Things that weigh 5 lbs.

*A bag of flour

*A full grown chihuahua


*A pair of work boots

*A half gallon of paint

*The largest Bluegill ever recorded


*A 5 lb. dumbell

*Baby Boy Meyers at 32 weeks

a zen experience

So as the day draws nearer the anticipation gets...well...weirder and weirder. I'm considering injecting Ritalin directly into the umbilical cord because this guy loves to party. Any time of day will do. He's a big fan (or hates) action movies. But I'm fairly certain that his jumping jacks and summersaults during "The Dark Knight" were a sign of his superior movie taste. The new game is not just "feel the baby move" its "figure out which body part is protruding out of my abdomen this time". My only warning when playing this game is look out for that soft spot! So with all the movement and growing going on I just want him to get here (minus the fact that I am currently baby equipment-less). But then there's like this impending dark knowledge of the phrase that causes my knees to weaken and my mouth to go dry: Child birth. Here are just a few of the things that I have been told or read about the blessed event:

*"Giving birth requires as much physical energy and stamina as running a marathon"...perfect.
*"Oh honey, just get the epidural and save yourself the misery."...thank you.
*"Some women experience a great deal of pain as the baby's body scrapes against her pubic bone."...now that puts nails on a chalk board to shame.
*"I had every intention of going natural until I heard a blood curdling scream from the room next to me. It was the sound of a person that knew they were dying." oh-my-gosh.



I've had a total of zero birthing classes at this point in my existence and thus find myself attempting to breathe with the mothers-to-be while watching movies like "Knocked Up" and "Baby Mama". Is it he he hoo? Or hoo hoo he? Frick. Not to worry right? Birthing 101 starts Aug 2nd and goes thru Aug 26th. So, little man, if you can hear me, don't even THINK about coming before then.

Thanks to celebritynewsgossip.com, I have a new inspiration for my birthing experience!! Here's what Jessica Alba had to say about her recent delivery of Honor Marie:

***Jessica Alba compares childbirth to meditation. Actress Jessica Alba who recently gave birth to daughter Honor Marie Warren on June 7, 2008, said it was like meditating because it was a quiet, peaceful experience for her. I'm guessing plenty of mothers would disagree with that statement. "I didn’t scream. It was really like Zen. The labor was more like meditation," Jessica tells OK! "I did yoga breathing. I was focused. I ate a lot of soul food before she was born."
Jessica Alaba, 27, who married Cash Warren in Los Angeles, California on Monday, May 19, 2008, was completely composed her husband said.
"She didn't make a sound. [during the delivery] It was amazing," he gushed.***


Wow, I love how they really think they're fooling someone. Are you freaking kidding me!?!? Well congratulations to you Jessica, and your Zen experience. I have no doubt that the next 18 years will be equally as meditative and peaceful for you.

May update

In the words and wit of Barb Watson after seeing this photo: TWINS!!







Did you hear that!? Yep, that was the sound of my belly “popping”. I am officially looking pregnant and, quite frankly, loving it:) It’s the first time since I was about 7 years old that I’m not attempting to “suck in” but rather get a weird sort of pleasure in pushing it out!

The last month has been filled with some sweet growth markers. About three weeks ago I started feeling “quickening”. No, that’s not just a more pleasant word for constipation, it’s the gentle fluttery feeling of the moving baby. They were especially noticeable right before I went to bed at night. As I would lie there in bed hoping for just one more little movement, I couldn’t help but feel this intense and intimate bond with my baby as I realized that we were the only two people in the whole world sharing this experience, through the common vessel of my body.

Well, that was only three weeks ago. And since then, baby has moved from light flutters to bonafide kicks and punches. Its incredible! And what’s so cool about this time is that Mark gets in on the fun too! Baby Ziggy was tossing and turning for Mark the other night. You know how boys are always trying to show off for their dads…oops…that’s right!! It’s a boy!! The reality is that most that read this already knew that, via the modern day phenomenon known as Facebook. But I’ll pretend like someone just found out at this moment. I had a feeling it was gonna be a boy. Mother’s intuition served me well!! The same mother’s intuition that will come through for me when the little guy swears he didn’t eat the last piece of cake or when he insists that he already studied for his math test or when he has no clue where the dent in the bumper of the car came from.

