the power of POWER prayer?

The power will be back on for Angela & family sometime tomorrow! Thank you so much to all who generously donated or said prayers for provision! They were also fortunate to qualify for and receive (they are in short supply) a $500 grant for low-income families to help with the bill. Tomorrow the fridge, lights, and stove will be back on over on Edgerton Avenue in East Saint Paul. Amen!

Things to worry about: an organized approach to anxiety.

If you think I have an anxiety disorder, you might be right. But I like it because it keeps me motivated. It's a week of big things happening, not to me exactly, but to people I care about. I thought it might be useful to make an organized list so I can worry straight down the list, not forgetting a single ulcer causing concern. Admit it, this IS a good idea!

Worry List

1. My Unlce Knob has more tests and appointments this week, specifically a biopsy (how do they biopsy your pancreas...I should Google that). He does have an oncologist appointment at the U of M next week with Dr. Greeno (the U of M saved my mom's life several times over so I insisted he go there).
2. My friend Angela and her family are without power because they have been unable to pay their Xcel bill. That means no lights, fridge, stove or television. No television? Inhumane!
3. Dare I say it? Virus H1N1
4. Not that this is anything I need to worry about NOW but I recently found out that the wait times and costs for domestic adoption are doubling because international adoption is becoming almost impossible. So, when/if we want to adopt again, we should be planning waaaaay ahead.
5. Phil's last day in CCE...who will be my new work BFF?

On the flip side, real concerns put trivial things into perspective so there are tons of things I am not worrying about...

Non-Worry List

1. Screwing up at Commencement and leading the students down the wrong aisle.
2. Kind of burrito bowl I will order when we go to Chipotle with my dad tonight.
3. What I am going to do on Monday, my belated day off?
4. How The Hills is going to go on without LC?
5. Why boys have to wear red to Lo Lo's birthday party?

Card shower for Uncle Knob!

Okay, I know you don't really know him but would you be a hot babe and send my uncle a funny or encouraging card? He was just diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and is waiting to find an oncologist and learn of his treatment. This is one of the HARDEST parts of the whole ordeal because he has no idea what is store for him and he can only worry. He has a great sense of humor so nothing is too weird for him. Let me tell you a bit about him so you know where to start...

1. He often sings the following phrase "I'm a neeeaat guuuyyyy!"
2. He loves beer!
3. Used to work as a butcher (at Midtown), for many years for Keebler doing snack deliveries and now as a bread deliveryman
4. He married later in life to his wife, Dana, only 12 or so years ago.
5. Once ran for city council... and lost!
6. Used to give us $20 for Christmas. Only catch is it was frozen in ice, or covered in melted wax or drilled into a cement brick and filled in with wax
7. A Republican!! Every holiday season he sends my Grandma Sylvia (a Democrat) a new photo of herself Photoshopped in with George W. Bush. Oh, then he mails it out to everyone she knows and puts her return address on it!

Mail to:
Richard Palbicki
7264 Joplin Avenue South
Cottage Grove, MN 55016

Thanks hot babes!

Welcome Sophia Mae!

Another April 24th birthday! Chelsy & Nick and sister Olivia welcomed baby Sophia Mae yesterday! She was born on 4/24/09 at 12:25 p.m. weighing 7 lbs 14 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. Chels said the labor was super easy, only 3 pushes. Big sister Olivia is "not fond" of the new baby and wants her mom to "put her back in her box ". The newest Newman should be heading home from the hospital tomorrow! God is good!

So proud of my new son!

That's my boy!

New addition and Philosophy 101

Guess what? We have a new addition to our family! It's a boy we named Dyson and he weighs like 15 lbs or so but he failed his APGAR test.

Baby Dyson's first day home

Liam turned 1 and today he had a rocking birthday party. The theme was eating food so we made sure to participate. Pat made a fruit pizza that was delightful...I found out the crust was made of sugar cookie dough. Oh yeah! Kids played, presents we opened, and Tonka drooled.

Seems to like the cake...

Jake is off to Rochester to see his family and work out the details of his grandparents estate planning for their cabin on Rock Lake. Hopefully they will figure it out so Nori and her kids can use it someday (but hopefully not like when she is 16). Her & I are going to party like it's 1993!

Doing the splits!

Do any of us ever have enough time? Enough time to do all we need without putting our own needs last? Or enough time with the people we love? This is something Jake & I struggle with constantly as there are always more people to see, rooms to clean, errands to run than there is cuddle time and sleep time. Some day I hope we can figure out how to balance it all and not constantly be feeling overwhelmed and shortchanged by all the demands in life. Given the recent deaths and illnesses in our families, we are reminded of how precious life is (Nori makes that really easy). We are good at some things, like actually taking those trips we plan but really bad at others, like relaxing or carving out enough us time in between those trips. I wish we could work less and play more!

Happy Birthday Dad, MJ and Liam!

Bill, age 57

Mekensie, age 8

Liam, age 1