What follows is a quote from an email sent by a friend whose wife recently underwent brain surgery to remove a venal cavernoma which had manifested itself with severe and debilitating symptoms. The surgery was deemed successful and she is in recovery. I found his email to be something worth keeping and sharing...
"Jesus taught us in the Lord's Prayer that we are to pray that the Lord's will be done in all things. But he also teaches in the parable of the widow and the judge that ceaseless prayer can change outcomes. I believe that God controlled everything down to every cut, every drop of blood, every hair shaved in that tiny area required for the surgery ('not a single hair will fall from your head apart from the will of God'). So why pray??? Well, we are told by Jesus to do so as it is a direct channel we have been given for close, intimate relationship with God. We are also told that outcomes will change when prayed for in faith. But the biggest thing I see is that WE are changed in the process. We are forced to reckon with the truth that we can not ultimately control the outcomes of our lives. There's no earthly reason we can point to why you or I are not the one who had the cavernoma in their head. Nor can we say with any assurance that next year it won't be one of us lying in the next hospital room with a terminal prognosis (like many of the people whose loved ones we sat next to in the waiting room). It's a sad predicament... If the world is run by random events than all we can do is say 'sorry' to those facing the cruel, coldness of chance and hope by the numbers it doesn't happen to us our our loved ones. Ahhhh, but we have our hope in God! Any glimmer of intent or purpose in the circumstances tips His hand to show a glimpse of His workings..."
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Our trip to NY and CT
Day 1 (Wednesday) - Brooklyn
Aboard the routine flight to LaGuardia, Amelia shrieked with joy when discovering pink Play-Doh for the first time. She startled Joe Cheshire who was sitting in front of Michael, but he was very nice about it. Leslie enjoyed talking with him and his wife after the flight. The Boerem Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn where we stayed was just perfect for us with inexpensive restaurants, a park, a grocery, a laundromat, and a subway station all within blocks.
We really enjoyed our day in Brooklyn and seeing how the locals lived. That was purposefully the theme of this trip.
The landlady of our building, Crissy, was extremely helpful to us. She loaned us a pack 'n play, booster seat, and bouncy seat for our kids. She and her husband have 2 little ones as well, and they have always lived in NYC, including Queens and Manhattan. We were intrigued with the idea of parenting in the city.
We ate lunch at the Vietnamese sandwich shop down the street. There were exactly 10 chairs in the restaurant, and they served bubble tea.
The first afternoon, we took Amelia to the Warren Street park whose centerpiece was a large concrete water sprinkler. It was much appreciated. Airplanes, taxis, and an 800 sq. ft. apartment is not going to contain any 2 year old. She got a chance to play with the city kids.
For dinner we went to Bedouin Tent, a middle-eastern pitza shop. That's spelled correctly. They served pizza on pita bread...pita+pizza=pitza. We had ground lamb sausage with artichokes on one and I don't remember the other. We also shared a drink called a loomi. It tasted like lemon flavored tonic water with no carbonation. I loved it but Leslie did not.
Later that evening we visited the neighborhood grocery store. In fact, we went into both the corner grocery and the Met, which was small, but had items stacked to the ceiling. (The were both necessarily small but were perfectly adequate for our needs.)
Day 2 (Thursday) - Manhattan
Happy birthday, Leslie!
Our day began very early; 4:45 am, in fact. Amelia woke up and alerted us all that she was not sleepy any more! That probably turned out to be a good thing because it got us out of the apartment by 7:30am so we didn't squander our only visit to Manhattan.
We walked to the subway and rode one stop. Then, we got out and walked the pedestrian lanes of the Brooklyn Bridge. When we were at the very top of the bridge, Marian called to wish Leslie a happy birthday! It was already getting warm, but we were so excited to be entering the city.
In Manhattan, we first walked with the commuters to the financial district for breakfast and then to Ground Zero. It was sobering but was now a construction site. There was a memorial wall to the FDNY firefighters that died on 9/11 and a volunteer explaining the art.
Another subway trip (one kid on M's back, one kid on L's front, folded stroller, backpack-phew) landed us on the lower east side near Central Park. Before visiting Central Park, we cooled off F.A.O. Schwartz where Amelia discovered the Barbie suitcases, the Corolle dolls, the Piano from the movie Big, and a stuffed frog. The frog was located in a narrow, busy hallway, but Amelia insisted on teaching the frog to hop amidst the traffic. It was charming.
