Life lately

I finally have a minute to write. It has been a stressful week-Mike was feeling sick Saturday, he looked awful and had a rapid heart rate. We decided another trip to the hospital was needed and he landed in ICU for a few days. He has severe pneumonia and a list of other issues to long and cumbersome to list here. He was recently moved to a regular room; however, the doctor said he probably won't be out for a while.

His family and I have been taking turns being with him. It is hard to leave at night knowing he is alone all night long, but I have to get my rest in order to be fully present the next day. He looks better than he did early in the week, but still will be on the mend for a while. There are mystery issues still needing to be figured out as well.

I want to tell my hubby that I love him so much and we will get through this together. I have never felt so fiercely protective of him as I do now-he is in his most vulnerable state and needs an advocate who knows him well. He is my best friend and even though the road to recovery may be long we can walk it one step at a time, hand in hand.

Hold him in your thoughts and prayers, send us good energy and good vibes so he can remain positive during all this. This, too, shall pass.

Happy Spring!

We are coming out of the winter doldrums into my most favorite time of the year! My daily walks are full of new discoveries...forsynthia branches are blooming, crocus is popping up everywhere, trees have buds, and even my little phlox has a few pink blossoms. I love the idea of coming home after work and spending a few hours outside, watering the grass, weeding and just taking care of things. Or taking a walk at lunch, when it isn't too hot or too cold. Or grilling meats once again. Yes, this time of year makes me feel like I am waking up to all things good.

The wardrobe is always a bit problematic this time of year...do I bust out my short sleeves? Do I wait? when can I go buy a new pair of shorts? Sandals? Can I still wear my favorite brown boots or do I have to retire them for the time being? These dilemnas though are small in comparison to the joy of eating lunch outside, drinking crisp white wine on the patio, and soaking in some sun.

Is there such thing as too much hope?

Before I begin the real reason for my blog, I have to first say how much blogging on our new Macbook is so much more enjoyable than on our old PC! I love this thing...it is fast, user friendly and compact. I am glad we made this purchase.

Okay, onto my real topic. I admit it...I voted for Obama. The hope and inspiration he gave during the campaign was unprecendented. I wanted something new...something fresh...a perspective I feel comfortable with. On balance, I still feel like I made the right decision. But I have to say...I am getting tired of political decision making. People are out there suffering, losing jobs, homes, everything and our decision makers worry about whether their decisions are Republican or Democratic enough. Who cares? Has anyone in politics done an objective analysis when making a decision...like a decision tree, or some sort of cost benefit analysis? No. Votes in the house and senate are cast based on re-election hopes and constiuency desires. If you watch a state of the union or some other such speech you see who stands and claps for what issue. Puhleeze. Stand and clap for the issue you have truly made an informed decision on...those seats are pretty warm, aren't they?

I am not blaming partisan politics on Obama, but he did kind of set himself up. "Reach across the aisle" sounds good in a campaign speech, but not so good when you are trying to save the economy with "the others" thinking tax cuts will actually do that. No...I think it is the overall approach. Why is Congress making decisions about our economy? Why can't economists, college professors, journalists, teachers, etc make recommendations? Why do we leave such important decision making in the hands of people who have personal and political agendas?

I do fear we are not going in the direction we we hoped to go back in November. Look, I am as outraged as the next person about the AIG bonuses...but we are a capitalist society, and all of a sudden we want to wage war against the people who sit on the boards of trustees of our kids' schools. I just recently saw the John Adams miniseries and a scene comes back to me...early in the days of the revolution, a mob tars and feathers a poor British guy who was on the boat of the Boston Tea Party. I really do hope as a nation we have come further than symbolically tarring and feathering the bloke who worked for AIG with the promise of making a $100,000 bonus. Doesn't that resound for those of us who are promised healthcare or 401K matching plans?

NPR the other day was reading letters from listeners and one person wrote in..."Stop with the negativity! All we hear about is how bad things are...what about the good?" What about the good? Those people who did get laid off and perhaps are volunteering more...how lay offs may mean that people may actually spend quality time with their families...that the stimulus money may actually do some good...let's put the GOOD energy out there, instead of this constant negative energy. That will get us no where except back to partisan politics.

Let me count the ways...

Mike turns 36 tomorrow. Happy Birthday, my sweet! I know this past year has had its ups and downs. The ups...we had some great trips! We went to San Diego, San Francisco and Paris. We finished a huge house project (without a divorce!) and are proud of the end result. The downs...well, most certainly your health has been a downer. We have had our struggles since December in that category. I want you to know I wouldn't trade the ups and downs we have together for ups and downs with someone else. We are the perfect match...like how the puzzle pieces of that Times Square puzzle we did all seemed to match. I love you and wish you the very best birthday ever. Hopefully we will be celebrating by playing with our new Macbook!

I have been 33 for almost a month!

Here are some birthday pictures I got from Mom today...I can't believe I have been 33for almost a month!

Celebrating Meg and Baby P

Meg's friend Erin threw a lunch get together in honor of the next member of the Pellegrino family. I guess a second baby shower isn't a social norm, but I thought Erin's idea was great. Meg had a small gathering in her honor, close friends and female family. It was an intimate gathering and I enjoyed being around all the tremendous women Meg holds near and dear to her heart!