Obviously, we would have been totally thrilled no matter the gender (remember the “just looking for A gender” thing?) but knowing has just made the whole thing that much more…real. Its like he’s no longer just Baby Ziggy. He’s our son. So with finding out the gender the name game has not only begun but is in unharnessed, unbridled forward motion. Being the dweller that I am, I can’t stop thinking about it!! We’ve narrowed it down to a few and we think we’re going to wait till the little man makes his appearance and see what he inspires.

So, to our future little Jacob/Omar/Jonah/David/Juan/Demitri/Nile, keep growing and come soon!! We’re all so excited to meet you!!

No, none of those names are in the running, especially not Omar.

When you come back down

This song has touched my heart at various times in my life for various reasons. As of late, it has taken on a whole new meaning for me. A parent speaking to a child. I pray that I would be granted the courage to grant my children with this loving freedom to pursue their dreams and become who God has created them to be. And nothing less...I envision that this task is the most beautiful and painful that a parent is ever called to fulfill. "When you're soarin' through the air, I'll be your solid ground. Take every chance you dare, I'll still be there when you come back down."

(Click on the post's title to hear the song and see the music video)

When You Come Back Down by Nickel Creek
You got to leave me now, you got to go alone
You got to chase a dream, one that's all your own
Before it slips away
When you're flyin' high, take my heart along
I'll be the harmony to every lonely song
That you learn to play

When you're soarin' through the air
I'll be your solid ground
Take every chance you dare
I'll still be there
When you come back down
When you come back down

I'll keep lookin' up, awaitin' your return
My greatest fear will be that you will crash and burn
And I won't feel your fire
I'll be the other hand that always holds the line
Connectin' in between your sweet heart and mine
I'm strung out on that wire

And I'll be on the other end, To hear you when you call
Angel, you were born to fly, If you get too high
I'll catch you when you fall
I'll catch you when you fall

[Bridge:]
Your memory's the sunshine every new day brings
I know the sky is calling
Angel, let me help you with your wings

When you're soarin' through the air
I'll be your solid ground
Take every chance you dare

I'll still be there
When you come back down
Take every chance you dare,
I'll still be there
When you come back down
When you come back down

According to an extremely reliable source known as google image, here is a photo of a 15 week old fetus. There's Zigs!! Just to give you an idea.



Well, the new stage of pregnancy entails the small period of time between the depressing “pregnancy chub” and the lovely and much coveted “pregnancy bump”. Its like I no longer feel like I’m just gaining weight in my mid section because its starting to round itself out and take on the vague form of a pregnant belly. But, I’m definitely not at the point where strangers would be coming up and asking me when I’m due. If anyone dared to ask a girl looking like I do right now when she’s due, 9.5 out of 10 times her response would involve violence or tears, and most likely a combination of the two. But I am prego!! I’m one of the .5 girls that would LOVE for a perfect stranger to come up and ask me when I’m due. Instead, I just wear the fitted shirts proudly, assuming that most just look at me and reflect on how they haven’t been to the gym recently either. But for me, its this mark of beauty and pride. My body is doing what its supposed to be doing! And its looking pretty cute doing it in the mean time if I do say so myself!!

So, that’s me.

I had another Dr.’s appointment yesterday. All went well. Today I am 15 weeks and 1 day. This was the first appointment Mark wasn’t at because we knew It was going to be really routine and definitely no monumental occurrences…but oh that heartbeat. I got to hear it again. It will send even emotional rocks like myself into the state of a blubbering fool.*(see asterik below) What is it about a heartbeat that is so powerful?? I guess the obvious answer is its’ signification of life. But its not just life in the physical sense, it’s the signification of a future, of memories, of sweet bedtime rituals and splashy bath time traditions. It’s a wonderment at the good gifts with which God fills our lives. And for what reason other than the joy and pleasure he receives in pleasing his children. Gosh, that heartbeat.

Just five more weeks and the much anticipated ultrasound will occur where we’ll find out the gender. I’m really just not so concerned about whether its a boy or a girl. Really! Just rooting for A gender. You know, just one or the other. That’s all I’m looking for. I digress (severely). So on that note, thank you to a bunch of you that are super supportive and excited right along with Mark and me. Its fun sharing the journey with you☺



*The reason that is funny is because my emotional state as of late exhibits no characteristics remotely like that of a rock.