Next we grabbed hotdogs from a street vendor outside Central Park. In the park we had intended to visit the Children's Zoo and Carousel but did neither. Instead we just kind of ambled around and took it all in. It was impressive. We saw musicians, rollerskaters, groups of children, and families. It was so hot, however, and the heat started to really sap our energy, despite the snowcones and popsicles. We decided that we all would appreciate some a/c.
That led us the the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The place was vast and had some amazing art. I intentionally led us to the Asian art first and then the European stuff. The European art had all of the masters and a few masterpieces. During the whole time in the museum, I had Amelia on my back and she was ready to get down, as evidenced by screaming and flailing. We needed to visit a park, ASAP.
There was a shady pocket park with a water sprinkler right next to the museum. She played with the stylish Manhattan kids and their nannies, while we meet up with Leslie's friend, Cara. After playtime was over, Cara graciously escorted us back downtown(quickly, NYC style, at rush hour) to the Meat Packing district where we got some dinner at a chic Asian restaurant, the Buddha Bar. That district was off the beaten path for tourists and it was fun to see the coolest and hippest New Yorkers hanging out there. Ads/commercials were being shot there. Interestingly, the buildings were only 2-3 stories tall!
Finally, we hopped back on the packed subway with the commuters and headed home to our apartment in Brooklyn. It was a surprisingly easy location for commuting. I'm sure Jamie and Joyce pay dearly for that feature! Thomas looked like he was asleep standing up, you'll see in the pics.
Day 3 (Friday) - Danbury
Amelia let us sleep in until 5:30am on Friday morning. Gosh, thanks. She also perfected her new saying during the trip. Whenever she is not in agreement, she will speak her mind and end it with HONEY, 'KAY? For example, "I don't want to go to sleep, honey, 'kay?"
After an early breakfast, we headed to a local laundromat. While Leslie and Thomas did laundry, Amelia and I headed back to the park. It was neat watching all of the little kids walking to school with their mommy or daddy. Joyce's apt. overlooked PS 261.
Back from our chores, we quickly packed and made our plan to escape from New York. Leslie picked up the rental car and parked illegally while we whisked the carseats, kids, and luggage into the car and got out of town via the scenic and bizarre Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
Driving in New York was predictably treacherous, but we got out of town okay. We felt stupid because we passed on the rental GPS, hadn't brought a map, and didn't know exactly how to get to Danbury. There were only three main ways into Connecticut from where we where and they were all close to each other so we just drove into the state and picked up a map. Not knowing where we were going gave us the chance to take a scenic back road through Wilton to Danbury which really relaxed me after the hectic pace of New York.
We got to our hotel suite, where Amelia and I went to the pool while Thomas napped. That evening we went to an average Chinese restaurant where Amelia turned into a little hellian. We were pretty embarrassed by that dining experience. Whatever. We were glad to have food.
Afterwards, we stopped by the Danbury Fair mall for some strolling. They had a double-decker carousel there which we all rode twice. The top level was a bit sickening because you were so close to the center. Leslie was excited to visit H&M, a clothing store, but a little underwhelmed by the offerings and quality.
On Friday night, there was a Bowling Party as part of the wedding activities. We made it there to visit with some of the guests but could not bowl since the kids were with us and expiring. Even so, it was fun hanging out with folks for a while. Most had a Duke connection since that's where Jaime and Joyce went to school. Here are the bride and groom dashing into the party!
Day 4 (Saturday) - Danbury
In the morning the wedding party went hiking at Tarrywile park. It was a strenuous hike. Connecticut's terrain surprised me. It was hilly and rocky. All in all it was an hour and a half of hiking with Amelia strapped to my back. Leslie and Thomas did some hiking and then headed for the children's garden area. Amelia and I met up with them there.
After lunch, we were wiped out so we headed to the hotel room for naps. We all slept soundly until it was time to get ready for the wedding.
The wedding was held on the grounds of a mansion of family friends. It was perched on a hilltop so we could see for miles. The wedding was outside near a pond and the reception was right next to it under a tent. There were lots of great guests, music, and food there and we really enjoyed meeting Joyce's family since they were at our table. They live in the Seattle area and NYC, so Leslie had never gotten to meet them despite rooming with Joyce for a year.
The temperature was hot with heavy humidity but they did have a sno-cone machine which saved the day with Amelia. She had at least 3 sno-cones, with 3 additional refills.
