Well my friends. When I said at the beginning of this year that 2008 was going to be big, I had no idea how B-I-G! Got two fantastic, incredible, mind-blowing pieces of news to share with you:
1) Not only did I get into their nursing school...but they are going to pay 100% of my expenses!!! A full ride baby!!! I am the proud recipient of a 2008 Providence Scholarship to attend the University of Portland's nursing program...http://nursing.up.edu/default.aspx?cid=3501&pid=208
Amazing, thrilling, humbling, a great sense of relief and pride...all these things are running through my head and heart right now only 60 minutes from removed from opening the letter in our mailbox today. We live in an apartment complex and so it's a long line of a bunch of boxes. Did that stop me from yipping and yelling and doing a little impromptu celebration dance? Hell no! I made quite the scene...me in my bike helmet, pants tucked into my jeans and goggles. I swear if there was anybody standing there with me, I would've hugged them on the spot!
So I guess this kind of decides where I'm going to nursing school. It was between U.P. and Linfield College. But Linfield doesn't have scholarships and that would mean more $$ in debt (and considering big news #2, that will not be a good thing). This means 100% tuition (which is a lot) & books AND a guaranteed job after graduation (The scholarship is merit based but I also have to commit 3 years to them in their system - not a big deal).
WOW WOW WOW WOW! SO EXCITED! I always felt like I was good....but this good? Damn it feels good to be a gangster! The shirt I was ironically wearing today says it best - "Pimpin' ain't easy."
And now for the REALLY REALLY BIG news...
2) If you haven't already heard (and I do apologize - sort of - for announcing to the world via my blog) but in a little more than 6 months, Leigh and I will be welcoming one of these into the world:
Yep...that's right...WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A BABY!!!
Woooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhoooooooooooo!!! We are totally psyched. Off the hook psyched. And of course quite a bit freaked out. Life is coming, life is happening, DNA is replicating, genes are getting passed on, organs are forming, bones are calcifying, the beautiful cycle continues. And we're going to help it into the world. Totally humbling and such a blessing.
This has to be the most exciting thing that's ever happened to us. The wedding was one thing...whoa...that guy running around offering everyone moonshine at our reception...that was cool and all but nothing like this. I mean much bigger than the first time I rode the Mindbender at Six Flags. Much bigger than losing my virginity - though that was pretty cool. Much bigger than jumping out of an airplane - again, pretty cool but sex is better. Much bigger than learning to tie my shoes - who needs shoes?. This is HUGE! And awesome. I can't wait to have this little naked being running around our lives, crying, pooping, smiling, laughing, eating and loving. Can't wait.
But we'll have to because the little bugger has to cook and simmer for another 6 months until he/she is ready. We have been given a window of end Oct/beg Nov. So Libra/Scorpio...not bad, not bad at all. At least it won't be a LEO! :0)
Anyway, Leigh is doing fine (and so am I, thanks for asking!). Very healthy. Growing little by little. Not much showing yet, just a little bity pooch...and the boobs are blowing up like balloons (HELL YEAH!). We've been to our first two prenatals and our midwives (hopefully no hospital birth) say everything is great. Leigh is the picture of health and at this last one (Monday) we got to hear the lil' bean's 145 beats/sec heart beat on Doppler. So freakin' cool! That sound was definitely NOT Leigh, but someone altogether new and unique...it was like finding out we're pregnant all over again! Eyes wide, big grins...
So there you have it...I'm getting paid to become a nurse and Leigh's got my prodigy in her belly. Man, it just doesn't get any better than this...(sound of a tall boy PBR being cracked open).
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Obama & Tibet Links...
