Twelve Years Ago Today...

...I was sitting in my puny hospital room reflecting on what had happened the day before and wondering why the heck no body (including that silly birthing class instructor) had told me that I would feel like you could bend me in half and break me because I had gotten so used to the feeling of something really bulky in my middle up until the day before. I was also wondering how come no body told me about having to wear a diaper stuffed with ice, take something called a "sitzbath" (what th'????), and how all of the sudden after years of being a woman I would have these weird "hips" that stuck out where I had none before. Another think that struck me as odd was how come after ten calendar months of agony and bloating and not feeling very well (nope, never was one to say, "I just Looooove being pregnant!") our baby would come out and look JUST LIKE MY HUSBAND AND NOTHING LIKE ME. Not fair. Just not fair, I say.

I had a LOT of things to think about that day.

I have had a lot of things to think about every day since.

Ever since that day I have been a member of the "club". The "Igavebirthandbecameamom" club.

Wow. Mom used to say (about giving birth, which was easy for her for some strange reason) "Hey, you can do ANYTHING for a couple of hours once every couple of years!".

After I had Katrina, I immediately got on the phone (hadn't even gotten up to shower and was euphoric but when I finally stood up an hour later, I promptly fainted for the first time in my life, that was WEIRD!) and called my cousin, Kelly and told her I would never do THAT again, ever...EVER I TELL YOU! Of course, when I met Butch that first night on our blind date, we both agreed that we would NEVER be married and NEVER have children! Yeah. MMMhmmmm.

Okay, and now to honoring the big birthday gal herself!

Katrina is the coolest girl I ever knew. If I was in her class, I know we would be friends if she would deign to actually talk to a nerd like me. She actually has real coolness inherent where I have to work at it all of the time. She has talent as an artist that I could NEVER have and is a good and true friend. She is loyal to her family and friends and tries to be a good sister to her siblings. That girl is going places in life. I can't wait to see where! She really is everything I wish I could have been at her age. Innocent, smart, pretty, STRAIGHT HAIRED, funny, talented, morally convicted, stubborn as hell, tough, kind hearted and a really reliable daughter to boot! If I need her, she is there. But, the most important thing about her is that she is a child of God and I KNOW the saints smile down on her and can't wait to welcome her into the arms of Jesus some day. They will have to wait because Katrina Mariah is destined for some great purpose here on Earth! I don't know what it will be but I KNOW that it will be something unforgettable and will benefit mankind.

No pressure! Heehee!

Well, she already did ONE REALLY GREAT THING!!!!
She made me a mom for the FIRST TIME!!!!!

And I couldn't be happier that I got her. She was such a sweet baby and she hasn't changed a BIT...except that she's a little bit taller and has hair now (taller than ME!).

Check out these cute birthday photos from Saturday:

I know, I know...SUPER PRE-TEENISH!

But here is how I really see them:



Happy Birthday (plus one day) Katrina!

Daddy and I love you so much!

*update*
I want to include the comment from Auntie Nina (fertlmertl):

"...and I was there for the whole thing....drove 85 mph for 5.5 hours, stopping only to pick up random balloons, stuffed toys, gifts and other things to welcome the my FIRST niece into the world. I didn't want her coming here w/o a big fanfare. It was quite the spectacle and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Hearing her name (my name) for the first time was about one of the most special things for me ever. Slightly sorry I haven't reciprocated on that front but not enough to name this one after you either--some sister!!

For the record, after that show, I didn't think you'd have any more after her even more than you didn't think you would...who knew?

Trina's smile is killer in these pics. I love it!

The One And Only Namesake."

She really did that! I will never forget the scene of her coming down the hospital corridor with about a dozen gift bags/balloons/stuffed animals etc. for her new baby niece/nephew. I couldn't imagine that moment without her there and I was thrilled to see that she had made it in plenty of time. She almost fainted when Katrina (the younger) was born because it was so overwhelming to drive all that way and have so much emotion about her first niece! From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I knew Auntie Nina HAD to be there for the delivery and she hasn't missed any of my children being born. I couldn't have named my first born anything but Katrina. It was the name I wished I had had my whole life! She always got a smile or an "oooh" when her name was mentioned because it was so feminine and pretty sounding. Laura is okay, but it's no Katrina! Now that dumb old hurricane had to go and ruin it for all of the Katrinas out there! Whatever. Stupid hurricane. I still love it and it has the best connotations for me. My sister and my daughter...two of the most important gals in my life.

It's Midnight and I'm Feeling Punchy Sooooo...

so here is my post for today:
(from this site)

My pirate name is:
Captain Mary Rackham


Even though there's no legal rank on a pirate ship, everyone recognizes you're the one in charge. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!

I got this from Christine's blog and thought it was a HOOT...I mean, arrrgggg, it be funny!

