See You Soon

Email from Ellie to Erica:

hey erica. do u happen to have a copy or notes from the speech you gave at the wedding? ive thought of that so many times. it would mean a lot to me to have it...

love you and see u soon,

ellie


Email from Erica to Ellie:

shoot.  i've been looking but i can't find those notes.  sorry, i should have kept better track.  i'll keep looking and let you know if i find them.  

i was just missing you today and can't wait to see you soon.

love,
erica

Fridge Quote Ideas

Where we love is home,
Home that our feet may leave,
but not our hearts.

A bird does not sing because it has an answer.
It sings because it has a song.

Here's to the grapes, to cheer both great and small;
little fools will drink too much, and great fools not at all.

Love looks through a telescope, not a microscope.

A baby is someone you carry inside you for nine months, in your arms for three years, and in your heart until the day you die.

Religion is both a river to swim in and a rock to hold onto.

Religion grows from the heart as much as the head, and it cries out to fuse body and mind.  Faith is an orientation of the whole personality, a total response.  It's not just a belief--the holding of certain ideas--which is a function of the mind alone.  Beliefs can be expressed in propositional form to which adjectives true and false may be attached.  Faith, by contrast, is the opposite of nihilism and despair.  It may or may not include beliefs, but it is much larger; it is the ability to experience the universe as meaningful.  Having faith means that our lives hold together and make sense at a deeper level.  Rather than seeming absurd.  Therefore your religion is something you not only think about but also sing, dance, eat, paint, and sculpt.  To find your religion you must engage all of your senses.  You should feel it as well as explain it, hear it as well as see it.  Taste it as well as smell it.

We accept the world for the joyous place it was meant to be.  We must work to make earthly existence as abundant and happy as it can be made.  We must glorify and sanctify the world.

Never lose a holy curiosity.

All religions, arts, and sciences are branches of the same tree.  All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom.

The most beautiful and most profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mysterious.  It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science.  He who knows it not and can no longer wonder, no longer feel amazement, is as good as dead, a snuffed-out candle.  To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest and the most radiant beauty which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their most elementary forms - this knowledge, this feeling, is at the center of true religiousness.  What is the meaning of human life, or of organic life altogether?  To answer this question at all implies a religion.  Is there any sense then, you ask, in putting it?  I answer, the man who regards his own life, and that of his fellow-creatures, as meaningless is not merely unfortunate, but almost disqualified for life. 

We welcome the insights of science and reason, and we use tools of reason when we encounter mystery.  We also welcome, however, persons who advance theories of mystery.  We use the tools of reason gently and humbly in our own thinking, and even more gently and humbly when we are conversing with others.  Reason is joined by other core values, such as love, respect, and delight in difference.  If we don’t use the tools of reason gently, especially in conversation with others, we will never grow in spirit or find the truth of mystery.  It is those realms that make our lives rich.

On no subject are our ideas more warped and pitiable than on death. . . . Let children walk with nature, let them see the beautiful blendings and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams of our blessed star, and they will learn that death is stingless indeed, and as beautiful as life, and that the grave has no victory, for it never fights.  All is divine harmony.

Science and Religion are like two wings on a bird.  To have one without the other is like a one winged bird that will never fly.  Science without Religion is Materialism, and Religion without Science is Superstition.  Anyone insisting that only the literal interpretation of the bible is correct, or that there is no God, is guilty of lazy thinking.

A man should be judged by his spirit; by the climate of his heart; by the autumn of his generosity; by the spring of his hope; he should be judged by what he does; by the influence that he exerts, rather than by the mythology he may believe.

The Four Laws of Ecology: (1) Everything is connected to everything else; (2) Everything must go somewhere; (3) Nature knows best; and (4) There is no such thing as a free lunch.
Our basic principles are: a reverence for life; a respect for the inherent dignity of each person; and a belief in human potential.