The Blog formerly known as "A Sliding Glass Door"...

..Has been revamped with new vision!! Namely, the vision of a tiny little fetus that is growing day by day into what will someday (roughly around the 14th of October) be a BABY!!!

Its something worth writing about, thinking about, dreaming about, smiling about.

For a rough update, Baby Ziggy (his/her "en utero" name) is 12 weeks and 2 day old. We have a 6 week old ultrasound of the little guy where the only thing confirmed was that the baby is at serious risk of inheriting his dad's huge head. At 11 weeks we got to hear Ziggy's heartbeat. Hard to express in words all that that single moment held. Ziggy is now about 2.5 inches long (about the size of a plum) and working hard consuming nutrients all day long, leaving me with hunger pains about every hour and a half.

Seriously, its nuts.

We are also proud to say that our baby is officially tail-less. Its a good feeling to know that I will in fact give birth to a human in another 6 months. Wow, 6 months. Lots to do, probably even more to feel. Feelings as of late have included ecstasy, peace, doubt, fear, anxiety, joy, and anticipation. For some reason I thought I would have life a little more figured out before bringing a child into the world and passing on my values to him/her. Well, I guess we still have 6 months. Wow, 6 months...

We will definitely keep everyone updated throughout the coming months...but for now I am going to go focus on refraining from that third bagel and cream cheese of the day.

Just need to get it out there in cyberspace

I thought "I Am Legend" was a powerful powerful movie. It is filled with beautiful metaphors that humbled me and filled my heart with gratitude in the end. I'm not going to say any more than that because I don't want to give anything away. But I do recommend seeing it. Yes its suspenseful but I'm a wuss when it comes to scary movies and I could handle it so I'm sure you can too. If you see it, and are inspired as well, let me know and we'll chat.

Springbreak vacation BOOKED!

The last time Mark and I were on a bonafide vacation was, well, our honeymoon. Thanks to my parents who had a timeshare they weren't using, we've now got a springbreak trip planned to...



San Francisco!!











Lake Tahoe!!












and Yosemite National Park!!!





We are so freaking pumped!! Only 6 months to go. West Coast here we come!!!

addiction

Well I am officially INTO the counseling program. My life and time is FILLED with self-reflection. Between my mentor, my therapist, my supervisor, and my spiritual formation group, Denver Seminary is not gonna let me out of here the same. It was fun at first but at times can be just plain exhausting.

One of the classes I'm taking right now is called "Addictions." Basically it just addresses counseling individuals dealing with addictions. The class has been really really good so far. Part of the class entails weekly journaling about what we are reading or the lectures or whatever else we've been thinking about...yes, more self-reflection. I wanted to share one journal entry...

I've never experienced the addictiveness of drugs or alcohol and yet, this past Friday, when my husband and I were sitting at a middle eastern restaurant I found myself connecting with the unwelcomed alcoholic making a scene, more so than the middle-aged couple sitting next to us. As I watched the man staggering, with his eyes glazed over, talking too loudly, I felt a piece of me getting kicked out of that restaurant as the manager escorted him to the door with threats of calling the police. It was really weird. I was sitting there, watching this man, shamed, disgraced, and making a scene in the restaurant. After he left, I looked down at my food with this moment of odd realization that I am one of the respected paying customers and not the “loser addict”. I needed grace at that moment. A lot of it. A helping bigger than the falafel on the plate in front of me. I could hear the name calling and snickering at the tables around me and found my own face turning red. Throughout life there have been seasons, some short, some long, where I have been entrapped by my own addictions, many too personal to share here. They consumed my thoughts and my heart at various times. I felt trapped. Imprisoned. There are journals sitting in a closet, filled with my prayers to God to release me, to make this day a new day, to make me different.

