hanging on

We spent some time up-valley this weekend.

It's always nice to get out into some wide open spaces.

There is a pear orchard right alongside Carl's aunt and uncle's property. The trees are all propped and heavy. Wouldn't that be a dreamy spot for a picnic or some afternoon reading? 

Also quite lovely was the wood pile. There's just something beautiful about neatly stacked things. 

I ducked inside the bean house while no one was looking and sampled. Tasty. The whole garden was in its prime. 

We played hard too. 

There is still some discrepancy about who "won" our game of pepper. I'm pretty sure it was me.

Ian was dunking it in the hoop.

Labor Day is a little bittersweet. I'm not ready to say goodbye to summer-- or white linen skirts, Popsicles, fresh tomatoes, afternoons at the pool, tan lines, and temperatures above 90.

Summer isn't officially over until September 22nd- which is 18 days away. I'm going to be hanging on...

Monday, September 3, 2012 at 10:01 PM

baby catchers

 (Laurie, Anna, Dzhan, me, Danelle, and Kristen)

I had dinner with the midwives on Thursday night. Chalk it up to busy lives, but this is a rare occurrence. It happens like twice a year. Whenever I sit in the presence of these women (whom I love) I sort of feel like I'm with Greatness. But better. They are legendary and yet they are just real people. They are my friends.  I personally, have witnessed and experienced some of the most emotional and moving moments of my life standing right beside them. Birth is so intimate that it seems to bind us together tightly.

We sipped some lovely wine and joked about who was supposed to be on call. We told all of our favorite birth stories over again. There's one story that we refer to as "The Naked Birth". We don't usually get to it until the second or third glass. Wouldn't you like to know how that one goes? Oh man, my cheeks hurt from laughing so hard. It is probably a good thing that the restaurant was nearly empty. Ours is not your typical (or maybe even appropriate) dinner conversation. 

I have a deep respect for these midwives and the amount of "themselves" that they willingly pour into their profession. I am so blessed to have them in my community, to have had them catch my very own babies, and to have them woven into the very fabric of my life. Fun night.