Silly Song

You're the Most Wonderful Baby in the World (to the tune of Most Wonderful Time of the Year)

You're the most wonderful baby in the world
You sit on my knee
And smile back at me
And I just gotta say
You're the most wonderful baby in the world

You're the hap-happiest baby of all
There'll be tantrums and whining
And diapers and crying
But I know I love
The most wonderful baby in the world

'Cause you smile at meep meep
And you laugh in your sleep
And stare at your wiggling toes
Though you pee in the sheets
I love you a whole heap
And all who know you must know

You're the most wonderful baby in the world
You fill diapers and daddy's hands
Throw off the best-laid plans
But still we all know
You're the most wonderful baby in the world

You're the most wonderful baby in the world
You proudly stand tall
Teeter wobble and all
And in your froggie hat
You're the most wonderful baby in the world

Yuletide Greetings Ideas

Celebrate beginning of December and holiday season with a yule log and hot apple cider, mulled wine, or hot chocolate?

Count Me In

Email from Ellie to David Nak:

hey nak,

just got your voicemail offering to get me groceries since dan was in mexico. very very sweet of you to make a grocery offer! fortunately, theo and i were in puerto vallarta with dan (because we are all CRAZY) so i was in no need of assistance. if i had been home, i would have taken care of the cats...

dan is going to take you out for a crazy meat dinner this weekend in thanks. i cant eat my worth there. but we're both going to be out of town in november, so there might be other thank you dinners coming up too if thats ok with you.

:)

- Ellie


Email from David Nak to Ellie:

Yeah - i figured it out eventually!  I love taking care of those guys (and playing Mario Galaxy - I went hard for like 6 hours straight one day!)

You may want to tell Dan that I started my weight loss cycle - so I probably can't eat my fill at a GIANT MEAT DINNER either...  but wherever he wants to go is totally fine with me.

Anytime you and Dan need a hand - count me in.

H1N1 Shots?

Email from Gene (Grandpa):

D & E,

Have you guys gotten your H1N1 shots?

One of the primary groups listed is household caregivers for children younger than six months old because younger infants are at higher risk of influenza-related complications and cannot be vaccinated.

L,

Grandpa

Skype, T'giving, and H1N1 Shots

Email from Mom (Monkey):

Hey Elle,

Just a reminder--whenever you're on the computer, please remember to have skype on. It stays on unless you "quit skype" OR you actually turn off the computer completely, so I don't really know why we never see you online. Or do you just make it appear that you're offline?

Anyway, call or skype when you can. Pop and I want to talk to you about T'giving, and getting your H1N1 shots ASAP--kids under 9 months are at extreme risk for complications if they get it, and it takes about 3 weeks to get maximum antibodies to it, so you should get as soon as you can. Theo can't get it til he's 2 months old I think...

love you,

mama

Email from Faffy to Ellie, Tabie, and John:

Be sure to get vaccinated when available.

l, pop

Hello Theo

Email from Ellie:

Hello Theo,

It's 12:45pm, and you've been crying for the past 3 hours. But I love you anyway. ;)

You're awfully cute right now, in a fuzzy brown dog outfit, with dog feet complete with dog ears. You're staring off at the ceiling, fussing to yourself. We call you "Ceiling Man" because you're so interested in the ceiling these days.

I'm listening to music and pressing your boppy chair with my foot to bounce you while I'm writing this. I just bought a customized children's book for you, hopefully you like it when you get bigger.

I haven't gotten a real smile from you yet little man, but I can't wait.

You've still got chubby cheeks, weigh about 10 pounds, and are just a little ball of love on our chests 90% of the time.

Theodore, you're adorable!

Can't wait to meet the person you become over the next few years and beyond.

Much love,

your mommy

Oh So Sweet

Email from Gene (Grandpa) and Marilyn (Nana):

D & E,

I just can’t get that beautiful little T.E. out of my head.  We were both so much enthralled with him.  Can we do another skype soon?  Is he stretching his legs out straight yet?  What other new tricks is he coming up with?

Dan, that was great news about New Mexico.  I know better than to ask how your exam went – you’d just say something like, “It went.”   I’m sure it was great.  And now I imagine you’re working hard on shows for Friday.  Burn down the house.

Ellie momma, it was wonderful to see you so intent with Theo.  You’ve got a fine mother in you, besides of course, a fine lawyer.

It was a short visit, but oh so sweet.

