Haba-- Who?

I attended a total 14 years of parochial school as a kid. No joke. (preschool-thru Grade 12). Not to mention at least one session of vacation bible school every summer. Believe me, by the time I turned 18, I was completely over the whole "religion thing". But in my 30s, I've gained back more of an appreciation for spirituality and prayer. I still don't attend services every Sunday, but I do find solace in knowing there is an energy bigger than my one human body (and brain!) at work in the universe.

Back in my school days, we were required to learn and recite all the books of the Old Testament, New Testament, and the entire catechism by memory. Lucky for me, I was good with words and memory assignments, so I go to the point I could rattle off books of the Bible (and still can today) at record speed (a skill that you never know when it might come in handy! LOL)

One thing I noticed over my many years of religion classes, was that there are a LOT of books in the Bible that don't get much "play". That whole "Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi" group at the end of the Old Testament...we don't hear from those guys much.

So recently - when I came across this Bible verse from Habakkuk (on another China adoption blog) - I was pleasantly surprised that Habakkuk actually said something that spoke to me. Especially in terms of the LONG wait for my child - but it could really apply to so many areas in life where we are impatient for the answers we are seeking:

"But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, be patient! For it will surely take place. It will not be late by a single day.” Habakkuk 2:3

Can I hear an "Amen"? - (who knew Habakkuk was such a wise soul?)

The Perfect Storm

It's been a rough week. Lucky Steve got to witness his first Julie "migraine meltdown" on Tuesday night. I actually hadn't been feeling too great the past couple of weeks. My allergies have been back with a vengeance and I've felt lots of fluid in my sinuses, ears and head in general.

Couple that with some crazy heat (and no air conditioning to escape to) last weekend, and then a very muggy and quick rise in the barometric pressure just prior to a cool marine layer moving into the area - yes folks - it was the perfect storm...migraine storm that is!

By Tuesday night, I was laid out flat on my back, in the dark (or as dark as I could make my bedroom at 7 pm on a summer night) - with a crazy cocktail of Advil, aspirin, and finally - a Relpax (rx migraine med) in my belly and a cold washcloth on my forehead. Poor Steve came home with his takeout bag of teriyaki chicken and I nearly vomited on the kitchen floor from the smell of it...

Laying on the cool linoleum of the bathroom floor, I had to wonder WHY??? I have not had a wicked migraine attack like this in nearly two years! There is no rhyme or reason to the brutality. As I bawled like a baby (which - unless you've had a true migraine, you can't understand...) Steve madly googled for an urgent care clinic...and of course, there is no such thing nearby. I laid on the floor and wondered if I would be visiting the ER at our nearby community hospital. I remembered my last visit there when I was 22 yrs old. That time my mom took me - I was exhausted and had a nasty case of strep throat. It looked like it was my destiny to visit them again Tuesday. I went to the ER twice in Denver with migraines. As a migraine sufferer, you gotta love the morphine, but hate the way they treat you when you show up at the ER with a migraine (like you're a morphine junkie basically...)

So instead of going to the ER (which I probably should have done) I called the 24-hour Nurseline - which was a HUGE joke and drained any energy that I had left at that point. It took the first 20 minutes of the conversation just to convince "Cathy" the nurse that I was NOT pregnant. She seemed quite convinced (based on the information I gave her) that this was a distinct possibility and the tone of her voice implied that I was quite an idiot for not considering it myself. While under other circumstances I would have wanted to reach through the phone and punch Cathy in the face. I didn't have the energy to argue with her. I agreed to go see a doctor within 18 hours (if I lived that long) and hung up. By that time the Relpax started to kick in and I went to bed - and the bathroom. Turns out (just to add insult to injury) I had also contracted a stomach virus of some sort. Lovely.

Wednesday I woke up with a mild headache and stomach issues, and got myself in to a doctor. Not my regular doctor (she's out on maternity leave) so they sent me to the old man doctor in the suite next door. After the mandatory pregnancy test (which was negative - SHOCKER) he basically told me I had a migraine and a stomach virus...oh, and my blood pressure was high - so try to avoid salty foods and lose some weight... Nice, thanks. I can't imagine WHY my blood pressure would be high after all this...AAAARRRRGGGHH. By late Wednesday afternoon, my headache was full blown again. Ugh. Another Relpax and early to bed.

Good news. I was better Thursday (but still had remnants of a headache) - and then voila! Today? NO HEADACHE for the first time since Tuesday. Thank you Universe.

P.S. - If this was some sort of test, please tell me I passed and won't have to repeat it!

Wizards of Bras!

As many of you know, my younger sister, Tracy is currently battling breast cancer. She is 33, and was diagnosed in June and is now in the middle of radiation and chemo treatments.

Ironically, she and two of her girlfriends had already signed up to do Seattle's Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk for Breast Cancer last November. In fact, Tracy, Jen, and Kim all did the 3-Day walk back in 2006 and had an amazing experience, and were all onboard to do it again long before Tracy's diagnosis. So coming up in September, they will walk 60 miles over three days!

Today they held an all day fundraiser to raise money for team. Each member must raise at least $2200 to participate. They have again named their team - Team "Wizards of Bras" :) Not only did they get some press out of the gig, but they also had two local businesses offer to donate part of their proceed from the day to their cause. Very cool. I'm so proud of my sister and her terrific friends!

Just a reminder to all my bloggy friends, don't forget to FEEL YOUR BOOBIES! :)

Kim, Jen & Tracy

16 Months...

Lady Bug Note From PagePlugins.com

Seafair Sunday

Every year the city of Seattle goes nuts in July & August as citywide neighborhood festivals, parades, and other random groups including clowns, pirates and other fun folks take over the city for three weeks. This festival - Seafair - is one of the top 10 civic festivals in the United States, and culminates on the first Sunday in August every year - with the running of the Chevrolet Cup unlimited hydroplane races, and the U.S. Navy Blue Angels airshow over Lake Washington. Over 300,000 people turn out on the shores of the Lake to take in this spectacle - and another 30,000 tie their boats to the anchored "logboom" out on the lake, to get a front row seat for all the action.

I watched this event on TV every year growing up. I had mad crushes on hydroplane drivers and dreams of driving the amazing boats across the sparkling blue water. Summer in Seattle IS Seafair. When I was 22, a part of my childhood dream came true when I was selected to do an unpaid summer internship as an event planner with the Seafair organization. A year later, after graduating college, I was asked back as a paid employee for another summer. Two amazing summers I will NEVER forget.

So today was my favorite day of the year in Seattle. Steve experienced his first Seafair Sunday and myself, my sister and our friend Rob all enjoyed a great day out at the Lake (thanks Rob for the great passes!) Here are some photos from our fun day (and yes, the "hats" my sister and I are wearing in one photo are actually mini inflatable hydroplane boats...) Good times!

A Note from the Universe

Dear Julie,

If you can imagine it, you can have it. This is the name of the game. This is the lesson to learn. It couldn't be any easier. Reality is not what your eyes show your mind, but what your mind creates for your eyes to see. You are not limited by logic, the past, or the world around you. You are not even of the world around you. You are supernatural, pure spirit. You came first. Magic, miracles, and luck are the consequences of understanding this, the inevitable result of dreaming and acting in spite of appearances.

You are ever so close. Simply stay the course. It won't be very much longer.

Signed,

The Universe