Good Karma

The old saying is that God won't give you more than you can handle.

I think He sensed that my household needed a little pick me up. Perhaps He intercepted the woe-is-me texts between my friend I the other nite, picked up on my more frequent self-pity parties I have been having. But regardless of the reason, we hit some big, good Karma this weekend.

This weekend was our Blessed Sacrament School auction - the largest funder activity of the year. I sat with the preschool/Melody babysitter/soccer/t-ball family table. We had a blast.

They spent money, and WE won. Mahoney's won the wheelbarrow overflowing with quality alcohol raffle, Eicholtz's won the play house raffle AND I won the 32" HDTV + wii raffle!!!!

The night was soooo much fun and we headed to a neighborhood restaurant for after auction drinks to celebrate their purchase and our winnings.

Sunday I hooked the TV up and put away the wii for Santa to bring to us for Christmas.

As if that wasn't enough, we learned this AM that Jackson won a bug remote control toy thingy in the Preschooler raffle!!!

This good karma winning high I hope will swing me through this week as I try to cram about 3 weeks of work into 4 days and prepare for my little (hopefully) surgery on Friday.

And as I rest and recover on my couch through the weekend, I can watch college football in with my eyes closed in hi-def!

Plan G

Well, I went in this AM for the "local" hormone insertion. [I won't get into the nurse calling me an HOUR before my appointment (reminder: I live 3.5 hours from my docs office) to let me know they had not quite figured out the deal with the pharmacy.]

All was fine and dandy until they could not get it in. Yep. He said they encountered some kind of "blockage". He tried, oh yes, he tried, but to no avail.

Guess what that means? Surgery. In 10 days. General Anesthesia and all. Clear "blockage" - what he hopes/thinks/speculates is scar tissue left over from the c-section - and insert the hormone IUD. Fun.

For those keeping score at home, this is my hell quarter. I don't have TIME to have surgery!!

Oh, well.

It better work. I'm just sayin'.

FDNY Stay Back 500 Feet

Jackson wore that shirt to school today, for "Patriotic Day" in BSS Preschool 4's. It was a hand-me-down shirt from his cousin Zack, literally handed to him about 18 months ago when we were visiting their update NY home. He wore it a few times, but it was huge on him. But today I pulled it out of the drawer for him to wear.

I was thinking about that day 8 years ago with all of the radio coverage, and thinking how fortunate that I am that I knew no one who was killed in that tragedy. I know people who knew people, but I don't even know those names.

I am not sure if it is the same sunny type of day, the news coverage and feeling over tired, the FaceBook posts, or trying to explain to my 4 year old about the firefighters going in to help people trying to get into the burning building, but the emotions and visuals of that day and that days that followed are with me today, more than in the past years.

• The beauty of the weather that day, bright sunshine, crisp air.
• Friend coming by to watch the coverage, not knowing what else to do.
• Driving to Champaign to pick up vehicles placed at the airport there in anticipation of our candidates arrival that was to be part of the flyaround that day.
• Pulling into the barracaded little airport in Champaign, having to get clearance past National Guardsmen to pick up said vehicles.
• Liaisoning on behalf of the Lt. Governor's office with the ARC, working out of the LTG's inlaws guest bedroom and front porch - shared by our press secretary - since we could not get into our government offices.
• The LTG's mother in law cooking all day. She had a housefull of staff, troupers and family, and that is what you do in a time of crisis - cook. I think I can still smell Betty Wood spaghetti.
• Pulling up to the SwissHotel, and seeing no one except SWAT Teams and National Guardsmen in full gear. Not even a vallet came out to get my car.
• Going to work in the State Building the next morning. Conference calls, trying to get medical supply planes off the ground, state agency line up of what was available to move if necessary, conversations with blood banks, etc.
• A little after 5 PM, getting a message over the building loud speaker that the building was on lock down - no one was allowed to leave until further notice and to please remain on your floor. There were maybe 20 of us in the building; about 5 in my office. We sat there. What the F#@$#? I called our troupers. WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?? They made some calls. A suspected bomb was found in the basement. We were sitting on the 15th floor of a glass building that was the center of Illinois Government in Chicago.
• The next night my boyfriend who worked from home came downtown to stay with me, bringing flowers, wine and some snacks. I did not want to leave our room. I was exhausted.
• The rest of the week was a blur, except to know that Chris and all of the travelers would be at the Swiss when I finally made it "home."
• Saturday morning, I drove home for a RedCross check presentation in the Lowes parking lot. I remember finally noticing sunshine. I also saw flags EVERYWHERE. Signs on cars and overpasses.
• Repacking a bag, I headed back north. A conference call with the Vice President (okay, that would have been cool under any different circumstance); planning the state's memorial service, simulcast between the state capital rotunda and the JRTC auditorium, where we would be live.
• All state top elected officials except the Governor were there. I had a shouting match with the Attorney General's head trouper in front of all of them that we would NOT be going through the back tunnels, that we would be marching down the stairs in the auditorium. THEY could secure the room best they could, but the people of Illinois needed to see that we were not hiding.