As I write this, I feel like I would normally feel proud of my exceptional empathy and the heart I had for this man. But see, that’s not really what it was. That’s not really what I was feeling. Through that man, I was experiencing my own shame, exposure, and vulnerability. I felt deserving of the same callous and harsh treatment from the manager as he was receiving. But I don’t receive it. Why? Because I go to work and class sober, dress well, shower regularly, and say and do socially appropriate things. My addictions aren’t as evident to the world and therefore I am treated with dignity and respect.
Its funny. Every person in that restaurant had vices and/or some kind of addiction that they’ve probably been trying to kick for months, years, maybe even decades. But this man was chosen to take upon himself our shame and disgrace on Friday. Anything to take the attention off of ourselves and our own shame. And as an added bonus, everyone got to feel a little better about themselves for not being a drunk and a beggar. Well, at least not on Friday.

out of my league

Here's a pic of the little guy.








Today was the first full day that I nannied for my new little family. Elise is 3, Sophia is 1 1/2, and Gavin is 4 months old (shown above at 5 months). There have been a lot of anxieties churning in my head over the past week in anticipation of my first day with such young kids.

What if I don't know enough about babies?
What if, half way through the day, I realize I've only got two with me?
What if the baby never gets used to me?
What if...while Elise is washing her hands, I hear Sophia choking on her hot dog, to get there just in time to hear elise fall off her bathroom stool and crack her head open, just in time to hear a huge thud from Gavin falling off the bed?

Morbid I know. But my mind can tend to go there.

So yeah, after the first day was over, I am happy (and even a little bit proud) to say,



everything went well.



I mean don't get me wrong, there were of course a few face plants, a finger shut in a dresser drawer (sorry elise), a wet bed, some digested wood chips and playdoh, and a floor covered in cream of wheat but that's all very typical...right? But outside of those things, there were a few small victories and sweet sweet moments that made the day so fun. Like when Sophia face planted for the third time and actually raised her hands in the air to me...ME! And when Gavin finally fell asleep tucked in my arms after finishing all 5 oz. of his formula. Love that. I'm looking forward to more sweet moments.

Eva Rae

My grandma recently celebrated her 83rd birthday.

I didn't get to be with her on her birthday. This picture is from about a month ago when I was in the Chicago area for a wedding and went down to visit her for the day. Its hard to say what it is about Eva Rae that is so endearing. The best phrase I can use to describe her is to comment on her

"heart of gold".

She is a beautiful woman who has loved deeply in her life. This past year has been an especially difficult one for her as my grandpa passed away in February, her husband of nearly 60 years. The commitment and tenderness that she provided grandpa was something truly supernatural. I wish you could have seen the way that my grandpa used to brag about my grandma, calling her his bride and his honey up to the very last days of his life.

Eva Rae Dietrich's deepest loves in life are her family and her Father. In her younger years she was an incredibly gifted singer and pianist. She could still out-play and out-sing most who are reading this. She once recalled that as a young lady in her teens and twenties, parties were known as times to "swing and sway with Eva Rae".

It certainly has a ring to it:)

This Post is an opportunity for me to reflect on the sweet, caring, dynamic, beautiful person that she is. I will never forget at my grandpa's wake, as she greeted each person that walked in with such enthusiasm and sincerity reminiscing on old times with them. She is and has always been a vibrant and self-giving woman.

An inspiration.

I hope you get to meet her sometime.

therapy for the soul

Well, once again, the posts are few and far between. So I guess I'm going to just stop apologizing about it and accept that Lindsey the student just doesn't mix well with Lindsey the blogger. But for now, I am only taking 5 credits and and working 16 hours so the enemy time appears to have lightened his oppressive hand if even for just a few moments.

The Meyers' just returned from a memorial day weekend of camping in the Spanish Peaks. We would like to consider the weekend a sort of marriage therapy...minus the therapy.

To Those Who Didn't Believe America was crazy

With having so many friends involved internationally I've heard the insanity that exists in other countries. Whether it's two dozen time tables and fees required to get out of the country, or the absolute lack licensing laws for doctors and other professionals. Let this story be a testimony to the insanity that exists inside the state of the Union known as Colorado.

To obtain a driver's license. By Mark Meyers

It all started when for the first time in my entire life I permanently lost my wallet. It was at that fateful moment I lost my Illinois driver's license that would lead me down an indescribable path. A path of anger, pain, parents, humor and lots of money and time.