The actual wedding was nice, and we were happy to be present for Joyce and Jaime's wedding and to show them our support. Leslie was impressed with the detail Joyce went to in planning everything, despite her job as a first-year patent attorney in NYC. We loved the wedding favors - Baggu bags - very original!
Day 5 (Sunday)
We drove back to La Guardia in the early morning and flew home. Again, thankfully uneventful.
Aboard the routine flight to LaGuardia, Amelia shrieked with joy when discovering pink Play-Doh for the first time. She startled Joe Cheshire who was sitting in front of Michael, but he was very nice about it. Leslie enjoyed talking with him and his wife after the flight. The Boerem Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn where we stayed was just perfect for us with inexpensive restaurants, a park, a grocery, a laundromat, and a subway station all within blocks.
Click for more pictures...We really enjoyed our day in Brooklyn and seeing how the locals lived. That was purposefully the theme of this trip.
The landlady of our building, Crissy, was extremely helpful to us. She loaned us a pack 'n play, booster seat, and bouncy seat for our kids. She and her husband have 2 little ones as well, and they have always lived in NYC, including Queens and Manhattan. We were intrigued with the idea of parenting in the city.
We ate lunch at the Vietnamese sandwich shop down the street. There were exactly 10 chairs in the restaurant, and they served bubble tea.
The first afternoon, we took Amelia to the Warren Street park whose centerpiece was a large concrete water sprinkler. It was much appreciated. Airplanes, taxis, and an 800 sq. ft. apartment is not going to contain any 2 year old. She got a chance to play with the city kids.
For dinner we went to Bedouin Tent, a middle-eastern pitza shop. That's spelled correctly. They served pizza on pita bread...pita+pizza=pitza. We had ground lamb sausage with artichokes on one and I don't remember the other. We also shared a drink called a loomi. It tasted like lemon flavored tonic water with no carbonation. I loved it but Leslie did not.
Later that evening we visited the neighborhood grocery store. In fact, we went into both the corner grocery and the Met, which was small, but had items stacked to the ceiling. (The were both necessarily small but were perfectly adequate for our needs.)
Click for more pictures...Day 2 (Thursday) - Manhattan
Happy birthday, Leslie!
Our day began very early; 4:45 am, in fact. Amelia woke up and alerted us all that she was not sleepy any more! That probably turned out to be a good thing because it got us out of the apartment by 7:30am so we didn't squander our only visit to Manhattan.
We walked to the subway and rode one stop. Then, we got out and walked the pedestrian lanes of the Brooklyn Bridge. When we were at the very top of the bridge, Marian called to wish Leslie a happy birthday! It was already getting warm, but we were so excited to be entering the city.
In Manhattan, we first walked with the commuters to the financial district for breakfast and then to Ground Zero. It was sobering but was now a construction site. There was a memorial wall to the FDNY firefighters that died on 9/11 and a volunteer explaining the art.
Another subway trip (one kid on M's back, one kid on L's front, folded stroller, backpack-phew) landed us on the lower east side near Central Park. Before visiting Central Park, we cooled off F.A.O. Schwartz where Amelia discovered the Barbie suitcases, the Corolle dolls, the Piano from the movie Big, and a stuffed frog. The frog was located in a narrow, busy hallway, but Amelia insisted on teaching the frog to hop amidst the traffic. It was charming.
Next we grabbed hotdogs from a street vendor outside Central Park. In the park we had intended to visit the Children's Zoo and Carousel but did neither. Instead we just kind of ambled around and took it all in. It was impressive. We saw musicians, rollerskaters, groups of children, and families. It was so hot, however, and the heat started to really sap our energy, despite the snowcones and popsicles. We decided that we all would appreciate some a/c.
That led us the the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The place was vast and had some amazing art. I intentionally led us to the Asian art first and then the European stuff. The European art had all of the masters and a few masterpieces. During the whole time in the museum, I had Amelia on my back and she was ready to get down, as evidenced by screaming and flailing. We needed to visit a park, ASAP.
There was a shady pocket park with a water sprinkler right next to the museum. She played with the stylish Manhattan kids and their nannies, while we meet up with Leslie's friend, Cara. After playtime was over, Cara graciously escorted us back downtown(quickly, NYC style, at rush hour) to the Meat Packing district where we got some dinner at a chic Asian restaurant, the Buddha Bar. That district was off the beaten path for tourists and it was fun to see the coolest and hippest New Yorkers hanging out there. Ads/commercials were being shot there. Interestingly, the buildings were only 2-3 stories tall!
