for a walk and I got to play with my camera, whee! Just a few goodies of the flowers I captured. I want to build up a library of images so I can use them for greeting cards for birthdays and such. Thrifty tip of the week, haha.



I love funky looking flowers, so cool!


Ariel grew tired of my constant stopping and picture taking, come on Mommy. She is pretending to be Linus with her blankie. Hee.


Friday rolled around and so did the big concert, eek! That morning I realized I really wanted a dress to wear and that the maternity store may have summer stock in, so I drove out to Ironwood with Ariel in tow. I found 2 cute summer dresses, and I think that should last me for summer with maternity clothes now. Yay! I also stopped into London Drugs and got the filters for my camera. So a successful morning in my opinion.

At 4ish I took Ariel down to meet Kara and Lala at the Quilt store. She was so excited and was pretty much barley saying good bye to me. I am learning to just run, haha, don't look back. So I walked back to our place and got picked up by Dad and Rita. We met Ken downtown at Dix restaurant, a place that was down the street from the school's old location. We use to eat there every so often, and I really missed it. We stuffed ourselves and then walked it off by making our way to the stadium. That is when the story gets 'magical'.

We got in and found out seats, section 311. They were the more affordable seats and frankly the only ones I could get at the time. They were fine totally in our opinion, at GM Place you really can't go wrong. With that we spilt up to walk around while we waited for the show to start. We got Ariel a t-shirt and us a mug (that we are totally gonna fight over, haha). We walked back to our gate after my 2nd bathroom visit, thinking that I needed to sit soon. When we arrived the gate girl pulled us aside and dropped a bomb on us. "Did you guys want better seats?" We looked at each other, did they do that sort of thing? We said there is 4 of us in our group, and she went off to ask if they had 4 tickets. I was stunned, was this happening? How much closer? I figured the next section down or something.

By then Dad and Rita had come back and we told them what was going on. We turned over our current seats and then got tickets for section 119. That was the next area down, and after getting directions on the fastest way there, we finally made it... and were shocked. They were closer already... really close. 4 rows away from the stage!!!!! Here is the view from our new seats of the stage...


... here is where we were to be sitting... yeah.


I think we all had dumbfounded looks on our faces for a few minutes as it sunk in. Then I glanced at the tickets... they were $216 ones! Ken wanted to take my picture, and I look like I am still in shock. I still can't believe it happened... nothing like this ever happens to me. Amazing!!!


I took my old camera to the show since it had video and was small enough to keep in my purse. I did think for a minute how amazing the seats were and how I wished I had my other camera, but its ok. I got some great shots to share with you.

Lindsey Buckingham, probably the closest thing I have to a celebrity crush. Haha. Love him!


Stevie Nicks, poor girl was getting over being sick but still rocked it out!


John McVie


Mick Fleetwood


Totally missed Christine McVie, but 4 out of 5 is pretty darn good considering Ken saw them years ago with only 2 original members.


Here are some video highlights of my personal favs. I wished I could have taped the whole show, it was truly amazing! Xander kicked through several particular songs, so I think he is going to be a fan like us, hee.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

They played for 2 solid hours, and way past my bedtime, haha. I was so happy I didn't notice until we had to walk back to the car and I could barely move my legs. Rolled in just before midnight to thank Kara who gave us a brief rundown on Ariel that evening. She crashed at 730pm, during High School Musical 3. We went to bed only to be woken up by princess at 3am, most likely seeing if we were home. She snuggled with us and went back to sleep. We all slept in and had a very lazy morning... ahhh.

Good News

Well I had my doctor's appointment this morning. I must admit I was a little nervous to hear the results of my blood work. All weekend I was praying for some positive news, and was very anxious to hear about all the tests they did. They took enough blood to feed a vampire, haha. Anyhoo, after dropping Ariel off with Lala, I drove out and got the verdict...

Everything is FINE!!! All my tests were GREAT!!! My glucose test was perfect, my thyroid was perfect and no proteins in my urine. Yay!!! I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to know things are ok, a big answer to prayer!!! So we will just continue to monitor my blood pressure. The numbers are still in the 'safe' zone, so unless something drastic happens, it is all good. The positive results from my tests basically made my doctor less concerned and made her think that my BP still could drop back to normal on its own. Sometimes it jumps in 2nd trimester for several weeks and then goes back down. The only thing we discovered is I am anemic again, blah! I struggled with this a lot growing up and it came back when I was pregnant with Ariel too. So no big deal, just some iron pills to boost things. Such a relief, yay. Can you tell I am happy?! Hee.

Beautiful spring flowers in the village! LOVE THEM!


Also, I have a c-section date!!! August 26th, Xander is booked to be delivered, unless he has other plans, haha. We will be sharing the date with Mike and Jo, as that is their anniversary. I didn't realize it until I was driving home... as I kept thinking, that date is special already... hmm. Pregnant brain is a little slow, hee.


So Ken got home Saturday afternoon to his girls asleep on the couch, haha. Ariel was thrilled to see him and didn't leave his side most of the weekend. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking in the sunshine around town. Sooooooooo nice to have him home. Ariel loved her little trinkets he bought her, especially the walking plastic crab, haha.


Since we were out, we ended up going in to vote early at the polling stations. Ariel enjoyed the process and the stickers they gave her. Then we played in the park a bit, oh the fun!


Sunday was Mother's Day and I got breakfast in bed. After my amazing birthday gift, I told Ken that he didn't need to do anything at all, just to spend time together would be lovely. So after church we went to Richmond so I could pick up pillows and sheets for Ariel's new bed. That was a huge help to me. The furniture has been scheduled to happen 2 times now, so 3rd times a charm right? This weekend, if all goes well, we should have it all in place. So exciting. Whee!!!

Pretty lilacs growing at the church. I wish I could have them inside, but my allergies won't allow it.


I am also going to look into preschool this week for Ariel. I wasn't planning on it until she turned 4, but she keeps saying she wants to go to school, so we shall see how it goes. Our good friend from church is the teacher at the particular school we are looking at, and she is a dancer and very artistic, so it would be a perfect match I think. So we shall go look and pick up the registration package... sniff, where did my baby go?! The one thing I think about is that it will be nice to have 2 mornings a week where I can bond with Xander while Ariel is having fun doing something special just for her.


Also this Friday is the big CONCERT!!! Yes, my little counter tells me Fleetwood Mac is just days away. Eek! Probably won't help my blood pressure, haha, kidding. Other than that, not much planned for this week, which is actually nice. Lots of rest hopefully.