Thursday, January 31, 2008

Impending Doom? Or a Couple Flakes?

Whenever winter storms get hyped up (like this one), they usually seem to falter. But whenever I have a gut instinct that a storm will falter, it usually ends up being a horrible, nasty storm.

So... who knows. I like snow, but I don't like driving in it (and I need to come into work tomorrow unless there is like a state of emergency) and the snow/ice combination they are calling for would mean no Gearry :( When the weather is bad, he spends the night at the resort.

As much as snow is pretty to look at, I would definitely opt for Gearry.

Last night Gearry and I enjoyed going to see "National Treasure II," which was about as unrealistic as it gets but still a good, very entertaining movie (hey, it's Disney). You have to just suspend all belief and go for it. Afterwards we took in a late dinner at Scotty's Brewhouse, which I was surprised to find packed on a Wednesday night at 9:00. But, it was $4 pitcher night, so I guess that makes sense. Who wouldn't be a fan of $4 pitcher night??

Oh yes, the crack, since so many of you have asked: Gearry talked to our HOA president and they have had the same issue in the past, just from the houses settling (they are built up on stilts on the side of a hill that runs down to the lake). So, we'll keep our eye on it, but at this point it is deemed simply cosmetic.

*I can't believe this is my last post for January 2008 already! I'm pretty sure I am going to wake up one morning soon and find myself 50 years old, with a kid graduating college, etc. TIME NEEDS TO SLOOOWWWW DOWN!*

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Cracked

Every Tuesday has become a battle of perseverance just to get through the day, because I know that once I make it home this evening I'll get to spend the next 37 or so hours with my amazing husband and my awesome dog.

Tuesdays... are slow, needless to say.

Tonight, Gearry and I are planning on a low-key evening, typical for Tuesday: hopefully going for a run together, then making pizza and watching a DVD.

Tomorrow, the plan is sleep, sleep, sleep -- typical for Wednesday -- as well as to go see National Treasure II: Book of Secrets. It looks like a fun, light-hearted movie, good for a relaxing night off.

Last night I discovered a crack in our master bathroom wall, above the door, that was definitely not there before yesterday. It's pretty big, about eight inches long. I'm a little worried... Gearry is going to be checking into it today. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it is just cosmetic! The LAST thing I want to hear is that we have any structural issues, especially since our house was just inspected 7 months ago! Seriously.

Bye Bye, Bush.

Last night was President Bush's LAST State of the Union Address.

Ahh... sweet words I thought would never come.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Pride Film Festival '08

I think it is really important to learn about cultures other than our own, so I was super pumped to hit up the Bloomington PRIDE Film Festival at the Buskirk-Chumley this weekend, for the second year in a row. It’s not only a great cultural experience, but a good chance to see some high-quality independent films and hang out with friends.

Last year, I went with Hillsley, Stebby, Kath & Afra. This year, Hillsley is in Zambia, Stebby is in Ohio, & Kath is in Poland, so Afra and I made it a date (no, no, Kath, not that kind of date) and took in the Friday and Saturday night sessions. I thought the films were pretty good last year, but they were way better this year. They were pretty varied – funny, sad, thought-provoking – and provided many different perspectives on the lives of and issues surrounding gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender people. The underlying message in all the films, however, was the same: love and acceptance toward everyone, no matter who they happen to love. Pretty cool. I’m so proud to live in a community that so lovingly supports acceptance and works to fight against the ignorance that is holding our country back in so many ways.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

You Know You're Married to a Chef When...

It's 10:30 p.m. and you are anxiously awaiting his arrival home in the next couple hours and he calls to leave you a message that says: "Hey, baby. I have to spend the night at the resort because Loretta Lynn is flying in late and they want me to stay and cook for her."

Yeah, pretty cool, but I miss my Gearry.

What I Love About Wednesdays

Wednesdays are, of course, the favorite day of the week for both Gearry and me, for obvious reasons. It's wonderful having an entire day for just each other (and Bailey), and making no other commitments.

My favorite part of Wednesdays has become our long walks with Bailey. We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful place that we can't help but take advantage of our time and enjoy a stroll around the lake and golf course. Bailey loves this, obviously. Good family bonding time :)

Yesterday, our walk was kind of neat because it was the first time I have ever seen Lake Monroe frozen over. Even though I've lived in the area my entire life and have spent many summers on the water, I've never really had a reason to see it in the winter.

