Other People's Blogs! ~ And Guess Who's Coming To Dinner!?!!

(a posting by danelle)

HaPpY 4tH oF jUly!!

(baby's first fireworks - My Waterloo Days - inutero)

Did you know that the Declaration of Independence was actually finished and signed on July 2nd? And then on July 4th they decided to make some revisions...it took several days to re-write it nicely...and then the rest of the group signed it? I just learned that this year...31 years and the things I never knew I never knew...

So guess who is right now on an American Airlines plane over the ocean en route to home?!...
yup, the daddy of this little baby.
woohoo!
I have to admit that I am thankful it is he, and not me, making the 32-hour trek around the world. But I am so excited that in about 14 hours from now we will be picking him up from the airport.
Finally!

I saw a sign on the back of someone's truck the other day (on base) that said "IF WE ARE SPEEDING IT IS BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO PICK UP OUR HERO DADDY WHO JUST RETURNED FROM THE GULF!" and (maybe it's the late prego hormones or something...) but it made me all teary eyed thinking of my hero in the Gulf...

It's good timing that Nick returns now. We roll over into Week 40 as of this weekend! Can you believe it?! 40 weeks have passed already?! Wow, time flies. I can distinctly feel features now on the baby - especially the little feet and knees that like to poke out of my left side. And the cute baby butt that presses and shifts around at my chest level. Not to mention the head...that MUST be engaged by now...

I have "good days" and "bad days"... never really know what it will be. Some are filled with exhaustion and cramping and blah yuck feelings...others are energized and pretty good. So there are ups and downs. One thing that doesn't seem to be changing any time soon (at least not until this little one arrives) is how difficult it is to go up and down 3 flights of stairs 3-4 times a day to take Copper on his walks. In addition, all the inventory for my online bookstore is up another level in the loft - which means hauling books up and down each day. This is all more of a challenge at this point in the game.

So I was glancing at another friend's Blogger (Google) blog and it was linked to another old friend...and another person's...and another... I cannot believe how popular these blogs now are. Yeah for all things Google!! But it is great fun - to keep up with people and see other's photos, videos, and updates easily - exchanging ideas, encouragement, etc. without having to send out ginormous emails and bogging people down with messages. Blogs are much more inviting, and convenient for friends/family to check out when they wish. Everyone should have a blog in which to express and share.

"Writing can be a creative and invigorating way
to make our lives available to ourselves . . .
We may discover that the better we tell our stories,
the better we will want to live them."
~Henri Nouwen

I don't agree with everything posted within these blogs..and I am sure several others wouldn't agree with my thoughts either! ...And a FEW are a bit down-right strangely odd... But I guess that's one of the beauty of blogs -- they can be self-expressive at the same time as being up-dative. :)

Here are some ol' Cedar Falls hometown people's blogs:

Josh & Keely Baade (baby page - Nick also has them linked above right)

Luke & Becky Bartlett

Dave & Jess Hansen

Kristyn & her Art of Light Photography

Matt Reisetter

Jen & Matt Reisetter

Justin Taylor

Shelly (Johnson) & Josh Wessles

Kirsten (Davis) & Ivan Gardzelewski

Holly (Brody) & Kyle Matthias (i love that Holly talks about loving labor/birth, even if she has chosen to birth in the hospital...still au naturale...with a midwife...using birthing tubs...and kicking everyone out of the room for a full hour after the baby is born to bond during this crucial time)

Heather & Donnie

Jen & Joel

Tim Rosenau (myspace artist page)

Jeremy Monteith

Tim Bastron

Kim & Zach Nielsen

Zach Nielsen

Julia & Mike Wolfe

Alli Rogers

Jonathan & Katie Rogers

Alicia (Rieger) & Tim Donat

Kristi Bean (although she hasn't posted since Fall 2007)

Joshua Harris (oh, wait, I don't know him... haha)


Sooooo...if you have a blog, let me know. I'd love to keep up to date. :)

And if you don't - maybe you should try it out. You just might like it. It can be public (as my blog La Vida, and this one, and most people's are) or private (as my bellydaze one is).

And if you have not yet experienced the brilliance of all things Google...including getting yourself a Gmail account (by far the best email program in existence) WHAT are you waiting for?!?! :)

(38 Week Black & White Baby Belly ~ Self Portrait at Night on the Beach)

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