Bad Hair Saturday

Apparently Friday night was rough on a few of us!

Sophie was spayed yesterday, she has that excuse. And

Trudy had her Semi-annual Clipping Seminar; attendees were

given White Trash t-shirts in which to sport their new do.

But, I'm not sure

what Chris's excuse is...a newly discovered appreciation

for Bon Jovi?

Back in the Saddle

I rode my mountain bike yesterday! This was a big step for me. At first every rock I saw on the downhills was good enough reason to get off and walk it. But, after 10 miles (Chris was leading which is why we rode practically to Santa Fe), I finally got my nerve back.

If Chris didn't regale you with the story of my demise, here it is: Two Saturdays ago we decided to go ride in Pine Flats. We were on the bikes for maybe 5 minutes before I flew down a hill, hit a rock, and went over my handlebars. With mountain biking it is inevitable that you go over the handlebars at some point. But the idea always terrified me. I didn't actually know I went over. Somehow I was on the ground with my arms out in front of me like I was sliding into home plate. Chris got a front row seat to the action and said I looked very graceful in the air (at least that's what I imagine).

Well, my shoulder hurt and the bike had landed on top of me. Content to just lie there for awhile, or all day if necessary, Chris insisted on pulling the bike off and wanted me to get up. We had a power struggle, he won. And then I passed out. Right in his arms. Poor guy had to carry me out of the ravine. As soon as I came to, I was able to push my bike up the hill back to the car. Thus endeth the ride.

It's taken two weeks for my shoulder to be well enough to ride, and that long to get the nerve back up. But, I suppose 10 miles before dinner can pretty much get you over anything.

A Weekend With Family

We now have airconditioning at our house! Chris's parents came down this weekend, and he and his dad spent two solid days underneath our house installing it and a new heater. They were both completely filthy, and I was glad I was a woman (a good excuse not to have to venture into the dark recesses). I was able to take both my mom and his out for a mother's day lunch, which, of course, included Hannah. I think that she enjoyed it more than either of them for the simple reason that we had hot tea, and she was given a cup and saucer along with us. We had a tea party. After lunch she told us that she had a very nice time. A high compliment after eating, let me tell you, as she eats like a bird and trying to get her to want to sit down to eat takes alot of convincing.

My friend Sarah also brought her little boy over that afternoon to play with Hannah. Caleb and she cooked and burned us pretend meals on the coffee table. Caleb also entertained us with some wild stories about his motorcycle and his shy girlfriends.

On Saturday my mom, Majaunta, and I took Hannah to the zoo (or the "yoos" as she called it). We got to ride a train and check out all the animals of which the zebra was her favorite. Actually, I think her favorite thing was playing hide and go seek with my mom. The guys finally finished that afternoon and had to top off the evening with dinner at Sadie's. That would probably explain the extra pounds around my middle from this weekend. I have a love/hate relationship with Mexican food. I think we need a month hiatus from tortillas and cheese. If you are scheduled to come visit us in May, prepare yourself for tofu and sprouts.

A Call to Change: Dollars = Change

Hey Everyone: This video was posted on Greg Boyd's blog Random Reflections. It is a short video by a guy named Todd Dietz called "Dollars = Change". I thought it was a great reflection on our economic priorities as a nation. Really a critique of our collective individual economic priorities (e.g., my priorities).

Chris

Saying Thanks:

We are not even sure how to begin showing our appreciation to all of you, our family and friends. Walking through the past few weeks have been the most difficult experience of our lives. It is by no means over and the love for our child is real and will never be forgotten, but healing is coming. As alone as we felt, we were never left alone. Our Father, family, and friends have been there with us. It seems the lines have blurred between family and friends over the past few months and this experience has sealed that there is little distinction between the two.

We love you all and thank you for your prayers, emails, cards, letters, thoughts, conversations, compassion, and most of all for your love.

Chris & Jane

Losing Our Baby

There really aren't words to describe this experience. These two pictures are the only things I have to catalogue our baby's short life. The first one is the piece of paper the doctor gave me confirming my pregnancy. The second one is the wrist band I wore at the hospital on Tuesday night when they gave me an ultrasound showing where the baby should be but wasn't. I will never forget watching the screen and seeing nothing but black space where my baby should have been.

Family Reunion

Ahh! Huge sigh of relief to finally be back home with my girls and not in a car. Our weekend was spent in the super windy city of Pampa with the whole of the McKean family (well, the immediate family). Carrie and Jacob are back from China temporarily. It is always fun to hang out with my sister-in-laws. I don't know how I got so lucky.
Majaunta tried to fatten me up with biscuits and gravy (my favorite breakfast), and for the first time ever I ate my way through a whole foot long sub at Subway. It was veggie, so perhaps that will seem more tempered.
The weekend was nice and relaxing, Carrie brought me back a scarf that I had lusted after in Beijing...somehow she managed to get the price down to a reasonable rate (I had no luck when I tried in December, but I imagine her Chinese is much better than mine).
The only downside to the trip was the 6 1/2 hour drive it took to get back...we were given a truck in order to bring home our new A/C, heater, and year's worth of pellets for our stove. The poor truck isn't the fastest of vehicles and up the hills it topped 40 mph. I followed Chris the whole way and without him to chat with or even the dogs to keep me company it was a long journey. Now we just have to wait for our handyman (Chris's dad) to come put in all our new equipment. Thank goodness I won't be pregnant and hot in the middle of the summer.