In The Arms of Jesus

Go to Michelle Malkin for this story:


Sister Leonella: Murdered by jihadists

There's a new Associated Press report on the murder of Sister Leonella that confirms the bloody obvious:

An elderly nun who was gunned down at the hospital where she worked in Somalia's capital was "specifically targeted before being executed by gunmen lying in wait," a hospital official said Monday.
Willy Huber, regional director of the Austrian-funded hospital where 65-year-old Sister Leonella had worked for four years, said the killing was not random. "She had no chance," said Huber, who heads the S.O.S. Kinderdorf organization in East Africa. "It was like an execution."


It was an execution:

...Sister Leonella was shot in the back four times by pistol-wielding attackers as she left the Austrian-run S.O.S. hospital. Her bodyguard also was slain. The two had been walking the 10 meters (30 feet) from the Mogadishu hospital to the sister's home, where three other nuns were waiting to have lunch with her. "The gunmen specifically targeted her," Huber said. "They were waiting for her. As she crossed the road they opened fire. We had no warning of this." He spoke after accompanying the Italian nun's body to Nairobi, Kenya, late Sunday. He said she will be buried in the capital later this week. Three other nuns who also worked at the hospital were pulled out of the Somali capital, and no decision has been made on their return. Sister Leonella, whose birth name was Rosa Sgorbati, had lived and worked in Kenya and Somalia for 38 years, her family said.
Her last words:
Sister Leonella, 65, muttered the words 'I forgive, I forgive' in Italian after being targeted by gunmen in an apparent execution-style killing, father Maloba Wesonga told The Associated Press at the nun's memorial mass in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Monday.
Those are the words and deeds of a true martyr. God bless her.

YAY!

Prayer answered, thank you! Beyond all expectation!
Thank you thank you thank you!!!

Spiritual Emergency!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PRAY for my special intention.
Calling all souls!
HELP!!!!!

Living Saints

I found out about this "hero meme" here via The Curt Jester (one of my many heroes, himself!)

Here are the rules:
1. Honor a living hero
2. Preference given to Firefighters, Police Officers, Paramedics, EMT's, Dispatchers
3. Not everyone is acquainted with someone fitting into these categories. If this is the case, then honor someone else, a hero in your life who is willing to "give all" in some way. It can be a priest, a pastor, a teacher, a relative, a friend...etc.

Since I don't personally know a whole lot of the people listed under number 2, I will talk a little about some people I do know. They are friends of mine that I grew up with and they are the first people I thought of when I read the word "hero".

They are two sisters that I have come to love and admire so much for their loyalty, bravery, faith, and humility among many other positive attributes. I graduated with the younger sister and the older sister was only a year older than us. When we were little, I was invited to sleep over at their house and I remember it being a family of a happy bunch of kids. I remember their dad coming to our class and always having a smile on his face and a funny practical joke to share with us. The older sister got his sense of humor and always has a (clean) joke to tell and a funny smirk on her face that makes you wonder what kind of trouble she'd get into if she used her powers for evil instead of infinite good! She was the one who invited me into the homeschool group I belong to now and introduced me to a WORLD of wonderful families with which to associate. She has six living children and is pregnant with their seventh and even though she gets very ill in early pregnancy she finds the time to speak to groups about pro-life and family causes. She is a person I consider to be beautiful in every way and I am so lucky and proud to be considered her friend. The younger sister is just as sweet and has five living children, like me! We have been classmates pretty much forever (I even think we went to kindegarten together) and I remember her as the friendliest, most non-controversial person in the whole grade. She has such a pure heart. She is the one to call in our town if you want to find out about pro-life causes, or locally held benefits for the unborn, or crisis pregnancies. On top of all of this, she has a business that she runs with a partner from her home (some of the proceeds going to pro-life causes). Sheesh, I feel like there aren't enough hours in the day just to feed and care for my own children, do the dishes and a little bit of laundry...But these ladies do all of that and so much more. They are living heroes and living SAINTS in my humble opinion. I'd like to honor them the best and most public way I know how so here's to you, girls! (I don't think they read my blog, so say a prayer for them if you get a chance and maybe they'll feel the love and blessings in whatever they are doing in the next couple of days, kind of like a spiritual bouquet?)

Michelle and Angela
My dear, sweet friends
God bless you and your beloved families
And be with you in all your work!
(If you two don't get to Heaven
I ain't got a chance!)
By the way, here are some of the things that these gals support and work for so if you could, check them out!
I couldn't find a website for Abba, but here is a news article about the center.
Here is Angela's business!
A Community Caring For Life is another group in the area but there's no website. I think it got started by the archdiocese and is used in local parishes to support the unborn.
Maybe someone pops into your mind when you think of the word "hero"? Write about it and then let me know in the comment box if you did!