OBAMA:
Open Letter by Alice Walker
http://www.theroot.com/id/45469
TIBET:
Olympic Torch Extinguished Four Times By Authorities in Paris: http://news.sky.com/skynews
Paris Mayor Cancels Olympic Ceremony as City Officials Drape Tibetan Flag over City Hall: http://www.breitbart.com
Torch Rally Delayed Five Times in London By Protesters: http://www.telegraph.co.uk
Protesters Climb and Hang Banner on San Fran's Golden Gate Bridge: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04
Tibetan Exiles Stage Their Own Olympic Torch Relay To End In Tibet on the Day of Opening Ceremonies in Beijing: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD
World Leaders Contemplate Boycotting Opening Ceremonies - German Chancellor already on board: http://www.madison.com/tct
The International Olympic Committee Rejects Tibet Olympic boycott call: http://news.smh.com.au/ioc
Comprehensive collection of most up-to-date news reporting and footage on Tibet:
- http://www.phayul.com/
Robbie Barnett (prof of Modern Tibetan Studies, Columbiua University - I studied with him while I was in Lhasa at Tibet University) has been interviewed by NPR, Foreign Policy Journal and many others, and wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal: Barnett (prof of Modern Tibetan Studies, Columbiua University - I studied with him while I was in Lhasa at Tibet University) has been interviewed by NPR, Foreign Policy Journal and many others, and wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal:
- NPR Interview 3/14/08 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88251828
- "Tragedy in Tibet" (Wall Street Journal) 3/17/08 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120570911503240151.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries
- Foreign Policy Journal Interview http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4238
Robert Thurman (studied as a monk for several decades with the Dalai Lama's monastery in Dharamsala, and is a professor of Religion at Columbia as well) - his article in the Washington Post: "China Needs the Dalai Lama" (Washington Post) 3/26/08 http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=20096&article=China+Needs+the+Dalai+Lama
US Resolution on Tibet introduced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=20323&article=Speaker+Pelosi+introduces+resolution+on+Tibet
Current US policy on Tibet: http://www.savetibet.org/advocacy/us/proceedings/housechstngregorycraig.php
EU Assembly considering boycott if China doesn't engage in dialogue with Dalai Lama: http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=20409&article=EU+assembly+eyes+Beijing+boycott%2c+if+no+Tibet+talks
French President (Nicolas) Sarkozy may boycott Opening Ceremony http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/07/sports/EU-SPT-OLY-France-Olympics.php
German athletes considering boycott: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1986825/posts
China softening stance regarding negotiations with Dalai Lama (Wen Jiabao calling for dialogue) - www.telegraphindia.com/1080401/jsp/foreign/story_9081121.jsp
Dalai Lama appeal to the international community (http://dalailama.com/news.220.htm), Chinese people:http://dalailama.com/news.220.htm, and Tibetans (http://dalailama.com/news.222.htm)
Tibetan Govt in Exile homepage: http://www.tibet.com/
UN alarm over huge arrests of Tibetan protestors in Nepal: http://www0.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26089&Cr=tibet&Cr1=
Collections of photographs and video footage from Tibet protests in Tibet on Tibetologist blogs: Dan Martin http://tibeto-logic.blogspot.com/ & Mikel Dunham http://www.mikeldunham.blogs.com/
List of education, letters, petitions, demonstrations and other direct action at http://www.sfteamtibet.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=6&Itemid=50
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Poem I found yesterday...
Pray for Peace
By Ellen Bass
Pray to whomever you kneel down to:
Jesus nailed to his wooden or marble of plastic cross,
his suffering face bent to kiss you,
Buddha still under the Bo tree in scorching heat,
Adonai, Allah. Raise your arms to Mary
that she may lay her palm on our brows,
to Shekinhah, Queen of Heaven and Earth,
to Inanna in her stripped descent.
Hawk of Wolf, or the Great Whale, Record Keeper
of time before, time now, time ahead, pray. Bow down
to terriers and shepherds and siamese cats.
Fields of artichokes and elegant strawberries.
Pray to the bus driver who takes you to work,
pray on the bus, pray for everyone riding that bus
and for everyone riding buses all over the world.
If you haven't been on a bus in a long time,
climb the few steps, drop some silver, and pray.
Waiting in line for the movies, for the ATM,
for your latte and croissant, offer your plea.
Make your eating and drinking a supplication.
Make your slicing of carrots a holy act,
each translucent layer of the onion, a deeper prayer.
Make the brushing of your hair
a prayer, every strand its own voice,
singing in the choir on your head.
As you wash your face, the water slipping
through your fingers, a prayer: Water,
softest thing on earth, gentleness
that wears away rock.
Making love, of course, is already a prayer.
Skin and open mouths worshipping that skin,
the fragile case we are poured into,
each caress a season of peace.
If you're hungry, pray. If you're tired.
Pray to Gandhi and Dorothy Day.
Shakespeare. Sappho. Sojourner Truth.
Pray to the angels and the ghost of your grandfather.
When you walk to your car, to the mailbox,
to the video store, let each step
be a prayer that we all keep our legs,
that we do not blow off anyone else's legs.
Of crush their skulls.
And if you are riding on a bicycle
or a skateboard, in a wheel chair, each revolution
of the wheels a prayer that as the earth revolves
we will do less harm, less harm, less harm.
And as you work, typing with a new manicure,
a tiny palm tree painted on one pearlescent nail
of delivering soda of drawing good blood
into rubber-capped vials, writing on a blackboard
with yellow chalk, twirling pizzas, pray for peace.
With each breath in, take in the faith of those
who have believed when belief seemed foolish,
who persevered. With each breath out, cherish.
Pull weeds for peace, turn over in your sleep for peace,
feed the birds for peace, each shiny seed
that spills onto the earth, another second of peace.
Wash your dishes, call your mother, drink wine.
Shovel leaves or snow or trash from your sidewalk.
Make a path. Fold a photo of a dead child
around your VISA card. Gnaw your crust
of prayer, scoop your prayer water from the gutter.
Mumble along like a crazy person, stumbling
your prayer through the streets.
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