Little Foot has arrived!!

I’m a grandmother!! Little Foot arrived surrounded by excitement from the entire family. Even though we were all scattered  from coast to coast and in different time zones when Little Foot was born, we all rejoiced together.

Steven, Carmen, and I were in the waiting room of the hospital in the wee hours of the morning anticipating the birth of a tiny one. Genette and Abe (our daughter and son-in-law) had decided to keep Little Foot’s name a secret until she was born. Abe kept us informed throughout the night by coming out and updating us every hour while Genette was in labor. Then when baby arrived Abe relied on modern technology: texting.  My phone buzzed: Little Foot had arrived and mother and baby were ok. Still we had no name.

As we were on pause for nearly an hour in the waiting room a notification came across the loud speakers, “Code Blue 4th Floor. Code Blue 4th Floor”. We were on the 4th floor, so my heart sank and I began to pace, I sent a text back to Abe asking if all was ok; he did not reply. I waited. About 15 minutes later Abe came out and said, “Are you ready to meet your granddaughter?” I took a deep breath and calmed myself and prayed for the recipient of that Code Blue.

After some hugs, we all went back to meet our brand new special little being. Genette and the baby were lying in the bed together.  We all ooo-ed and ahhh-ed and then Genette said, “Are you ready for her name?” and of course we all were!

“May I introduce to you Jubilee Elizabeth Dahlby”.

Jubilee. What a gift for Christmas this year. With the ups and downs of the past couple of years we were all ready for a little Jubilee, and that is exactly what we got.

Here are a couple of pictures of little Jubilee.

Waiting for Little Foot

I am in Virginia at my daughter and so- in-law’s house. My daughter is pregnant and expecting her first child and as it is with many first time pregnancies she is overdue. We were all expecting Little Foot (baby’s nickname) to come in November but now for sure she is going to be a December baby.

I have been here for several days to help prepare for the new little one but Steven and Carmen (my husband and our youngest daughter) are still in Charlotte, which is a 4-hour drive from here. We have been talking scenarios with family about when they will be coming up. You know what I mean: all of the ‘what if’s’.

What if Genette goes into labor at 2 am, will you both get on the road then or wait for daylight?

If she doesn’t go into labor until the weekend what will your plan be then?

Are you both coming together?

What if…?

Of course, we have no idea what is really going to happen but this is what life and story are all about: asking ‘What if?’ and waiting to see what happens.

Goose & Gander

My dad used to have a phrase – actually he had a lot of phrases – but one in particular that came to mind today was, “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.” My mother altered the phrase to fit her perspective: “What’s good for the goose is not necessarily good for the gander.” Depending on the situation, I can agree with both of those statements.

Yesterday I went ‘gandering’ (pun intended) through a thrift store and found a couple of items that I could use. Then I scanned through the book section of the thrift store and spotted a 1948 copy of Grandfather Tales by Richard Chase. I was so excited I scooped up that book and paid the $2.00 cost. Richard Chase did research in Appalachia and wrote down the old folktales and legends that were told to him by the people of the mountains, quite a gold mine for this storyteller and puppeteer. 

One might say of the person who donated the book, “they didn’t know what they had,” but I rather think,  “What is no longer good for the goose gets passed along to the gander.”

Thanksgiving and Stories

Thanksgiving is the BEST holiday for stories! Friends and family gather around a table and raise a glass, eat turkey, and enjoy the feast. Someone will say something like, “Do you remember when…?” or “When I was little…” Then another person will say, “Last Thanksgiving, we all were…”

Then someone drops the cranberry sauce on the floor and someone announces, “Well, that’ll be a story for next year!” (and it will be!).

Thanksgiving is a celebration of abundance, family, friends, and recognition of the past year: the good, the challenges, the sadness, and the hope for the year to come.

This year my family is a bit ‘up in the air’ about Thanksgiving. We are not sure exactly where we will be, but we know we will be with family (I’ll explain more about that next week.). Wherever we are, we will be celebrating and adding to our family stories. We will rejoice, we will cry, we will remember those who have left this earth, we will cuddle and love the new little ones that have joined our crazy, amazing, annoying, weird, fun filled, dysfunctional, normal (is normal a real thing?) loving and caring clan.

As you celebrate your Thanksgiving with family, friends, neighbors, and even people you don’t like, may I wish you happy stories, joyous memories, and good thoughts for the coming year.

May I also add, YOU are an important part of the story.

Lona

A Happy Celebration

Bryon and Amber got married on Friday. What a lovely California day it was!

The bride was beautiful in a  simple line but oh so elegant gown. The groom was handsome and smiling in a suit and tie. Friends of the bride’s family hosted the wedding at their lovely home. In the front yard, the two took their vows to one another and in the backyard, they celebrated with friends and family. 

Bryon grew up in a family that celebrates with donuts (preference is Dunkin Donuts); in keeping with that tradition he and Amber cut the cake then invited friends and family to get a donut from the donut wall (yes, from Dunkin as is proper)!

It was a sweet, adorable day, one that suited the bride and groom perfectly.