Above are Gearry (the big shadowy blob) and Bailey (the little shadowy blob over to the right) on the trail that winds around LaSalle's Woods and the big cove.


Above is a really cool picture I took of the big cove. The ice extends almost all the way out to where the cove meets the main body of the lake. You can see here where the ice and water meet. The reflection of the sun on the ice and water makes it look like moonlight. I wish the picture did it more justice, but it was really beautiful.

Tonight, Mom is coming up after work. The plan is to make homemade pizza and then head to the east side to catch the one-time-only screening of the "Spirit of the Marathon" documentary. Looking forward to it!

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Things for Which I am Grateful Today

In no particular order:

-I received more pictures of Asa yesterday and the whole family looks like it is doing well.

-After much speculation, Tony Dungy is coming back for another season with the Colts.

-The Hoosiers are currently ranked #7 in the nation and will hopefully continue their butt-kicking run.

-After 5:00 p.m. tonight, I get to spend 36 whole hours with Gearry and no work! (Loving the 4 day work week.)

-Thursday evening, Mom and I are making dinner at my house and then going to see a screening of the “Spirit of the Marathon” documentary, about the Chicago marathon, here in Bloomington.

-Friday and Saturday evenings, I’m meeting up with my friend Afra to go to the PRIDE film festival here in Bloomington. I went last year with Stebby and Hillsley (and apparently Kath, as she just reminded me...), and it was a cool experience. Some of the films were totally awesome… others were… not. But it was a good experience all around, so I’m looking forward to it again!

-After the last few days of sub-zero wind chill temperatures, it is now hovering around 32 degrees, which is not warm but is a whole lot warmer than ZERO! And the forecast is even predicting one day next week making it all the way up to 51 degrees! We’ll see about that… but I’ll definitely take it if it comes. I’m becoming more and more like my dad (scary!) in finding little pleasure in winter. I love that first big snow, but as soon as that is over I want it to be back to 70 degrees and sunny. But, wait, I’m trying to be positive here… If it DOES, in fact, reach 51 degrees then you better believe I will be out on my bike. It's been sitting in our guest room since I bought it and it's driving me crazy not being able to use it yet!

-Hillary and Chris are currently beginning plans for our couples vacation this summer! In late August or early September, Gearry and I going to spend a week on the ocean in Hilton Head with Hill & Chris and two other couples. Every time Gearry and I go on vacation, we love our personal time, but we also always say, “I wish our friends were here with us.” This vacay should be the perfect balance of both Gearry-and-me time and time with our friends!

Alright, there is my dose of positive thinking for the day. Now I won't feel so bad later when I grumble a bit about working a 10-hour day and about working on this impossibly difficult science fiction triology press release assignment that I have been putting off for 11 days now. Bad Stacey.

Love you all!

Monday, January 21, 2008

Asa Shackleton Duckworth

Here are some pictures and some excerpts from the e-mail that Eric sent about Asa:

"Little Asa entered our world at 12:29 PM, Friday, 18 January 2008 (1/18/08). With an original due date of 10 March, Asa’s little body was just short of his 33rd week of growth. The circumstances requiring his preterm delivery resulted from a rapid onset of prenatal hypertension and preeclampsia in Shannon, which complicated his umbilical blood flow and threatened her life if untreated."

"After the initial scare of an emergency delivery, Shannon and the wonderful staff at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle were able to stabilize the situation long enough to buy a critical eight more days in the womb to allow his lungs to develop. And boy did they!"

"Shannon delivered Asa via C-section. He weighed in at 3 lbs, 1 ounce and measured 15 inches, and scored extremely well on all initial testing. Though small, he looks perfect in every way."

"The name “Asa” is Hebrew for Healer/Physician. Shannon and I had been undecided on names throughout the pregnancy. Asa was one name we liked long before the pregnancy, but never committed on. It was the name of her Great Grandfather Asa Nolan, who was tall and strong (we even have a chair of his in our house)."

"'Shackleton' is the last name of my late step grandfather, Don. As I knew him, Don was a wounded survivor of the Korean War, a physically powerful man with a gentle and concerned nature for animals and his neighbors who remained active in helping the community. Some of my most joyful childhood memories are the lessons he taught me about character and love. Shannon and I thought that since he never had children of his own, this was an appropriate homage. Shackleton is also homage to Don’s related namesake, Sir Ernest Shackleton, a British Antarctic explorer who led one the 20th Century’s most harrowing tales of survival and leadership against the odds.

