Little Lucy

Jeanette's got this photo up, too, (I did steal it cause I didn't get the e-mailed pics:-(. She be pretty no?

J (for P&J)

Lucy Elizabeth

I held her yesterday, and she's beautiful! I don't have any pictures yet, but we took some, and I'll hope to get some up soon.

I spent most of my afternoon and evening at the hospital yesterday hoping to get my chance to at least see little Lucy. The NICU has specific visiting times, and during the afternoon visiting time they were closed because they had to stabilize a baby that had just come in from UVA. I talked to the new parents, ran some errands in Winchester, and headed back to the NICU last night.

Not only did I get to see her, but I was able to hold her. She's sooo tiny! She has dark brownish hair, and her eyes seemed dark blue, but I couldn't quite tell. She weighed 6lbs and 6ozs at birth and was 19 inches long. Jessica and I noted that she appears to have a Cole nose, and the trademark curled Cole toe:-)

Her arrival was a bit traumatic, (doctors are saying that it was a serious situation--Lucy's cord was pinched which caused her to be without oxygen for a while), but God was and is so good! She's alert, looking around, yawning, and very contented. It was fun to watch Jessica with her little girl. I know not being able to hold Lucy and be with her for a couple days now, has been hard. Lucy looked so contented in Jessica's arms. She would look up at her mommy, then start to drift off, only to wake up again. She had quite the grip on Jessica's finger, too! Jeremy is also thrilled with his little girl. What a special time for them. Praise God for His faithfulness and for this new life.

Julie

I'm an Aunt!

Lucy Elizabeth Cole is here! Woohoo! Mother and baby are doing well.

Jeremy seems pretty darned happy and proud.

I'll update soon!

J

Random-er Stuff

Hiya, everybody!
Not sure if Julie told you yet, but we went to a minor league game Friday afternoon - the Frederick Keys vs. the Salem Avalanche. The Keys get their name from Francis Scott Key road and Francis Scott Key stadium, which in turn derive their name from the relative of some city planner, I guess. Anyhoo, no one really made it past second until the 6th inning. It wound up tied at the bottom of the 9th, and then the Keys scored the winning run on a VERY questionable call, and both the coaches from Salem got up close in the ump's face - it reminded Julie and I of a couple of roosters squaring off :)
We got to see some lovely fireworks afterwards, but it was getting pretty chilly. Have you guys ever noticed that Julie gets cold sort of easily? Sheesh.
Julie (and the rest of our worship team, I suppose, and the church too) led us in "Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)". Chris Tomlin took some verses of Amazing Grace that ordinarily aren't sung in the hymn, but are still very beautiful, and put them to some slightly faster music. We both really liked it, and she's going to try to get ahold of the sheet music. Have you guys heard this?
Last night we watched a Bollywood movie - Bride and Prejudice (There is no life without wife!) - a really goofy movie with fantastically colorful sets and costumes, and the only Indian movie I have ever seen to incorporate a southern baptist choir into one of their musical numbers. I've never seen Pride and Prejudice (and I don't really want to, either, this may be my loss but it is one I am comfortable with) so Julie filled me in on who was who.
We both miss you guys, and Julie Really Really Really misses you, so I hope we get over to see you sometime soon.
And if Julie thinks it's pathetic to miss me, that's ok, it just makes me extra pathetic :)

random stuff

Here is a cool picture. Mr and Mrs Wilcox have taken time to talk with Peter and I on several occasions. They have been a mentor couple to us, and we thank God for them. We go to their home on Wendesday nights for a Bible study. Our group is fun and full of colorful personalities. Right now we're working our way through the book of Matthew. I love going to their home--it's charming! The people in it give it the charm. They love the Lord, and they always encourage us in our walk with Him as they help us wade through the waters of a relationship and life in general:-)

All in a Day's Work:
What does HSLDA stand for?

Last I checked it was the Home School Legal Defense Association, but my most recent call changes all of that. Today I was asked if we could help annul a man's marriage. wow, nuff said.

In other news:

Peter is off in Norfolk, Virginia explaining to families what HSLDA is and what HSLDA does. heh, I am rather pathetic, but I miss him

He'll be back in time to wish his mother a, "Happy Mother's Day."

And last, but not least:

Happy Mother's Day to my amazing mom, and to any other moms who read our blog. You are precious women, loved by God, and I'm so thankful for you!

Mommy, I love you bunches. Thanks for all of the phone conversations of late. I've enjoyed taking more time to just talk to you. Love you bunches!

J

Flying...a necessary evil?

I have decided something: flying is a pain.

I've had some experiences worth blogging about, and after this last weekend, I really can't wait any longer to share.

This last weekend I traveled to Springfield, Missouri for a work conference. I arrived at the Dulles airport early Thursday morning. I ran into two of my friends, (first time that's ever happened.) They were headed to Hawaii for a vacation. We were all headed to Chicago for our connections.
We all boarded the plane on time; however, I commented to my friends that I wondered if we'd be delayed because of O'Hare. I had a really tight connection at O'Hare, 45 min, to be exact, and I had to get to another terminal. My experiences with O'Hare have not been so good. Sure enough, the captain came on, just as soon as we were seated and announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, due to some unforeseen weather we are going to have to wait to take off for another hour." heh, there went my connection!

