Hurt, Hope, and Heartstrings

Though I didn't plan on posting today, there are a few things that have really tugged at my heartstrings and should be shared.

First I'd like to petition your prayers for my friend, Julie, and her family who are in a world of hurt right now, to put it lightly. I found out today that they were in a car accident earlier this week and lost their six month old son, Tony, yesterday morning. From what I know, both Julie and her husband Todd were treated and released, but little Tony was in critical condition and just didn't make it. Utterly heartbreaking. Although I haven't been in touch with Julie much since college, I can vouch for what a beautiful person she is inside and out. When I moved from West Point to Pennsylvania as a shy and timid third grader, Julie walked confidently up to me on the playground the first day of school and asked if I wanted to be friends. Thanks to her, I had a best buddy from then on to sit with every day on the bus, walk home with once we got to middle school, carpool with once we got to high school (I still can't believe how patient she was every day when I was late), and just share some wonderful times with. She is such a caring and kindhearted person, as is her husband. Please please pray that they are just surrounded with love and support in the months to come as they try to make their way through this tragedy that no one should ever have to experience.
Thank you.

I'd also like to share these two videos that both reduced me to tears, but for much happier reasons:

The first is an amazing testament to the hope that can come out of a tragedy and the fact that good people are still out there making miracles happen.

Memory Lane

This past weekend we returned to our little abode on the shores of the Hudson to witness the beautiful wedding of Peter's old roommate. From the time the plane landed until it took off again we spent less than 48 hours on the ground, but our whirlwind trip was the longest we've been back at West Point since we graduated five years ago. Needless to say, it brought back a lot of memories. But not just of our time at school; I was constantly reminded of my childhood, too, since I spent four happy years growing up at West Point when I was in elementary school. For all the days I spent at there playing as a carefree first grader or wishing I could graduate and be gone from the place already as an overwhelmed cadet, I was so thankful for the two days we got during this return trip to relive the memories from different decades that kept popping into my head and overlapping!

Isn't she the cutest
mama ever?!

The best part was probably getting to see our dear friends (and fellow West Point grads), Tera and Tyson. Tera was my saving grace when we were in the same unit at Fort Drum, and despite the miles that separate us, she continues to keep me sane from week to week. So getting to see her in person is always a long overdue treat! They're both quite the inspiration--Tyson was injured in Afghanistan last year, after a facing a complete 180 in their life course and devoting the last year to his recovery, they finally got to leave Walter Reed/Bethesda last month to accept jobs at West Point. They offered to put us up for the weekend even though they just moved, and even watched lil' Ethan man during the wedding (the big kids stayed in Denver with Gran and Granddad). We were also glad to provide them with an opportunity to practice baby care before their little darling arrives, since they're currently expecting their first--a little girl due to arrive in July (I got to feel her kicking!). It went by too fast as always, but it was so awesome to see them again!

Couldn't Ask for More!

Today is a much different Mother's Day than last year. Last year we were all together at my aunt's house, I was eagerly anticipating our newest blessing (we didn't even know yet that he was a boy!) and it was one of the last extended visits I had with with my grandmother while she was still lucid. Today is a little bittersweet for me in some ways knowing that she's not around anymore and that my own mother and her siblings are missing her dearly today.

My New J-O-B

It's a funny thing, this stay-at-home-mom business. 

While at a friend's house for dinner recently, I was asked the simple question of how my new gig was going. I gave a little laugh but was coming up dry with ways to explain how it was the most ridiculously amazing yet stressful and frustrating pull-my-hair-out job that I've ever yearned to do. Luckily my friend's wife--a veteran stay-at-home-mom--helped me make sense of my hemming and hawing so that I could attempt to explain this anomaly to her husband, who had asked the question. Since then I've had some time while changing diapers and holding toddlers in the time-out corner to reflect on the question, and I think I've come up with the proper answer to how the whole stay-at-home-mom thing is going:

It's going.