I've Moved...

I've moved...well my BLOG has moved.  If you currently subscribe to this blog, please join me on my new site:

http://beinglorie.wordpress.com/


I hope you will stay with me and subscribe to my new site.  I am vowing to be a better blogger for 2013.  I swear, I really do blog in my head everyday...does that sound as weird as I think it does?

Peace,
L

Hello Bali!

Saying good bye was tough.

Love you Kevin!

They say it's the journey and not the destination.  So far, I totally have to agree.  Somehow my travel partner, Miriam, and I have turned what could have been described as a tortuous trip into a long, albeit brutally entertaining adventure.  Never doubt two women who are used to working long hours with little/no sleep to find ways to entertain ourselves and others.  Sorry Colleen, no show tunes ;)

Hello Moscow!

Entertainment along the way including talking our way into the cockpit of the airplane for a horseheading photo opportunity!  Checkout facebook for that picture!



Our lovely first stop is at Maya Loka Villas in Seminyak.

Lovely private pool and outdoor living room!


Off now for an adventure.  Will blog and add photos later today...loving the sketchy internet here...yeah, I know.  It's tough!

Peace.

Almost time

In less than one week I will be traveling to Bali for the workshop of a lifetime.  Surreal. Yep, surreal.

I am usually an extremely organized trip planner and packer.  The neurotic one that makes a folder with ridiculous amounts of information on the area, lodging, etc.  And now...I'm traveling further than I've ever been and I've done...well...not much of anything.

I don't feel rattled but rather have this desire to travel light and let the trip unfold.  I do acknowledge that at some point this week I am going to have to do something with these empty suitcases that are starring at me, I'm just not sure when ;)

And unfolding this journey is.  The original tickets for the trip were purchased through Travelocity four months ago.  One word of advice, NEVER do that. EVER! In a nut shell, they lost the connection in Korea and cancelled the tickets.  That left me and my travel buddy, Miriam, without tickets two weeks before our trip!  After an initial freakout, 7 hours on the phone with customer service (I use that term loosely) at Travelocity, a call to Chase Bank to dispute the charges so I could get the money back to rebook another flight (they wanted to wait 6 weeks to refund), we are now booked through another company. 

This is where it gets interesting or at least the trip will be.  Because we booked so last minute (thanks again Travelocity!) we are now leaving one day earlier and added 8 hours to an already crazy long trip resulting in a 38 hour journey one way and will now be traveling to locations such as Moscow Russia, Frankfurt Germany and Singapore in our quest to arrive in Bali...of course at a increased rate from our original ticket.  Again, thank you Travelocity.

What's that saying...it's not the destination, it's the journey?

And you know what?  It is the journey.  I've never had this much down time in my life.  I refuse to be frustrated by it and will embrace the gift hidden in this hot little mess and savor it.  Life is what you make it and this is champagne suffering.  I'm going to flippin' Bali! Oh my gosh, I'm actually going!

Subscribe to my blog if you are interested in updates along the way.  I plan to blog my way around the globe, taking  timeouts to be in the moment, spending time with amazing teachers and absorbing the magic that is Bali.

Peace.
Lorie

It's been a while...

Yeah, it's been a while since I blogged.  I think I blog in my head sometimes, does that count?

Anyway, it's been an amazing summer so far.  Full of high points and of course a few of those moments that slap you back to reality.  Reality checks are good, not enjoyable, but purposeful.

Highlights for the summer.  A getaway to Bimini.

My son asked if I was trapped in a Cornona commercial...well, duh!

And yes, it did wash it all away....

Of course, I returned as most of us do, and hit the ground running.

Lots of AMAZING stuff going on  right now!  The business is growing and growing and ugh, the business side of business is not nearly as much fun as attending a birth.  I know, I know.   I am grateful. I am blessed. I am tired.

Speaking of AMAZING....we co-sponsored the "Big Latch On" event for breastfeeding awareness yesterday.  Wow. Just wow, the number of families that came out and participated.  It was like an Amazing Births & Beyond reunion.  My heart was full.

Stacy & I at the ABB table!

BIG crowd for the latching. So awesome!

It has recently come to my attention that the Bali trip begins in 9 weeks! Holy smoke, when the trip was planned back in January, it felt like a lifetime away.  Not anymore.  Excitement for the workshop is building and final plans are being made. Whoo hoo, this is really happening! Total immersion birthing workshop in what I'm envisioning as one of the most beautiful places on earth...yeah, maybe a tad bit giddy ;)

Miriam and I have decided to do a little fundraiser for Bumi Sehat, Robin Lim's birth center in Bali.  Of course it will be ridiculously silly and hopefully do the trick and raise some funds.  Thank you to Tricia at Click.Capture.Create. Photography for capturing the images and to writer David Stebbins for lending his creative genius to the campaign.  ALL will be revealed this week.  Silly, yes. Ridiculous, but of course. Effective, please help us make it so for SUCH a worthwhile cause.