Love,

Gandpa & Nana

Videos

Rosh Hashanah Notes

Rosh Hashanah - challah bread, "Head of the Year," the Day Of Remembering. Rosh Hashanah, the ten Days Of Awe, and Yom Kippur are the most holy holidays of the Jewish tradition, marking a new year and a new start. Poem Coming Up On September by Marge Piercy, Day of Remembrance. Rosh Hashanah is a time to renew the ongoing spiritual commitment to oneself, one's family, and one's community, Rosh Hashanah starts the ten Days Of Awe, days of reflection on where we have been and where we are going, ending in Yom Kippur. Poem Every Day Is The Last Day by Carl Sandburg, Oseh Shalom Bimromov. excerpt of Humanistic Judaism service:
1: In the twilight of the vanishing year, our hearts are filled with hope. Although there is suffering, we will not yield to despair.
2: As Rosh Hashanah, the New Year, begins, we look ahead with hope.
3: Through this year, we were buoyed by love and kindness, by family and community.
4: As Rosh Hashanah begins, we take solace in one another.
5: But we regret our failure to do all we could to ease pain and suffering, to bring joy and light.
6: As the New Year begins, contrition fills our souls.
7: The New Year brings new resolve. We are thankful for the daily miracle of renewal, for the promise of good to come. May this Rosh Hashanah, birthday of the new year, be our day of rebirth into life and peace, serenity and safety.
8: As the New Year begins, we resolve to fulfill the promise of Rosh Hashanah.
9. We reflect upon the old year; we embrace the New Year. All: We gratefully acknowledge all that the past year has brought us of life and health, of love and joy, of beauty and truth, of strength and courage. Whatever good we have known this year, we reflect upon with gratitude: yet, we also reflect upon our sorrows, failures, and disappointments.
10: Who of us can be entirely content with even our personal lives when we know the injustices in the world? And, yet, the New Year is a reminder and celebration of the eternal possibility of renewal and improvement.
11. We want to be more than we are. We want to be wiser, kinder, more vital, and more confident in the act of living. We want to seize the world zestfully and turn to some urgent purpose.
12: May this day help us to find meaning in our lives. May we look backward and forward, but not stand still.
13: Rosh Hashanah heralds an opportunity for new beginnings. Now is the time to evaluate what has transpired during the year past and to discard what no longer fits the person we want to be. Self-reflection, self-evaluation, self-renewal: These are the tasks we are called to by Rosh Hashanah.
14. This is a time for truth, a time to respond to difficult questions.
15. Have I been honest with others and with myself?
16. Have I developed my talents, or settled for mere adequacy?
17. Have I been less than I can be?
18. Rosh Hashanah of old spoke in terms of prayer, repentance, and charity. In other words, of reasserting our ethical core and renewing our contract with life. Then, as now, the words point to our responsibility to go within and find there the understanding, the means, and the strength with which to shed light on our own histories and fashion our own way in the future.
19. We must first judge ourselves, our actions and intentions. Then we must forgive ourselves, accept responsibility for our shortcomings, and ready ourselves for the year to come. We inscribe ourselves in our own books of life.
20. On this first day of Awe, we accept this awesome task, of self-judgment and the consequences that follow. May these ten Days of Awe be days of reflection and introspection.
21. May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts find expression in our lives day by day, that we may bridge the gap between our conscience and our conduct, between what we believe and what we do.
22. May there be peace within and peace on Earth. Let us sing with joy for the New Year.

SO Darned Cute

Email from Ellie to Mom (Monkey):

I can't believe how quiet he is!!!

We do not necessarily expect it to last. But so far, anyway, he just sleeps and coos. He is SO darned cute. :)

Love you lots and lots,

Ellie

Email from Mom (Monkey) to Ellie:

Maybe we can skype again tonight. Pop slept in, and had to rush off without even breakfast. 

So are you still waking T up every 3 hours? I keep wondering if all of a sudden he'll wake up and say, "Hey wait a minute---I"M HUNGRY!!!!!" and start screaming for food every few hours. I hope it lasts, that's all I can say! He sounds exceptionally easy to care for so far. I might just have to sit around and bark orders at you guys!

love you lots,

mama

Like John or Like Mr. Hyde?

Email from Mom (Monkey) to Ellie:

Hi honey,

Pop would like to skype with you too, but has to go to work in a few minutes. If you get this, call,ok?

love you, get some rest,

mama

Email from Ellie to Mom (Monkey):

sorry we missed you guys. theodore was really good last night, but we were exhausted. got 2 hours, then had to wake him up for feeding after 3 hours and then again after 3 hours. so we got a decent amount of sleep! pretty good for a second night... everyone keeps saying "he wont be like that at home" though which sounds ominous.

dans snuggling him now.