"Given how Asa was coming into the world, we thought both these names would be fitting to giving him a strong survivor and healing spirit."

Saturday, January 19, 2008

A Treat for the Eyes

I just took this pic a few minutes ago to send to Kath in Poland (Bailey's Auntie), so I thought I would share it with everyone:

Small Sighs of Relief

Hello, all!

My mom just e-mailed me this update on Shannon, Asa and the gang:

"Talked to Steve and Sharon a few minutes ago and they are on their way to the hospital.

Asa is 3 lbs. 1 oz and 15 1/2 inches long with dark brown hair with a reddish tint. He took a pacifier last night for a little bit. Steve said usually that babies this small do not have the ability to breath and suck at the same time. But he did for a short time. They are going to let him be held today at 12:30 and 4:30 for the first time and he is very aware of things around him. Steve said there was some cord running across the incubator and his hand brushed up against it and he latched onto it. The nurse saw this and had to peel his fingers off of it.

Shannon has to stay in the hospital until the first of next week, or I think he said 60 hours.

Other than being small he seems to not have any other problems."

Whew! Not out of the woods yet, but things are definitely looking up from just a week ago!

I spent this morning volunteering at the animal shelter, as usual, but it was so unbelievably cold (8 degrees, colder with the wind) that I still can't get warm 3.5 hours later! I'm going to go curl up in a blanky on the couch and enjoy a wonderful, lazy Saturday with Bailey.

Tomorrow is the NFL Playoffs, so I'm heading down to Mitchell for some food and football fun with Mom and Dad. Mom and I are super anti-Patriots and Tom Brady, and my dad is super all-about-the-Patriots and Tom Brady, so it is always an eventful time when we watch Pats games together!

Personally, I'm cheering for the Packers to go ALL THE WAY! I know, I know... it's a long shot. But I'd love to see old Favre go out in style.

So sleepy... Saturday afternoon naptime, everyone. I'm out!

Friday, January 18, 2008

Update

Asa Duckworth was born today at 3:30 pm. He weighed 3 lbs. 1 oz. and they said he was screaming when we came out, so that's always a good sign!

Update

Mom just called to let me know they are taking Shannon's baby today at 3:30 our time. I'm just hoping and praying for the best.

It's one of those days.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Uggg for January

It seems like January is flying by (I can't believe it is already the 17th!), but at the same time dragging along as slowly as possible each day. Does that make any sense?

Updates on the current situations:

According to my mom, they have decided to keep Shannon in the hospital until the baby is born. They are planning on taking the baby at 35 weeks, and I believe right now she is around 32 weeks? I could be wrong on that, but it is a rough guesstimate. Her blood pressure keeps going up and down, and there are some other issues. If she gets better they may be able to move her to a hospital closer to where she and her husband live, but for now she is still in Seattle.

Gearry's grandpa had emergency surgery last week on his heart. He had a pacemaker put in and is recovering pretty nicely. I told him no marathons for at least a month.

Yesterday was Wednesday, of course, also known as Gearry & Stacey Day. It was great. We slept in, watched some TV, read a book, took Bailey for a long walk (and picked out our next house ;) and then headed to town for dinner (La Charreada... amazing, as usual) and a movie. We saw "Juno" and both thought it was great. A little sad at times, but really funny. Except for the fact that it made me have a very realistic dream last night in which I was pregnant (scary!), it was a really solid movie.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Better

Shannon is doing a little better. Her blood pressure has been stabilized. She'll be in the hospital for at least the next 4-5 days, but they're going to try to wait to take the baby as long as possible so that it can continue developing.

Bailey also seems to be doing much better. In fact, last night he seemed pretty much normal. Gearry will probably be cancelling his appointment for today and we'll keep our eye on him. But, as of now, I think he probably just had a little tummy ache.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Please Say a Prayer or Two

My cousin Shannon is having some very serious medical issues with her pregnancy. The baby is not due until March 10th, but they are inducing labor or doing an emergency c-section tomorrow. The baby is behind in development and only weighs about 2 lbs. 14 oz. Shannon is experiencing some pretty big problems with her own health, but is in stable condition right now in Seattle. Please say a prayer for Shannon, Eric & the baby.

Also, Bailey doesn't seem like he's been feeling well the last couple of days, so we're taking him to the vet tomorrow morning. He is probably fine, but after everything we went through with Colby we are a little paranoid.

Bad, bad day.

Prayers & thoughts appreciated.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Shorts & Tee's in January?