So after driving for a month without any license I decided it would be prudent to get a new one in case, God forbid, I was ever pulled over (plus I wanted to get a part-time job as a shuttle bus driver). So I did my research on the internet. What I found was that I needed my home state driving record. This led me the Illinois Secretary of State's website. I mailed in my signed request along with a $12 check.... and I waited.

$12

3 weeks later it arrives in the mail. "Typical for bureaucracy", I thought. I waited another week. I left early for work on Tuesday morning, pulled a number and waited. Once called up I turned over all relevant documents. After examining the driving record she pointed out to me that the record needed to be generated within 30 days. The record was printed 1/20/07 and the day was 2/23/07. I was 3 bloody days late! I needed a new one. They simply would not budge on this issue.

After calling the Illinois secretary of state's office I discovered a parent could get a driving record at an actual DMV site. My dad paid the appropriate fees, $12, and faxed to me.

$12+$12

I walked in Wednesday morning, pulled my number and waited. My number was called called, showed them my documents and was then informed that faxes are unacceptable. They needed the original. "You mean the original printed from the printer from 1988?! The 'original' that I could have typed up Word?!"
"Yes that one", they replied. Well a quick phone call to my dad and I had it priority mailed to me.

$4.05+$12+$12

Monday morning, fully armed and ready. "Suck it Colorado"... so I thought. I walked in and took my number and went through the well ingrained ritual. I showed them my documents.
"Wait, what's this? Is this birth certificate authentic."
"Well, it's the one used to get my social security card and passport. Plus the multi-colored stamp that says 'This multi-color stamp authenticates this birth certificate. Any birth certificate without a colored stamp is a copy'. So I would say that it's authentic."

::wait 2 minutes::

"This is a city birth certificate."
"Yeah, so."
"Well Colorado requires state or county certificate. Any city clerk could have signed off on this. This authentic birth certificate that was used to obtain your social security card and passport is invalid!"
"This was the one I was born with. Where else am I going to get one?!"
So after discussing the logistics of it with her and having my mom do some research with a social worker, my mom went to a Cook county court house, paid the appropriate fees and priority mailed it to me.

$4.05+$13+$4.05+$12+$12

Today: I walked in victoriously knowing that nothing can stand in my way between me and my licenses. I eagerly pulled a number and couldn't wait to shove all the documents in their faces and tell them "suck it" because I was getting my license. My number was called and I did just what I pictured, shoved the documents in their faces and told to "suck it". The man behind the desk had no choice but to give me the vision test and then my license. I stick my head in the machine and was told, "Read the first line"
"ZRHTP OECDQ"
"Ah sir, there are 15 letters"
"What do you mean?! There are only two columns of letters, the left column is just a column of dull yellow."
"No son, there's a whole column of letters on the left-hand side"
Convinced he was lying I pulled my head out and stuck it back in and focused like I've never focused before. I focused like I did when I was a little kid trying to catch the sexual innuendos in the Disney movies.
Nothing! Freaking nothing! I kept thinking my eyes would come into focus. So I gave myself five minutes. Still nothing. "FINE YOU WIN!" America's Best here I come, home of the free exam with two glasses for $69.

$69(plus taxes)+$4.05+$13+$4.05+$12+$12

Monday morning I will walk into the Colorado DMV and humble myself before them, cleanse my lips with a burning coal, bring an unblemished slaughtered kid, my corrected vision and the $16 fee and perhaps I will be deemed worthy enough for a Colorado license.

$16+$69(plus taxes)+$4.05+$13+$4.05+$12+$12= One legal driver and the new part-time shuttle bus drive for the Children's Hospital!

welcome back :)

I realize that a lot of people (and by that I mean the 6 that were reading it…hi mom:) have probably given up on our blog. There were those few weeks after our last post that you checked in to see if anything new had been posted…nope. And after about a month and a half you probably just stopped checking. A small part of me experiences a certain kind of freedom in that realization. I could probably write almost anything and chances are no ones gonna read it for a very long time. A lot has happened over the past 5 months since I have stopped posting. Nothing monumental…just some growing pains, some funny stories, and some special moments. As I reflect on the pictures that rush to my mind, these are some key memories that emerge:

Making a coffee table with dad.
Lots of time in airports.
Snow.
Skiing with my new favorite ski buddy Shmem.
Mid-day chats with mom.
Sitting on the couch reading for hours upon hours.
Bears football.
Watching my sister live in a world that I remember so well, and making it her own.
Class.
Forming new friendships w/ Whitney, Nicole, Brent, Jen and others.
Resurging old friendships.
Snow.
Make-your-own-pizza night.
Loving Dallas (the girl not the city) even more than I already did.
Facebook.
Midterms and Finals.
Snow.
Being forced to redefine “home”.
Doing life in a very beautiful place.
Saying hello and goodbye to my grandpa for what felt like the last time.
Kenya, Uganda and Sudan.
Discovering that Rocky is so much more than a boxer with a low IQ.
Snow.
Being played the fool and forced to dig into a part of me that was uncharted territory.
J. Crew.
A new found phone date with Monica.
Learning a little more about what community is and what it takes.
Becoming more and more ok with myself.
Mark never ceasing to amaze me with his patience, humility, and kindness.

They’re just snapshots but they represent a life. A life that, by the grace of God, is being lived. I look 5 years ahead and the uncertainty is so scary. I look 5 months behind and I see the growth, the friends, and the experiences that I deeply long for but don’t even know how to pray for. And for that, in this moment, at this second, I am very thankful. Period.

ok, back to studying…

more pics

Here's the other pics I was taking about...

the sissy and the mama!!

My mom and little hottsie tots sister were here last week. Don't tell them I told you but I'm pretty sure that they fell in love with the state and will be moving out here shortly...Here's some pics from our time together...



our best angle in my opinion.




my favorite girls:) :)








I don't have a picture from one of the coolest sights of the whole time they were here. We were up in Estes Park one day and as we were driving we saw LITERALLY at least a hundred elk crossing through a small neighborhood. Now normally I don't do well with infestations of this magnitude but this time it was just plain incredible. I'm gonna try to get the pic from my mom that she took.

Mom and Steany Beany, I just can't explain how wonderful it was to see you both. I love and miss you so much. I will see you in two weeks!!

The Collective Sacrifice

Isa 58:6-14 "Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke?
Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness. And if you give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday. And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up the age-old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the breach, The restorer of the streets in which to dwell. If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot From doing your own pleasure on My holy day, And call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, And honor it, desisting from your own ways, From seeking your own pleasure And speaking your own word, Then you will take delight in the LORD, And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

The Mile High Crew was sitting in Brent and Jon's apartment with our newly established Community Night this last week. Jon was sharing and asking for our thoughts on this passage. The more I thought about it, the more I came to the conclusion that this passage was talking about fasting as a collective sacrifice.

Let me elaborate more. Fasting is the giving up of a very necessary resource... food, life... bread. The thing that keeps our minds working properly, the thing that keeps our muscles from atropheeing. The substance that keeps us from becoming sick. I then thought about the statistics you hear in Sociology 101. How America possesses 1/10 of the world's population, yet we consume 50% of the world's energy (this may not be completely accurate, but the truth has the same thrust).

People tend to ask where God is when they see evil: oppression, hunger, marginalization. And people who would like to blame God (and I know have wanted to) would demand that we have more resources. But I sincerely believe that we have enough to go around. If we were to have more, the people who hoard now would have even more. Yet when do we look at ourselves in relation to this truth? Freedom and opression rely on a collective awareness and sacrifice. I really need to look at myself and my lifestyle right now.

I think one way Lindsey and I would want to be challenged is going dry for a period of time. When I think about the quantity of drinks we consume in a month is by no means extravigent or over-indulgant by the West's standards. But drinks (whether it be alcohol or soda) can be so expensive, all one has to do is turn around turn on the faucet and we're hydrated. How many people are oppressed and become ill because they can't do that. Yet we call it a sacrifice when that's our only choice we have at the moment.

I know this sounds cliche. But some problems that can get us so down, and pesimistic can be found by looking at ourselves. What about the collective sacrifice of going dry or skipping 6 meals a month? I'm sure the 100+ who've viewed our profile/ blog have the luxury of skipping out on a few things in order to fight for the freedom of the oppressed.