:)

love you lots,

ellie

Email from Mom (Monkey) to Ellie:

I can't believe how easily he's comforted!!!!!! Either he'll be like John was--easy---or when you get him home he'll change to Mr Hyde and become a monster. More likely in between... Do the nurses leave you alone at night, or do they come in periodically to do checks? Sorry for all the questions and comments--better get used to it when I get there. Just nod your head and say, "umm hmmm"

mama

Educational Histories

Email from Ellie to Mom (Monkey) and Faffy:

Hey guys,

For purposes of law school applications...

What colleges did you attend and what years did you graduate, and what med schools did you attend and what years did you graduate?

Thanks,

Ellie

Email from Mom (Monkey) to Ellie:

Well, I went to UW for 3 years, 1976-1979. Never graduated. Went to John Burns School of Medicine in Hawaii from 1979-1980, took year sabbatical, then finished my last 3 years at West Virginia University's School of Medicine (where pop was professor) graduating in 1984.

I'll tell pop to write to you about his education---his are much more straightforward, but I don't know dates.

Love you. Tell Theo to come home, would you?

Mama

Email from Faffy to Ellie:

Hi, Elle,

Swarthmore, BS '68

U of Tenn, MS '70

UW, MD '75

Love, 

Pop

I'm Getting Excited!!!!

Email From Mom (Monkey):

Hey Ellebelle,

Tried to text you, but I guess you'd already gone to bed. Why'd you call? I just saw you'd called, but hadn't left message. You ok?

love you,

mama

Email From Ellie to Mom (Monkey):

yep, all is ok. tell you what, if something big happens (like.... labor... hehe) i will text you. so you'll be in the loop.

:)

love you!

i was calling to say dan has discovered a lime zucchini orzo that is AMAZING.

nothing important, in other words...

--elle belle


Email from Mom (Monkey) to Ellie:

Yeah, that's what I was worrying about of course. I'm getting excited!!!! I hope it's next week!

love you,
mama

(Pretty Cool, Eh!)

Forwarded Email from Mom (Monkey) to Family:


Two Stories - BOTH TRUE - and worth reading!!!!

STORY NUMBER  ONE


Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned  Chicago.  Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic.  He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.


Capone had a lawyer nicknamed 'Easy Eddie.' He was Capone's lawyer for a good reason. Eddie was very good! In fact, Eddie's skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.

To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but Eddie got special dividends, as well. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire  Chicago  City  block.

Eddie lived the high life of the  Chicago  mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him. Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld.  Price was no object.

And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong.  Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was.

Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn't give his son; he couldn't pass on a good name or a good example.

One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done.

He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al 'Scarface' Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great. So, he testified.

Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a  lonely  Chicago Street  .  But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay. Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine.

The poem read:

/'The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop, at late or early hour.  Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will. Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be still.' /


 STORY NUMBER  TWO


World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare.


He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington  in the South Pacific.

One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he  looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank.

He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship.

His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet.

As he was returning to the mother ship, he saw something that turned his blood cold; a squadron of Japanese aircraft was speeding its way toward the American fleet.

The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but defenseless. He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the  fleet.

Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 caliber's blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent. Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to  clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible, rendering them unfit to fly.

Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction.

Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier.

Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet.  He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft.

This took place on February 20, 1942 , and for that action Butch became the Navy's first Ace of W.W.II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Congressional Medal of Honor.

A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29. His home town would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today, O'Hare Airport in Chicago  is named in tribute to the courage of this great man.

So, the next time you find yourself at O'Hare International, give some thought to visiting Butch's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It's located between Terminals 1 and 2.

SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?

Butch O'Hare was 'Easy Eddie's' son.


(Pretty cool, eh!)

Hope All is Well

Email from Joe Knight to Ellie:

Ellie and Dan,
     Erica keeps me updated on your soon to be birthed child. My thoughts are with you. I hope all is well.

Hello Baby!

Email from Ellie to Teddy:

Hello Baby!

I am 32 weeks along today. Had a prenatal check-up, all was well. You were kicking away and very awake. I told the OB-GYN that we were thinking Jude for Judah but are now considering Theo for Theodore. Her son happened to be a Theo for Theodore, maybe its a sign.