When my plane landed at O'Hare, I booked it! I've never run through an airport before, but there I was, tote over my shoulder, conference suitcase rolling behind me. I felt kind of rude pushing past people, but when you have to make a flight or wait for hours, you run as fast as you can. Thankfully, my flight to Springfield had been delayed for 15 min. I made it with 5 minutes to spare.

Once in Springfield, I stood and waited for my luggage...and I waited for my luggage, and I waited and waited. I began to realize with a sinking feeling that mine didn't make it. The airport was small enough that the guy unloading luggage came in, saw me standing there and said, "That’s all the luggage I got, hun. Come to the ticketing counter and we'll see what we can do."
So, I got my rental car and headed over to see about my luggage. They took my hotel address and said that my luggage would probably be on the next flight that night.

I headed to the hotel, with the clothes on my back, (jeans and flip-flops and a t-shirt) and my conference suitcase.
I had to actually work the conference that night; so I headed over to the conference, set-up and tried to "look" professional.

Thursday night I went back to the hotel and asked if my bags had made it. Nope.

Thankfully, I was staying across the street from a 24-hour Wal-Mart. I headed over there at about 11pm, (midnight in my body) and tried to throw enough stuff together to get me though the next day. I managed to find some cargo khakis, haha, and a button down top. I grabbed some pj's, toothpaste/brush and all that jazz and some poster board to make a sign for my booth.

The poster I got was really not the correct size, so when I arrived at the conference on Friday morning, I borrowed some scissors, (mine were in my checked luggage), and cut and taped it to the correct size. Somehow, in the midst of trying to figure out the sign, lack of sleep and just general out-of -it ness, I accidentally spelled Defense, 'Defence'. Go figure. I had put it up, even taken a look at it, and somehow not noticed, yikes. Thankfully, a kind lady was like, "um, do you realize that you spelled defense wrong...". Oh, I was so embarrassed! Uh, yeah, I was homeschooled:-) I tore that sign down and went through all of Friday with an un-marked booth.

One of our attorneys came in on Friday and his presence did help my booth gain some attention:-)

Friday night: no bags.

I went again to Wal-Mart, bought some different poster board and colored markers and spent my evening making better, homemade signs.

It must have worked because business was good on Saturday.

One of my bags did make it late Saturday night, in time for me to leave Sunday morning! The other; still lost somewhere. Dulles did put a tag for Vegas on one of my bags by accident, so I think it probably ended up there:)

On the way home, haha there were so many things that happened, but I'll share just one more...

I was seated amongst a group of Jewish ninth graders from Canada--they were on their way to D.C. They were loud and they were everywhere. The flight was anything but relaxing. On our descent, the pilot was not handling the plane well. There was little wind and seemed to be no reason for the rocky ride down. He would drop really fast, shake the plane, etc. The kids were screaming, and I started to feel really sick...I mean really sick! I've never gotten sick on a flight before. Right as we pulled up to the gate, I felt so bad, that I took off for the bathroom. I stood in there trying to calm my tummy, breaking into a sweat and wanting my mommy! I heard everyone leave the plane, but I felt so bad that I didn't want to leave the room. I stepped out once and asked for some water. Then I went back in. I heard the attendants saying, "She’s still in there". They knocked and asked after me. After about 5 minutes I stepped out to let them know I needed a few more minutes, and one of the ladies said, "You need to get off of the plane. Take a bag and if you need to throw up, just use it." At this point I was almost in tears. I felt like I was going to throw up right then and there, and she was telling me I had to leave and take a bag to throw up in on my way out! I grabbed my bag, the bag and my purse and headed out; praying all the way I'd make it to a bathroom. I made it to the bathroom, and somehow my stomach calmed. sigh...

I have so many more stories, but this one will have to do for now.

My next one will probably be, "Stuck all day at O'Hare because of Random Snow Storm in April."
Or perhaps, "Flight canceled because your captain's seat is broken."


On another note, Peter and I are both doing well. He had a conference in CA last weekend, and probably has his own airport stories to share.
I am glad to be back, and I was thrilled to see him.

Later.

Julie

I am a thief, but I love these pics...

"Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters. Never had to have a chaperone, no sir, 'I'm here to keep my eye on her....' Carin', sharin' every little thing that we are wearin'..."

I've been thinking a lot about my family the last couple days. I think mostly because I spent Easter with Peter's family rather than with the Cole Crew. That was a new, different experience for me. This is an exciting time in my life, and it's also a changing time. I'm realizing more and more the blessing of family. My sis, Jeanette, is leaving the area soon, and that's hit me pretty hard, too. There's nothing like having a sister for a friend. I didn't realize how much I've loved having her near, even if I didn't get over to D.C. to see her as much as I wanted to. She will be missed, but I know she will be happy, and that is so very important to me. Life is full of changes, and once I adjust, I'm fine with them. *teary smile*

Getting to know Peter's family is new, but it's been pretty neat so far:-) They are a fun bunch with lots of hugs and laughter to go around. They are a blessing to me, and they often remind me of my family in Illy.

I pray you each had a blessed Easter.

Julie