Save Darfur

I think this is the first time we posted anything of this nature on here. This post is unfortunately very long overdue. In case there are readers that are unaware of the current situation in western Sudan, here is the 411. There are literally millions of displaced people who live in refugee camps in Darfur (western Sudan). They have been forced to move there for a multitude of reasons, one of them being that an Arab militia has been killing and demoralizing the people through raping the women and children and killing the men. The little physical support that is keeping the region semi-stable is because of the African Union peacekeeping force of 7,000. They are being made by the Sudanese government to leave at the end of the month. Please stand up for this under-publicized tragedy and urge our country to speak up in the UN; and lead the UN in bringing in UN peacekeepers into Darufr. Sign this petition below and seriously let everyone know.

http://action.ajws.org/campaign/UN

Also if you would like a clearer article about what is going on read this CNN article: http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/09/16/un.darfur.ap/index.html

Also if you would like to read the stories of an aid worker in Darfur click on the link: Scottpants. He's been in Darfur since this summer assisting however he can.

An end of an era

On Sunday September 10, 2006 the Meyers had a beloved family member move on. Our dear friend Jon Watson moved from our cozy little apartment with his two new friends, Callie Carpenter and Emily Kreis. We had some great times living at 6409 S. Vinewood, and Jon will be greatly missed.


Jon isn't sad in this picture, the prissy boy was just pissed that he hadn't got to take a shower yet.

The Joys and Adventures of the Uninsured

It was a magical Saturday afternoon. The smell roasting cumin, garlic and oregano were wafting through the air. The light sizzle and crackle of onions and mushrooms provided the perfect soundtrack to the magical chili that was being concocted. There I stood in the corner of our kitchen in between the stove and the crock pot. There I was chopping away at the fresh vegetables and then throwing them into the pot. Then suddenly my phone started blowin up with Snoopy... "Nutin but a G thang". It was our highly anticipated new roomy. He was in the parking lot.

We ran down to greet our road-weary traveler, Jon Wat-son. We helped with his few possessions up to our third floor home: 6409 S. Vinewood St in the quaint and slightly industrial yet affluent Littleton, Colorado. With joy and excitement we showed him our abode and his current residence. Then we gather in the kitchen to partake on some seasoned game hens.

In a frenzy of excitement Jon began to call his friends and family reported his safe journey. While Lindsey and I continued to partake in the game hens and imbibe on some sweetened lemon-ade. After our celebratory break I continued to prepare our delightful dish.

There I was ::chop chop chop chop chop chop chop chop chop chop chop chop:: ::scoop ofarley:: ::chop chop chop chop chop:: ::thump:: ::clank::.

Lindsey: "DEAR MOTHER OF EVERYTHING GOOD AND HOLY... YOUR FOOT!!!!"

I looked down on my wounded appendage. There was a vibrant pool of red around my right foot. Behold, there was more and more and more and more and MORE blood. I fell to the floor. Not because of a loss of blood rather to elevate my foot above my heart. I grabbed the Bounty on the counter and made Lindsey apply pressure. Lindsey was delighted to the stand surrounded by blood while touching my bloody foot.

At about this point Jon peered over the breakfast bar/ counter and noted "wow, that's a lotta blood. I need to go." And thus he hung up the phone with Brent Mueller relieved Lindsey of her duties.

So the next step: to find a clinic and seek medical assistance... or so we thought. After calling several people unable to locate a clinic. Jon went in to inspect. To our joy and amazement a tiny 1/8" incision on the top of my foot from our Honeymoon bottle-opener which struck my foot.

Jon continued to put pressure on my foot while Lindsey sopped up the pools of blood on the tile floor. During that time I assured Jon that I was indeed not infected with Hep B or C and that I was in no way compromising his mission to avoid those strains of Hep.

After Lindsey mended my wound with a Batman band-aid. I elevated and iced my foot for the remainder of the day. The next day Jon and I climbed to Saint Mary's Glacier.

All three of us are still in utter astonishment on how much blood initially poured from my foot. Lindsey still gets queasy to this day to think about the blood. So in the meantime I have been eating my red meat to replenish my red blood cells.

We will have pictures in due time. We took pictures with a traditional camera and it was only the 2nd picture on that roll. Please continue to be checking for updates for the next several months as to not miss the pictures. I will also make link when I post the pictures.