I found out last night, researching the name Theodore, that there was a famous Greek philosopher known as Theodoros the Atheist. Which is pretty humorous, since Theodore translates as Gift of God. 

I've been writing both names over and over again all week, trying to imagine what your signature will look like.

I hope you're born heathy, little one. And -- ideally -- with hair! Apparently your father is freaked out by babies without hair, the weirdo. Although more so by the 6-12 month babies without hair, I'm sure he'll forgive you as a newborn.

I'm here in Denver, alone... your dad was in Seattle for all of June, and is now in San Francisco, doing sub-Internships. Its worth it for our family, the experience and recommendation letters will make us more likely to be able to live where we want to live for the next 6 years of your life. But its been really rough, especially with me pregnant.

I have two kitties with me, Donovan and Mumble, and they're pretty good company. Giant lightning storm outside at the moment, hopefully it doesn't fritz my computer.

What will you be like, baby?

I hope that above all you are kind. Considerate of others' feelings, thoughtful, and sensitive. Secondly, that you are intelligent -- but I'm sure you will be, I have little doubt of that. I hope you follow in your father's footsteps and treat women as equals, with respect. Maybe, like him, you'll like to cook! I can imagine the two of you having a "special day" together like me and my dad used to do, maybe playing basketball together out in the sun and then coming in to cook dinner together afterward. Hopefully your father will be able to spend that kind of quality time with you in the future, despite going into a surgical subspecialty.

I hope, when you read this, your father and I make it obvious that we love both each other and you. We both already love you so much, and we always will. I can't wait to dress you up in the little tiny cowboy boots I got off eBay, and as you get older hear you laugh when we introduce you to new things. You're going to be adorable, I just know it.

Alright sweetie pea, I'm going to go watch a bad movie (since Dan is not here! hehe), then skype with him, and then go to sleep. I will meet you soon!

Much love always,

your mom (ahhHH!! you have no idea how weird it is to think of myself in that way, I'm not at all used to that yet!)

Test-Taking Affirmations

My shoulders are relaxed.

My back is relaxed.

My arms are relaxed.

Every part of my body is perfectly relaxed.

I have all of the skills and resources that I need to do well.

I can trust my mind and abilities.

I am relaxed, prepared, and confident.

I will conquer this test.

Pregnancy Loneliness

Email from Leslie to Ellie:

Oh my dearest,

Don't feel lonely. I am going to call you tomorrow. I hope I catch you. I understand why it's lonely being pregnant, though. You ARE going through something other people might not be able to relate to. And you can't drink or go out - and that has an isolating effect. Plus, I'm sure your hormones are adding to the awful lonely feeling. Adrienne, the girl in my program who is pregnant said the beginning was the hardest part- her moods were all over and she felt grumpy and sad and awful. But she feels good now, she says. She's due in May. I wish you and her could get together! You need some pregnant friends! I also wish Adam and I lived near you and Dan. Let's make it so, someday, okay? (I want our babies to play together!!) I hope we can visit you this summer. We'll see. It depends how poor I am. But I really hope so! I can't wait to see your big beautiful belly. This lovely pregnant girl in my classes in a constant reminder of you. 

Please don't be sad. You are so so loved. Does Dan make you feel better? Are there any preggers lady groups you could join? What about lamaz (sp) classes? When are those? Or baby health classes. It might be nice to meet some women there...

Let's talk soon. I miss you. You are such a special one. 

love

les

Pregnancy Fears

Email from Erica to Ellie:

Hello, my lovely, beautiful friend.  I know that you're feeling scared and worried right now, but everything is going to be OKAY.  This is going to be one lucky kid to have you for his/her mama.  I am not saying this to dismiss your concerns, though.  I have a lot more to say about it, and will call you as soon as I can so that we can talk.  Although you are a trailblazer with this baby thing, you are definitely not alone.  I love you very much and I'm here for you.  
Much love,
Erica

A Wonderful 9 Years

Email from Leslie to Ellie:

Thank you for your wonderful text. I can read them but I have difficulty replying - so here is my reply: Thank you, thank you, thank you for a wonderful 4 days and a wonderful 9 years. You are medicine to me. I love and admire you so much. I feel so inspired and free and happy when I'm with you.

Thank you.

always

les