Sometime that week, metal detectors went up outside all of the elevators. Guards were posted on our floor, the AG's floor and the Governor's floor.

By the end of week two, I was spent. Me, who really had not done much at all. I felt guilty for feeling exhausted. I had not lost any loved one. I was not in a tower, or in a field, or in the pentagon, or searching for a loved one, or comforting my children. I felt guilty that my efforts were fairly trivial. We did get the supplies off the ground. My friend got heavy construction equipment across Indiana from a bus in Ohio.

I walked into the LTG's office, she looked up and said, "Yes?" "Can I go home now?" I am lucky that I could. I am luckly that I still can.

I am not really sure how to end this post, so I guess I will just say that yes, I remember. And God bless those families who lost loved ones, who played a roll, no mattter how large or how small to help or comfort a neighbor in need.

We Are....ND

Jackson and I were blessed to be given tickets to the ND - Nevada game this past weekend. Wandering my campus with my son caused me to reflect on what it means to truly be ND.

Scattered far and wide, we are still family.

• Jackson and I spent a few hours with the husband and daughter of one of my roommates from senior year. I had not seen Dennis I think since KTPs wedding, when Madelyn was a baby, or not yet born.


• But still, he with his daughter and me with my son, picnicked on South Quad, watched the kids throw the football, took turns with the kids while running to grab sun screen, and running to let them see the players march from the church to the stadium. We watched the band perform on the steps of the Archi building, and finally felt the game day chill/thrill when they struck up the greatest victory march.

Whether blood lineage or a brother met that day, we are family.

• Heading into the alumni building (a secret amongst our family that the best bathrooms are in there), we encountered a gentleman with two fingers up. He was looking for 2 tickets - for himself and his daughter. The tickets were given to me, so I gave them to him.
  
• Mike, ND'82, his wife ND'84 and two young daughters traveled to South Bend from Tennessee. Mike and Caroline joined Jackson and I for a great game. At the end, the four of us stood there, arms around each other, swaying to the Alma Mater. Me, Jackson, Caroline and Mike.

Young or old, we are sisters and brothers. A shared Spirit and Football unite us.

• Walking through White Field, Jackson toured various tailgates. He tossed bean bags and footballs, and was eventually given a football by a tailgater with a daughter about Jackson's age. It has traveled with him since that moment.
  
• Getting off the bus in front of the library, Jackson dropped his football under the bus tire. A man and his son, who had helped us off the bus, waited until everyone had gotten off, and asked the driver to wait. The son retrieved the ball and we waived the driver on.
  
• Walking through the quad, a man played toss with Jackson, from about the stadium to the bookstore while he chatted with his buddy.

As family we share meals.

• At breakfast at the hotel, Jackson joined a table with an ND Law'08 grad and his girlfriend. We shared stories, waffles, and my old tales of yore, including the background of "The Shirt" - now known as the Spirit Shirt.
  
  

Under the Golden Dome, whether in South Bend or across the world, we are One Family, with Notre Dame, Our Mother.

