Well, I'm back from a very emotional trip to Georgia. It was nice to be there to share this time with Jan and with Jennifer. We visited Ryan's grave and the accident site and put flowers at both sites. So, so sad. When I visited the accident site I couldn't help wondering what Ryan was thinking in those seconds between the time he lost control of the truck and the time he died. I guess the comfort, if you want to call it that, is that Ryan didn't suffer. Everything happened really quickly. And I got to meet (and hold, of course) Ryan's son that he'll never have a chance to hold. Noah Ryan Donkersgoed is such a cutie. He was born 3 weeks early, so he's little. He weighed 6 lbs when he was born and came out of the hospital weighing 5 lbs, 12 oz. Even then he was just a few ounces bigger than Hope was when she was born...and a pound bigger than Hope was at her lowest weight (4 lbs 13 oz). As I held Noah I couldn't believe that Hope was ever that little. I think Jennifer is doing as well as can be expected, but I don't think it's really hit her yet. I don't think she realizes what she has ahead of her. Maybe that's OK. Maybe that's survival mode. Maybe none of us really realizes what lies ahead of us...and maybe that's for the best. There's one lesson I really came home with from this trip: don't take ANYONE in your life for granted. In a matter of seconds they could be taken away from you. So love them, even with their faults.
On a more pleasant note, I got an email from Dawn today. YEAH!!! She left River Falls a couple of weeks ago and I miss her terribly! She's due with Baby Spies a month from today (although she's going to have him on Sept 18...my 40th birthday). Dan is now officially a Navy chaplain and his job is going well. I was just so happy to hear from her and know that they traveled from New Port, RI, to Gulfport, MS, safely and they're doing well.
Saturday was Mark's 47th birthday. We had a good day despite the rain. We went to Red Wing to check on a car and then we headed to Wabasha (MN) to the National Eagle Center. Hope got her picture taken with a bald eagle named Angel. If you saw the picture you'd think that maybe Mark was having more fun than Hope was. At the end of the day we ended up eating supper at Mariachi Loco (the Mexican restaurant in River Falls which is DELICIOUS!!). When we pulled into the parking lot Hope's eyes got big, she clenched her fists and said, "I'm excited! I'm excited!!" hehehe She loves eating there and was so happy we were going to have supper there. LOL I ate a lot of Mexican food while I was pregnant with her, so even the salsa doesn't bother her.
Thanks for checking in on the Brue family!
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Up, up and away...
Hi everyone!!
Well, tomorrow I leave with our friend Jan to head to Georgia for a few days to visit her new Grandson. Noah Ryan Donkersgoed was born on August 1. Noah is the son of Jan's son Ryan. You might remember from earlier posts that Ryan was killed in a vehicle accident in Georgia on July 2. So this trip will be bittersweet: always wonderful to see a new baby, but the sadness of what's happened recently , knowing that this baby will never know his father, will be the bitter part. Scott and Jan asked if I'd go down with Jan since Scott can't get off of work. I'm happy to help in any way I can. So please say a prayer or two: for safe travel to and from, for the right words to say to Jennifer (Ryan's widow), that Mark does OK with Hope for the next 5 days (I'm sure he'll do just fine), that Hope does OK without Mommy for the next 5 days...and that Mommy does OK without Hope for the next 5 days. I'm going to miss her so much. I've already started crying! I think there's only been once in her 2 years of life that I haven't been with her overnight.
While I'm in Georgia I'm hoping to see my best friend from college. She lives in Augusta...just about a mile away from "THEE" golf course. Mark is envious. Maybe I should go golfing:) I should take the GPS with me so I can do some geocaching. We'll see.
It'll be a while before I post again. Enjoy these last days of summer. I don't even want to think about that!
Well, tomorrow I leave with our friend Jan to head to Georgia for a few days to visit her new Grandson. Noah Ryan Donkersgoed was born on August 1. Noah is the son of Jan's son Ryan. You might remember from earlier posts that Ryan was killed in a vehicle accident in Georgia on July 2. So this trip will be bittersweet: always wonderful to see a new baby, but the sadness of what's happened recently , knowing that this baby will never know his father, will be the bitter part. Scott and Jan asked if I'd go down with Jan since Scott can't get off of work. I'm happy to help in any way I can. So please say a prayer or two: for safe travel to and from, for the right words to say to Jennifer (Ryan's widow), that Mark does OK with Hope for the next 5 days (I'm sure he'll do just fine), that Hope does OK without Mommy for the next 5 days...and that Mommy does OK without Hope for the next 5 days. I'm going to miss her so much. I've already started crying! I think there's only been once in her 2 years of life that I haven't been with her overnight.
While I'm in Georgia I'm hoping to see my best friend from college. She lives in Augusta...just about a mile away from "THEE" golf course. Mark is envious. Maybe I should go golfing:) I should take the GPS with me so I can do some geocaching. We'll see.