Finally, we hopped back on the packed subway with the commuters and headed home to our apartment in Brooklyn. It was a surprisingly easy location for commuting. I'm sure Jamie and Joyce pay dearly for that feature! Thomas looked like he was asleep standing up, you'll see in the pics.
Click for more pictures...Day 3 (Friday) - Danbury
Amelia let us sleep in until 5:30am on Friday morning. Gosh, thanks. She also perfected her new saying during the trip. Whenever she is not in agreement, she will speak her mind and end it with HONEY, 'KAY? For example, "I don't want to go to sleep, honey, 'kay?"
After an early breakfast, we headed to a local laundromat. While Leslie and Thomas did laundry, Amelia and I headed back to the park. It was neat watching all of the little kids walking to school with their mommy or daddy. Joyce's apt. overlooked PS 261.
Back from our chores, we quickly packed and made our plan to escape from New York. Leslie picked up the rental car and parked illegally while we whisked the carseats, kids, and luggage into the car and got out of town via the scenic and bizarre Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
Driving in New York was predictably treacherous, but we got out of town okay. We felt stupid because we passed on the rental GPS, hadn't brought a map, and didn't know exactly how to get to Danbury. There were only three main ways into Connecticut from where we where and they were all close to each other so we just drove into the state and picked up a map. Not knowing where we were going gave us the chance to take a scenic back road through Wilton to Danbury which really relaxed me after the hectic pace of New York.
We got to our hotel suite, where Amelia and I went to the pool while Thomas napped. That evening we went to an average Chinese restaurant where Amelia turned into a little hellian. We were pretty embarrassed by that dining experience. Whatever. We were glad to have food.
Afterwards, we stopped by the Danbury Fair mall for some strolling. They had a double-decker carousel there which we all rode twice. The top level was a bit sickening because you were so close to the center. Leslie was excited to visit H&M, a clothing store, but a little underwhelmed by the offerings and quality.
Click for more pictures...On Friday night, there was a Bowling Party as part of the wedding activities. We made it there to visit with some of the guests but could not bowl since the kids were with us and expiring. Even so, it was fun hanging out with folks for a while. Most had a Duke connection since that's where Jaime and Joyce went to school. Here are the bride and groom dashing into the party!
Click for more pictures...Day 4 (Saturday) - Danbury
In the morning the wedding party went hiking at Tarrywile park. It was a strenuous hike. Connecticut's terrain surprised me. It was hilly and rocky. All in all it was an hour and a half of hiking with Amelia strapped to my back. Leslie and Thomas did some hiking and then headed for the children's garden area. Amelia and I met up with them there.
Click for more pictures...After lunch, we were wiped out so we headed to the hotel room for naps. We all slept soundly until it was time to get ready for the wedding.
The wedding was held on the grounds of a mansion of family friends. It was perched on a hilltop so we could see for miles. The wedding was outside near a pond and the reception was right next to it under a tent. There were lots of great guests, music, and food there and we really enjoyed meeting Joyce's family since they were at our table. They live in the Seattle area and NYC, so Leslie had never gotten to meet them despite rooming with Joyce for a year.
The temperature was hot with heavy humidity but they did have a sno-cone machine which saved the day with Amelia. She had at least 3 sno-cones, with 3 additional refills.
The actual wedding was nice, and we were happy to be present for Joyce and Jaime's wedding and to show them our support. Leslie was impressed with the detail Joyce went to in planning everything, despite her job as a first-year patent attorney in NYC. We loved the wedding favors - Baggu bags - very original!
Click for more pictures...Day 5 (Sunday)
We drove back to La Guardia in the early morning and flew home. Again, thankfully uneventful.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Visit from the ATL crew
Leslie's dad, step-mom, and brother all made the trip up to NC this weekend. Their other son, Caleb, lives in Raleigh and so they spent Friday with him. Caleb and something he ate didn't agree late on Friday and by Saturday morning he had to visit the Emergency Room to get fluids intravenously. The latest update as of Sunday afternoon is that he's at home resting but is totally spent from the ordeal. Get better soon, Caleb!
In the meantime, Dan, Debra, and Luke came to visit us on Saturday afternoon. We had a great time playing with the kids and hanging out together. Amelia and Uncle Luke bonded immediately over a game of catch. Thomas and Debra and Dan all got along famously.
