My husband and I are in Monterrey en route to Mar de Plata, Argentina. He’s helping out with the graphics for some local Activated products that had been backlogged for a few months and I have been able to enjoy this transition time to just focus on my baby. I’m totally spoiled!!

For the first time EVER there’s a camp for my age happening in my country! There is a ton of reading material that is a pre-requisite for attending, so if I haven’t been posting much it’s because I have been READING. And reading and reading some more. The articles are all so great that I want to go back and re-read them, but there’s so much to read if I go too slow I’ll fall behind. It’s such a cool feeling to be overwhelmed by good stuff instead of stress. Thank you Lord!

Completely crippled. Which can either be depressing or an excuse to find other things in life to do. Like gardening, exercising, and immersing myself in spending quality time with people. –Going out, dancing again…cleaning house…it’s really quite refreshing.

Most of all, I’ve benefitted from being able to spend more time with the Love of My life …and He’s put me at ease about a lot of concerns I had with not making my deadlines, getting to my work, or operating on the highs that I get from accomplishments, etc. It’s hard to switch gears and realize that when physical work isn’t getting done at the speed you’d like, then spiritual things like prayer and a positive attitude can actually bring faster results.

But they can, and they do, so I’ve learned in these last couple of weeks. Living life isn’t about meeting deadlines and making the salary cut. It’s about laughter, love, and the warmth that comes from a thankful heart…it’s about waking up every morning and being grateful for the ability to breathe.

So…I’m thankful that it was just my computer that died.

So the passion dulled after the doctor had to break the water bag to speed up the labor and I was in the throes of real, heavy, labor kind of stuff. I had to go on a drip too, but lest this sounds like a real horror story let me tell you all the wonderful things about it too.

1) The doctor and Esther (my breathing coach) were both there for my delivery. Had the baby come one day later, that wouldn’t have been possible. An answer to prayer!

2) The labor was considerably shorter than the last – another answer to prayer that was, ahem..very dear to my heart.

3) Vin, Esther, Joy, and Laura all attended the birth – another miracle as here they don’t usually let people into the delivery room, and if they do it’s maybe one person.

4) I had beautiful music playing throughout the labor and was even able to sleep inbetween contractions and hear a joke or two from my companions.

5) I had a beautiful healthy 4.1kg baby, which is the most important miracle!

Here are some photos. Whaddayall think about the name ‘Alonso’. (someone told me that there is a famous car racer with the same name and it kind of ruined it for me….yes, so I am a little behind the times when it comes to car racers etc.)

There are good days ahead! I’m excited about the fact that our new home will be doing creative stuff and that people really want what we’re going to make. I guess since I don’t know anything about anything of what we’ll be doing it feels very new and adventuresome. I like that we’re just regular people acting on our own (and a lot of JM’s) inspiration. Somehow being “official” is so much less appealing.

There was an amazing thunderstorm this afternoon. Huge clouds. I love the sky and the smell of Monterrey –I love the Conectate roof. I get so worked up about the little bad things in life and then some days I only remember the good. It all depends on perspective, huh.

Did some jogging on the treadmill today, but don’t feel much different except for a little dizzy. Ha. I guess it’s come to the point where I just have to trust the Lord and see what happens.

Toodles.

To right the un-rightable wrong,
To love pure and chaste from afar,
To strive when your arms are too weary…

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise

The other day I was talking with someone about the qualities to look for in a mate (or in any kind of a friend, really) and these 3 pieces of literature came up as the ideal. The tough, old, values of doing what’s right until you drop are kind of lost in the world of today, but they’re so worth remembering! They give you no excuse to be mediocre or stunted by self-pity.

I guess to that I can add, Happy belated Mother’s day, mothers! I know many of you who incarnate that strength and resolve to love and do what’s right day in and day out, even under the most difficult of circumstances. Love you guys!