It'll be a while before I post again. Enjoy these last days of summer. I don't even want to think about that!
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Urgent prayer requests
Hey again everyone...
By now I'm sure you've seen the news. The I-35W bridge in Minneapolis that crosses the Mississippi River between University and Washington has collapsed. It's devestating! I had a scare when this first happened because Mark was headed into the Cities today. Since he stopped working at the Thrivent (it'll always be Lutheran Brotherhood to us)home office in Minneapolis, we rarely have reason to go over that bridge, so I knew chances were that he wasn't on the bridge. Yet, I also knew that he was planning to go work out at his old club which is in that general vacinity, so I had a little cause for worry. My husband is great about carrying his cell phone with him. However, he's TERRIBLE about actually turning the dang thing on!!! So I tried and tried and tried to reach him, but each time got voicemail...until I was getting busy messages because everyone else in the Twin Cities was on their cells, checking to see if loved ones were safe. Mark's Mom called to see if I had heard what happened and I told her that Mark was headed to the Cities and I hadn't heard from him. Then MY Mom called (she lives 3 hours from us) because she had seen the news on CNN. I told her that I hadn't heard from Mark. Of course we all prayed. Hope and I were getting to bed and Mark came home. I just started crying because he was OK. He had been listening to the Brewers game on the radio so had NO idea what had happened. First I hugged him because I was so happy he was OK. Then I wanted to hit him for not having his cell on. Anyway...please say prayers for those involved in this tragedy. It's just aweful. That bridge is the main North and South artery in and out of Minneapolis. There's always the chance that we know someone who was on the bridge. Right now they're saying there are 7 confirmed dead. I'm sure that number will rise dramatically over night. The news here is reporting that rescue workers are pretty much saying it's now turned into a recovery mission. So, so sad.
The other prayer request I have for you is for my sister Alison and her son (my nephew, of course) Andrew. They leave bright and early (I think their plane leaves the Mosinee airport at like 6am...UGH!!) tomorrow morning for their long weekend in New York City. I'm so excited and, frankly, a bit jealous. They asked me if I wanted to go. Of course!! But then reality sank in and I knew I couldn't be away from Hope for that long. So I said no. This is Andrew's graduation gift from Ali and John and it's fabulous. My plan is to take Hope to Italy for her high school graduation...but if we can't afford that, then New York City would be a great alternative. I haven't been there since 1997, so I'm due for a trip back East. Anyway...please pray for safe travel and a safe trip for them. I didn't even give it a second thought until this whole bridge thing tonight. This has been a wake up call for me. I realize that truly none of us knows when tragedy will strike. I take so much for granted. So please pray for my sis and nephew. They are going to have so much fun and I can't wait to see the pictures!! They're staying at a hotel on Broadway!! So, so cool and what a special time for them to spend together before Andrew starts his service in the USAF.
One more thing: although this whole bridge tragedy has made me once again realize how precious life is and that I take too many things for granted, I also know that we can't live our lives in constant fear. I'm sure there might be some who will not ever want to go over a bridge again in their lives. Trust me, when this happened tonight I swore that I'd never go to Minnesota again because the only way to get there from where we live is over a big bridge. But ya know what?? That's where faith comes in. You just live your life the very best you can, striving to be all that God wants you to be, and you just go with the flow. I don't want to live all cocooned up in my house in fear. Will I think about what happened tonight every time I go over a bridge in the future? Probably. But that's life. And there's no guarantee in life.
Thanks for listening to me ramble. And mostly, thanks for the prayers! I'll let you know how things are going.
By now I'm sure you've seen the news. The I-35W bridge in Minneapolis that crosses the Mississippi River between University and Washington has collapsed. It's devestating! I had a scare when this first happened because Mark was headed into the Cities today. Since he stopped working at the Thrivent (it'll always be Lutheran Brotherhood to us)home office in Minneapolis, we rarely have reason to go over that bridge, so I knew chances were that he wasn't on the bridge. Yet, I also knew that he was planning to go work out at his old club which is in that general vacinity, so I had a little cause for worry. My husband is great about carrying his cell phone with him. However, he's TERRIBLE about actually turning the dang thing on!!! So I tried and tried and tried to reach him, but each time got voicemail...until I was getting busy messages because everyone else in the Twin Cities was on their cells, checking to see if loved ones were safe. Mark's Mom called to see if I had heard what happened and I told her that Mark was headed to the Cities and I hadn't heard from him. Then MY Mom called (she lives 3 hours from us) because she had seen the news on CNN. I told her that I hadn't heard from Mark. Of course we all prayed. Hope and I were getting to bed and Mark came home. I just started crying because he was OK. He had been listening to the Brewers game on the radio so had NO idea what had happened. First I hugged him because I was so happy he was OK. Then I wanted to hit him for not having his cell on. Anyway...please say prayers for those involved in this tragedy. It's just aweful. That bridge is the main North and South artery in and out of Minneapolis. There's always the chance that we know someone who was on the bridge. Right now they're saying there are 7 confirmed dead. I'm sure that number will rise dramatically over night. The news here is reporting that rescue workers are pretty much saying it's now turned into a recovery mission. So, so sad.