Yesterday it reached a high of 66 degrees.

Today, the expected high is 64.

Last time I checked, it was January 8th. Bizarre.

Yes, it's probably due to global warming, but -- for now -- I can look past that and just revel in the fact that it's in the freakin' 60s in January!

Yesterday I went for a long run to break in my new running shoes... in shorts and a t-shirt.

I'm working 7:00-5:15 today, then having dinner with and watching the IU vs. Michigan basketball game with Mom and Gearry and at our house. Mom is bringing Luke up so that the dogs can play and we can all hang out. Mmmm... family, Hoosier basketball and pizza. It really doesn't get much better than that for a Tuesday night in January.

Oh, did I mention it's in the 60s?

Monday, January 7, 2008

Sweetness.

I got brave and talked to my manager, who is talking to HR. She doesn't have a problem with switching my Wednesday & Fridays, and she doesn't think HR will either.

Sweeeeeeet.

Grrrr...

So, on Thursday I filed all the paperwork for officially switching to a flex schedule, Monday-Thursday, 7-5, instead of Monday-Friday, 8-4. The whole purpose was to have Fridays for Gearry and I to be together.

So Friday was wonderful... we spent pretty much the whole day watching DVDs, eating, napping, and, believe it or not, venturing out to the movie theatre in the evening to catch I Am Legend (pretty good... Gearry was scared of the zombie/dark-seeker things though ;)

And then Saturday Gearry calls from work to let me know that his days off have been changed!! So he no longer has Fridays off.

Great.

So today I have to make the decision... stick with Fridays and be home ANOTHER whole day by myself (ala Saturdays and Sundays) and be bored out of my mind and get to see Gearry even less than I did before.

Or be a pain in the butt to my manager and the HR department and see if they can change my Fridays to Wednesdays.

Grrrr.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

2007 Made Me Sleepy...

Between my last season of rowing, graduating from college, buying a house, getting married, starting my first post-college job, Gearry business-deal-gone-bad and him starting a new (and better) job, the craziness of the holidays and Hillary’s wedding, 2007 was… well, tiring!

Here’s to hoping 2008 will move at a slightly slower pace… glacial, if I have my choice. I know life is always a little crazy, but 2008 doesn’t really hold any major changes (God-forbid!) or milestones, as far as I can see. Lots of the same ‘ol, same ‘ol, and that’s OK with me… I’m ready for a break! I will probably be sleeping most of the month of January, so forgive me if I fail at any attempt to be social. Trust me: a non-sleepy Stacey is a much friendlier Stacey.

Hillary’s wedding went really well. I don’t have any pictures, of course, but hopefully will get some posted once I steal them from other people. It was an exhausting weekend, but well worth it. The ceremony went off without any problems, the reception at Brookside Country Club was great, and the after-party Hillary’s parents hosted at their house was a lot of fun. Chris and Hillary headed off to the Caribbean very early the next morning; they sent a picture of themselves on their cruise ship just a couple hours after Gearry and I made it back to Indiana!

I was so glad to get to spend 3 days with Gearry, something that doesn’t happen too often. Gearry was a great usher, doing pretty much anything anyone asked of him with a smile on his face. He was a huge help, and – despite the crazy running around – the wedding weekend was a good getaway for the two of us. We may take a small 3-4 day vacation in March, but our next “big” vacation (somewhere warm & beachy with a few of our couple-friends) won’t be until the end of August or beginning of September, so little weekend getaways like this are nice.

Hope everyone had a fantastic New Year’s celebration. I don’t really celebrate when it comes to New Year’s, because I am never with Gearry, and it’s just not the same. I guess I need a New Year’s kiss to be happy ;) Gearry has worked all but one New Year’s Eve the 7 years we’ve been together… on the few that he may have been available I was in Tampa, training with the rowing team (which is where they are now… all warm and stuff… lucky). This year I was in bed by 10 pm… I figured 2008 would still come in without me, and I was right!

I started my new flex-schedule this week, which is going to take some getting used to, but is also very nice. Four 10-hour days, Monday-Thursday, instead of five 8-hour days, Monday-Friday. It makes for some loooooong weekdays, but it is definitely worth it. I am already so so so excited that this Friday I will be able to spend the entire day with Gearry! We’re declaring it a “robe day”: Spending the entire day in our robes, watching movies, eating, napping, just being incredibly lazy and not even answering the phone. Yes, I see many happy Fridays in our future.