Here's your clue....curious now?  I REALLY HOPE SO ;)

Well, I'm off to go pull myself together to teach a HypnoBirthing Class this morning.  Stacy, the usual instructor is at a birth.  This has been the flavor of the last couple of months, so many births and lots of impromptu filling in.  It's honestly a wonderful feeling to sense so much energy coursing through the little birth house.

Life is good.  It really is.

Peace.
Lorie

It happened...

The morning  of Friday, June 22, 2012 started out with a flurry of activity!  Two first-time mamas were in labor, one was a homebirth in Jupiter and the other, our potential FIRST birth center birth.  The birth teams assembled, plans were made and we were all off to our respective positions.

Midwife Miriam, Allie and I headed to Jupiter to assess that mama with the hopes that we would be back before the birth center client gave birth.  It appeared to be neck and neck all day as we were updated of the happenings at the birth house.

SO...

at 5:05pm, the first baby was born at the Palms Birth House.  Please welcome baby Laine Jean!  It was a sweet, sweet birth and I would love to say that I was present, but alas, I cannot tell a lie ;)

The faces of joy!

Exactly two hours and 5 minutes later, beautiful Ruby Christina was sweetly born in her parents bed.

The birth team, including Lucy the pup!

After settling in this sweet family, we headed back to the birth house to meet our "first family" and tie up the loose ends of the day.  It was quite a day!  Two sweet births = One terrific day!

**Giggle of the day was provided by our office girl, Angie.  She went to Midwife Miriam's car to retrieve a stamp pad for the babies foot prints and returned with a placenta.  I think her expression pretty much sums up how she felt about the discovery!

 I think she likes it??

**Lesson of the day was provided by the universe.  You are EXACTLY where you are supposed to be. Period :)


Anyway....so, it's official!  We are open for business at the birth house.  Thank you to Laine's parents who trusted us with their special delivery.  May there be MANY more babies to be born in our little house. 

Peace.

Another week

What a sweet ending to a VERY full week.  Yesterday was baby Liam's dedication ceremony in Ocala.  Kevin and I made the trek up on Saturday and got home last night.  (Allie you are still my hero...how the heck have you been making this weekly trek for over 2 years???) Liam's ceremony was sweet and well attended.  What a lucky boy to have multiple sets of grandparents and two sets of great grandparents around to love him!  (pictures soon)

After the ceremony we stopped back at my parents to pack up and grab our pups.  While there we  had a surprise visit from a special young woman that Kevin and I  had a hand in raising.  Shannon, it was so nice seeing you and the mature young woman you have become.  Let's not wait so long again!  You are beautiful and bright and it just doesn't seem that long ago that you and Bryan were silly children!


And so.....another full week starts today.

Lots of babies and bellies in classes....working with women having fertility challenges...the Birth Assistant training begins on Thursday and of course the usual unanticipated sweet chaos that is always present in a birth house.

Speaking of the birth house, our "team" shirts arrived on Friday.  These will be our official shirts to wear to births.  Thanks Miriam!

Cute!

Have a beautiful week.  That's my plan.

Peace.

Ahhhh

What a terrific week, culminating in a MUCH needed chill weekend!

First of all...

My men!

My son, Bryan, made the SWAT team for the agency he works for.  I'm so terribly proud of him....and of course a little worried too ;)

When I posted this announcement on my Facebook page, I was a little surprised to see some of the responses.  They ranged from a celebratory tone to one of concern that my son will use his position to harm people.  Uh...no!  Yikes :(

Secondly...

I had the honor of attending another AMAZING birth.  I love this couple, their passion for each other and their commitment to creating the birth they desired for their son.  They prepared for their birth with HypnoBirthing (Dad asked for HypnoBirthing classes for his birthday! I love this guy!) and chose a midwife and doula for a homebirth. 

The sisterhood of birth. 

The magical moment!

Midwife Colleen & I have a moment with baby Jynsen :)

 As I drove home, exhausted, but so happy, the smell of birth lingered on me.  I don't mean this in a "gross" way, but rather, in a very sweet way.  The intermingled scents of everyone present at the birth was clinging to my clothes and my hair.  That distinctive co-mingled scent that clings to every damp body holding the space for a mother...the smell of sweat, tears, blood, amniotic fluid...and at least for me, it reminds me of why I follow my path.  Of why this IS important.

Lastly....

I was OFF CALL for the weekend! I had an entire holiday weekend to do absolutely nothing.  And I did....do absolutely nothing.  

Except...

spend Saturday on the beach....

Float in my pool on Sunday....

and celebrate Memorial Day with friends on Monday.

Perfect, and much needed down time!

It's Tuesday and time to get back to work.  Time to get ready for the FIRST birth at the Palms Birth House.  It's so exciting!!

Peace.