The other prayer request I have for you is for my sister Alison and her son (my nephew, of course) Andrew. They leave bright and early (I think their plane leaves the Mosinee airport at like 6am...UGH!!) tomorrow morning for their long weekend in New York City. I'm so excited and, frankly, a bit jealous. They asked me if I wanted to go. Of course!! But then reality sank in and I knew I couldn't be away from Hope for that long. So I said no. This is Andrew's graduation gift from Ali and John and it's fabulous. My plan is to take Hope to Italy for her high school graduation...but if we can't afford that, then New York City would be a great alternative. I haven't been there since 1997, so I'm due for a trip back East. Anyway...please pray for safe travel and a safe trip for them. I didn't even give it a second thought until this whole bridge thing tonight. This has been a wake up call for me. I realize that truly none of us knows when tragedy will strike. I take so much for granted. So please pray for my sis and nephew. They are going to have so much fun and I can't wait to see the pictures!! They're staying at a hotel on Broadway!! So, so cool and what a special time for them to spend together before Andrew starts his service in the USAF.
One more thing: although this whole bridge tragedy has made me once again realize how precious life is and that I take too many things for granted, I also know that we can't live our lives in constant fear. I'm sure there might be some who will not ever want to go over a bridge again in their lives. Trust me, when this happened tonight I swore that I'd never go to Minnesota again because the only way to get there from where we live is over a big bridge. But ya know what?? That's where faith comes in. You just live your life the very best you can, striving to be all that God wants you to be, and you just go with the flow. I don't want to live all cocooned up in my house in fear. Will I think about what happened tonight every time I go over a bridge in the future? Probably. But that's life. And there's no guarantee in life.
Thanks for listening to me ramble. And mostly, thanks for the prayers! I'll let you know how things are going.
A bit of humor for today
Hi everyone!
Normally I don't pay much attention to the forwarded emails I get in my email box, but for some reason today I read one that my friend David sent to me. I'm so glad I did. I don't know if it's because I'm in a punchy mood or if because these things are truly funny, but whatever the reason, I had tears rolling down my cheeks as I was reading these things a few minutes ago. Enjoy!!
Best "Out of Office" Automatic e-mail Replies:
1. I am currently out at a job interview and will reply to you if Ifail to get the position. Be prepared for my mood.
2. You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn't have received anything at all.
3. Sorry to have missed you, but I am at the doctor's having my brain and heart removed so I can be promoted to our management team.
4. I will be unable to delete all the unread, worthless emails you send me until I return from vacation. Please be patient, and your mail will be deleted in the order it was received.
5. Thank you for your email. Your credit card has been charged $5.99 for the first 10 words and $1.99 for each additional word in your message.
6. The e-mail server is unable to verify your server connection and is unable to deliver this message. Please restart your computer and try sending again. (The beauty of this is that when you return, you can see how many in-duh-viduals did this over and over.)
7. Thank you for your message, which has been added to a queuing system. You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply in approximately 19 weeks.
8. Hi, I'm thinking about what you've just sent me. Please wait by your PC for my response.
9. I've run away to join a different circus.
10.I will be out of the office for the next 2 weeks for medical reasons. When I return, please refer to me as 'Lucille' instead of David.
Normally I don't pay much attention to the forwarded emails I get in my email box, but for some reason today I read one that my friend David sent to me. I'm so glad I did. I don't know if it's because I'm in a punchy mood or if because these things are truly funny, but whatever the reason, I had tears rolling down my cheeks as I was reading these things a few minutes ago. Enjoy!!
Best "Out of Office" Automatic e-mail Replies:
1. I am currently out at a job interview and will reply to you if Ifail to get the position. Be prepared for my mood.
2. You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn't have received anything at all.
3. Sorry to have missed you, but I am at the doctor's having my brain and heart removed so I can be promoted to our management team.
4. I will be unable to delete all the unread, worthless emails you send me until I return from vacation. Please be patient, and your mail will be deleted in the order it was received.
5. Thank you for your email. Your credit card has been charged $5.99 for the first 10 words and $1.99 for each additional word in your message.
6. The e-mail server is unable to verify your server connection and is unable to deliver this message. Please restart your computer and try sending again. (The beauty of this is that when you return, you can see how many in-duh-viduals did this over and over.)
7. Thank you for your message, which has been added to a queuing system. You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply in approximately 19 weeks.
8. Hi, I'm thinking about what you've just sent me. Please wait by your PC for my response.
9. I've run away to join a different circus.
10.I will be out of the office for the next 2 weeks for medical reasons. When I return, please refer to me as 'Lucille' instead of David.
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