We ate lunch at our house. In the afternoon, Dan rested, Luke and I talked computers, politics, sports, and jobs, and Leslie and Debra went shopping across the street. Thomas and Amelia took their naps, of course.
At dinnertime, we drove up the hill to downtown with a hankering for some tasty Vietnamese food. (Yes, you can hanker for Vietnamese food and not just for BBQ.) Well, they had closed for the Independence Day holiday. (Good for them.) Across the street, however, was an excellent Thai/Malaysian restaurant. We ate there and loved it. For my dish, I had the choice of American spicy or Thai spicy. I chose Thai spicy and the waitress cringed. She must have told the chef to make it American spicy because it was weak. I was expecting a 9 out of 10 for spiciness and got a 7 out of 10 instead. Even so, it was really good. For desert, we had locopops. Man, I love locopops. Dan, Debra, and Luke headed home by way of Raleigh after dinner.
On Sunday, we went to Sunday school and church. Our Sunday school was wrapping up its 6-week elective on "Perspectives on Marriage." During the 6 weeks, the minister had various married couples from church come in to be interviewed by him in front of us. We could then ask questions about aspects of their respective marriages. It was a really good format.
Here's what the minister left us with as we wrapped up. These are his summary of priority principles. He said that he jotted this down while watching Tigger with his son but I still think its pretty good.
After church we went to lunch with our friends Mark and Candace and their daughter, Hannah. It was great catching up with them and there's nothing quite like an all-you-can-eat Indian buffet!
I hope you all had a great holiday!
In the meantime, Dan, Debra, and Luke came to visit us on Saturday afternoon. We had a great time playing with the kids and hanging out together. Amelia and Uncle Luke bonded immediately over a game of catch. Thomas and Debra and Dan all got along famously.
We ate lunch at our house. In the afternoon, Dan rested, Luke and I talked computers, politics, sports, and jobs, and Leslie and Debra went shopping across the street. Thomas and Amelia took their naps, of course.
At dinnertime, we drove up the hill to downtown with a hankering for some tasty Vietnamese food. (Yes, you can hanker for Vietnamese food and not just for BBQ.) Well, they had closed for the Independence Day holiday. (Good for them.) Across the street, however, was an excellent Thai/Malaysian restaurant. We ate there and loved it. For my dish, I had the choice of American spicy or Thai spicy. I chose Thai spicy and the waitress cringed. She must have told the chef to make it American spicy because it was weak. I was expecting a 9 out of 10 for spiciness and got a 7 out of 10 instead. Even so, it was really good. For desert, we had locopops. Man, I love locopops. Dan, Debra, and Luke headed home by way of Raleigh after dinner.
Click for more pictures...On Sunday, we went to Sunday school and church. Our Sunday school was wrapping up its 6-week elective on "Perspectives on Marriage." During the 6 weeks, the minister had various married couples from church come in to be interviewed by him in front of us. We could then ask questions about aspects of their respective marriages. It was a really good format.
Here's what the minister left us with as we wrapped up. These are his summary of priority principles. He said that he jotted this down while watching Tigger with his son but I still think its pretty good.
- God before Spouse
- Marriage before Work
- Church before Leisure and Kids' Sports
- Family before Hobbies
- Praying before Sleeping
- Praying before Complaining
- Complimenting before Criticizing
- Teeth brushing before Kissing
- Talking before Lovemaking
- Backrubbing before Lovemaking
- Spouse before Children
- Communicating before Spending
- Budgeting before Borrowing
- Saving before Buying
- Listening before Speaking
- Needs before Wants
- Spouse before Self
After church we went to lunch with our friends Mark and Candace and their daughter, Hannah. It was great catching up with them and there's nothing quite like an all-you-can-eat Indian buffet!
I hope you all had a great holiday!
Friday, July 4, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Amelia weighs in
Amelia had a weight and height check today as part of her doctor's visit.
Here are her stats:
34.75 inches - 65th percentile
28.75 pounds - 70th percentile
Here are her stats:
34.75 inches - 65th percentile
28.75 pounds - 70th percentile
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Backyard Bamboo
Duke Power came through today and cleared out all of the bamboo underneath their power lines. Here are the before and after pictures taken on the same day.
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Thomas weighs in
At a recent, unofficial weigh in and height check at the doctor's office, Thomas measured 16.2 pounds (5th percentile) and 28 inches (75th percentile).
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