Saturday, February 16, 2008

Austin, Texas

I wanted to get this posted a while ago, but was joyously derailed by the arrival of our daughter, so the timeline may seem a bit out of sync.

With Madison's arrival impending, it dawned on us that we would have few childless weekends ahead (this turned out to be so, so very true) and we decided to haul ass down to Austin Texas to visit our beloved friends, Chris and Sandy and their son Jason. Chris and I met on the golf course (Diablo Creek) and quickly became close friends; I'm proud to say I think of Chris as a brother and I know for a fact that my life is enriched by his presence. About five and a half years ago, Chris relocated to Austin from the Bay Area when he and Sandy, a remarkable and wonderful woman, decided to get hitched and have a family. Michelle and I had always talked of going to visit, but the timing was never quite right. Finally, we kicked ourselves in the butt and got down there.

The trip was great - Chris and I played some terrible golf (I played terribly, anyway), we thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Jason, who is growing up into a remarkable young man, Sandy showed Michelle around town, we had some great meals (Eddie V's, Rudy's, and HEB breakfast tacos), but most importantly, we got to spend a couple of days with people we love and cherish.

Michelle took this picture on the Sunday of that trip at one of the local driving ranges. The range was enormous with about 1/8 of a mile between the shack where you pay and the actual teeing area. The narrative of this shot, to me, is men making their way to the field of battle, although "battle" in this case is hitting balls on the driving range. I'm not sure how, but it works in my mind. I'm also tickled that the picture captures the symmetry in movement between Chris and Jason.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Almost home

We're almost home. Rights have been officially terminated in Michigan, our hearts are officially lost to Madison the Great. My Dad is coming out to meet her tomorrow and is staying through Sunday. If all goes to plan, we'll all be going home on Sunday. After all this time, our family is complete and it feels amazing. I'm overflowing with gratitude and oozing joy from every pore.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Big changes

It's not that a lot of things happened this week, really, just one very, very big thing that has sent ripples through all our routines, ruts, and grooves. Remember that whole thing about adopting a baby? Well, she's here! She came on Monday night at 11:33 Eastern time. We got the call from Sara at about 10 Eastern that she was in labor and we should haul ass to Detroit. Before I could get the flights booked, Madison had landed safely at St Joseph's in Pontiac. We've been here since Tuesday and will be here about another week or so. Here are some highlights from Week One in the life of Madison Grace Carmin Cravens.