Ava Has Arrived

That beautiful baby girl is my granddaughter, Ava.

She was born on St. Patrick's Day (March 17) at 7:34 pm.

She weighed 7 lbs. 4 oz. and is 19 inches long.

She's a good, strong, healthy baby girl. She has bright blue eyes and will grip your finger and smile, and look at you. She sometimes has a serious look, which to me, means she's going to be a thinker, and observer and will be trying to figure you out. She pays attention.

This little blessing came straight from Heaven and yes, Momma is doing just fine and the puppies are adjusting to her quite well. Brody (the Yorkie), is very protective. Tank (the Husky with one blue and one brown eye), is afraid of her. Both of them are right there when she makes the slightest noise.

This week has been one of great joy and great sadness.

While Ava was making her entrance into this world, my brother's wife, Lisa, miscarried last weekend.
I ask that everyone please pray for them during their grieving process.

The doctors are confident she will be okay to get pregnant again once she recovers from this, and they didn't really have an explanation as to why it happened, at least medically speaking.

I'm a writer, and while I work with words every day, I don't have words to convey to them. I did call them this week and let them know that we love them and hope they can find the strength to get through this.

In the meantime, this is the first weekend of Spring, officially, and I am happy it's here. Most of the snow is gone, and we had rain on Friday. Today was really nice and we sat out on the deck and "sunbathed" while we drank our morning coffee. Then we went to visit Ava and her parents. :)

I hope you all had a great weekend, and have a great week!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!

This is one holiday that I look forward to every year. It's a celebration of my Irish heritage, and for people who don't have a smidge of Irish DNA in them, it's a great excuse to party!

Also, in two days (the 19th), QH and I will be celebrating 13 years of being together. We met on March 19th and had our first date on March 25. We were set up on a blind date by a friend of mine at work and her husband. So, ladies and gents, don't think that blind dates don't work. Sometimes they do!

I have a hard time believing it's really been that long. There are times I feel like we just met and are just getting to know each other, and other times, I can't even remember what my life was like before we met. It's been a great time in my life, and yes, we have had our arguments, we have had our rough times, but we have come through them together. I feel like this is going to be the year that all the good things we have worked so hard for will be coming into our lives. I'm excited and exhilirated at the thought that the LOA is working and we will have a banner year together.

To celebrate, we are leaving town to have a couple of days together. We both really need it, and it will be nice to just have some time and reconnect. Who knows what might happen while we are away? It could be lucky!

A quick update on the home front, my son Alex, has been accepted by the United States Navy and he will be leaving on June 19th. Most everyone who knows me thinks I should be crying and grieving and carrying on. Not so. I am happy that he has finally gotten what he has worked so hard to achieve and that he is on the way to make a life and a career for himself. I am extremely proud of him and all the things he has accomplished in these last few months. I will miss him, I will cry, but I won't fall apart until after he leaves. That would not be fair for him, and he is not responsible for my happiness or my unhappiness. I don't want to make him feel bad for leaving. I want him to know I love him and that no matter what happens, he can always come home.

My last post was rather sad, about the death of Jeff Healey, a great musician who brought joy to millions of people through his music. Today I want to celebrate a new life. On the celebrity front, Halle Berry and her life partner, Gabriel Aubry, welcomed a beautiful baby girl. It's the first child for both and there is no news on the name yet, but I'm sure they both are happy and feel truly blessed. There is nothing on earth like holding that tiny person in your arms for the first time. The love that flows from you to them and back again is beyond words. Congratulations to both of them!

I also want to give a shout out to my friend, Sandy Lender, who has just returned home from a business trip to my birthplace, Las Vegas, Nevada. You can read all of the hilarious details at her blog.

If you haven't picked up her book, Choices Meant for Gods, get on over to Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com and order it. The second book in the trilogy will be hitting the shelves soon. Today she has a fabulous contest going on, so check it out at her blog, todaythedragonwins.blogspot.com, and get all the details. Who knows, it's St. Patrick's Day! You just might get lucky!

Kiss someone Irish today, or just kiss someone, whether they are Irish or not. And if you drink too much green beer, then please take a cab home or have someone drive you home. Stay safe, and have a very lucky day!