• Returning to South Bend, despite roads no longer being there, many new buildings blooming across the now vast campus, it was coming home. Coming home just as much as pulling into my parents' driveway later that night was coming home. Sleeping soundly with my little man next to me, a warm comfortable feeling that can only be home.
• And I loved seeing the spark, that spirit come alive in my little boy's eyes, as he first experienced tailgating, the kindness of "strangers", friendships started long before he came long, the enthusiasm of the crowd, the draw of the Glee Club, the beat of the band.
  

And listening to his cheer.

"Mommy, You say 'We Are.' I'll be ND"

I hope so, Buddy.

Wrigley - Guest Post by Jackson

Sunday before my first day of school, Mommy and I went back to Chicago to see the Cubbies play at Wrigley. It was a long drive, but we got free popcorn at the free popcorn gas station.

There were lots of traffic jams on the cool road that goes by the lake. There were bikers and runners and Mommy said it was a triathlon. Anyway, I had to go potty really bad right by Buckingham Fountain with cars all around us and we were stuck. Mommy unbuckled me and I got really nervous. She had me go potty in her cup from the popcorn place, but some of it sprayed around - JUST like the fountain! Fortunately mommy had some wipes, and I wasn't wearing my Cubbies shirt yet, so it all worked out.

We drove and parked at mommy's friend's condo, and we went potty there too, just in case.

On our way walking to the stadium, we saw this bicycle taxi and he gave us a ride. It was bumpy, but it was SOOOO fun!

We got there after the first inning. There were lots of people there.

We bundled up cuz it was cold and the wind was blowing in our faces.

Wrigley is a very cool ballpark. The Mets scored lots of runs. The Cubbies didn't.

The people who sat by us drank lots of beer and were leaving all of the time. They were nice, and I liked going to their seats. People came around yelling about beer. I tried to get one, but they did not talk to me. Mommy did not get one either. We did eat hot dogs!

The seats had numbers on them. I liked going to look at the numbers, and being in seat #7, same as my soccer number.

Here I am trying to hide so mommy could not take a picture of me.

After the game was over, our same bicycle friend took us back to the street were we parked.

I don't remember seeing this. Mommy said we were in a traffic jam on the way home, but I don't think so. She said I fell asleep.

We may go back for the last game of the year. Maybe. I hope the bicycle man is there again.

Prayers for Grant

Grants dad, Jim, is the second from the left; Grant's mom, Shannon is the second from the right in the back row.

My best friends' nephew was born today - Grant Jospeh Stumm, the second son of Jim and Shannon Stumm of the Chicagoland area.

Grant was diagnosed in utero with AVM, and his near term birth, along with improving diagnosis as the pregnancy progressed are all great news.

I don't know all of the details, but from what I understand, his prognonsis is very good, but I believe he will need very serious surgery. Dad reported that "other than the AVM issue" he otherwise is a perfectly healthly little boy.

Perhaps Aunt Jen can fill in details (I am getting occasional feeds from Grandpa Dave) as they come, but I am sure that the entire Stumm clan would appreciate any prayers for their newest child/brother/cousin/grandson/nephew (#14, I think?).

BREAKING NEWS - Message from Grant's Daddy

Subject: Great News!
In a stunning turn of events, the doctors say that Grant will get to come home with us! Assuming all goes well from now until discharge, the neurosurgeon told us this afternoon that he consulted with Cardiology & Dermatology and everyone is in agreement that Grant can be treated on an outpatient basis (after he goes home). They'll continue to monitor his heart and treat what is now called a Hemangioma (not an AVM as originally thought) here, while stays in the NICU. The hemangioma is large and visible on the back of his head and neck. They're thinking maybe we'll get to go home on Friday, depending on how he is and how Shannon feels.

It truly hasn't 'settled in yet' but we are super happy and sure glad we brought the car seat! Feel free to give us a call, we won't be annoyed!

Thank you so much for your prayers, thoughts, calls, emails, texts during all of this. Even the head of neonatology said we were quite lucky with this!

Jim Stumm