life with jamison - coming home!

property of Indianapolis, on loan to Kailua

When I returned to the hospital the next day, I brought one of the new baby blankets and got to hold and cuddle Jamison for a good long time. Adrianne and Elliott got some much needed rest and I (politely) refused entry to the endless stream of people knocking and attempting to enter the room (photographer, nurses, lunch tray, blood collector, etc). We closed the blinds and it was so peaceful while everyone was sleeping!


I also brought some of the cookies I had purchased at Paradise in Indy the day I left. They went straight into the freezer when I got there because of Adrianne's gestational diabetes but thawed nicely and we all enjoyed one after a Subway lunch in the room!

chocolate chip from Paradise

We spent a pleasant evening together, cuddling and marveling over Jamison. I took lots of pictures and cracked up when I saw this one. There were dozens of others with Adrianne and Elliott smiling at Jamison in this same pose but somehow I caught this expression:

what do we do now?

I returned the next morning and we spent the day waiting for the family to be released. It was so exciting to be returned to their home with them. Sister-in-law Anne made the welcome home banner and I hung it before I left. Friends came over later that evening to welcome Jamison and congratulate the new parents. Rahul made a fabulous dinner and it was so welcome after cafeteria food and Subway!

banner by Anne

cheers to the new family!

a beautiful baby boy!

What a fabulous time I had visiting Adrianne and Elliott and being there for the birth of my first grandson! Jamison Makoa Hultgren was born on his due date (October 25th) and I instantly, head over heels, fell in love. He is a perfect angel and I enjoyed every moment I could with him. I was so happy to be able to help the new parents with the everyday stuff so that they could rest and recover.


I arrived on a Thursday and we spent the next few days relaxing and anticipating. While Elliott worked on Friday, Adrianne and I got pedicures, went to the library, went shopping, and then came home and made freezer meals. All this around a strict diabetes-related regimen of testing, walking, eating, repeat, repeat every 3 hours. It's funny because that 3 hour schedule turned into a similar one for Jamison a couple of days later!

chicken enchilada filling

On Saturday we went to the beach for a few hours and soaked in the beauty of Lanikai. Nothing quite beats that beach and that view of the Mokes. We went home in the afternoon, cleaned up, and then just hung out and watched TV (Adrianne recorded episodes of House Hunters for me since I canceled my cable, Elliott's such a good sport!).

at lanikai beach on Saturday, 10-23

On Sunday morning we went for a long walk to breakfast and back, did stuff around the house, walked again in the afternoon, cleaned up and then went to only places with air conditioning (so hot that day!); Old Navy, a movie, and then Ruby Tuesday's for dinner.

breakfast on Sunday, 10-24

final words of instruction from dad on sunday

We got home, went to bed, and then just before 5:00 am Elliott woke me up to say Adrianne's water had broken and we were leaving for the hospital shortly! Wow! Fast shower, packed the car and we were on our way. We made quite an entrance with the suitcase, overnight bag, iHome system, medicine ball, pillows and a few other things :) The receptionist guessed correctly that Adrianne was a midwife patient :) and she was admitted. As the day wore on and Adrianne labored, the labor and delivery waiting room became my base to send messages home and keep everyone updated on her progress. I relieved Elliott a few times and was so happy to help in any little way. I loved brushing Adrianne's hair and reassuring her. What an exciting time it was!

Jamison took his time and after about 19 hours he made his grand entrance! I was so proud of Adrianne and Elliott and and so happy for them! What an emotional time and I remembered how scary and exhilarating it was. We were all overcome and humbled by the miracle of life.

Jamison Makoa Hultgren (a few minutes old)

proud papa (about a half hour after birth)

10 little toes!

beautiful new family (Jamison about an hour old)

she could have danced all night. . .

What a beautiful wedding and a beautiful couple!



We went to Heather and Brian's ceremony and reception yesterday and had a fabulous time. Got to visit with lots of friends, enjoyed a great meal, and celebrated the beginning of a wonderful life together for Heather and Brian. Favorite moment was when John and Heather had their father-daughter dance and at the same time Alex projected a video of John dancing with the two of them when they were little :)

Moms and daughters, friends for almost 20 years!

'all the single ladies' waiting for the bouquet

emily and dan

emily can get anyone to strike this pose with her :)


colleen and heather



debbie and mike

heather's grandmother's earring on her shoe

beautiful sunset over the golf course

loved hanging out with sarah for the evening!

emily and neil cutting a rug!

great night with great friends and family!

Labor Day at Yellowwood State Forest

On the Monday of Labor Day weekend, Emily and I packed up the hiking stuff, lunch, snacks, drinks and BAILEY and headed south. We spent a few hours hiking a trail through Yellowwood State Forest.

emily and bailey next to uprooted tree

There wasn't much elevation change, but we enjoyed the walk and Bailey loved the woods. After we got back to the car, we decided to find a place to picnic by the lake but we never did see it. Emily was navigating from a tourist type map which 'ran out' when we went far enough north! We knew that we had to end up east and north of where we were so we just kept driving and turning and eventually came upon Johnson County Park. We pulled in and found a great picnic spot.

gazebo at Johnson County Park

picnic - no baggies!

happy dog!

Fare at the Fair!

cheese display

On Tuesday, August 17th, a few of us went to the Indiana State Fair. We had coupons for $2 admission and most food vendors had a $2 offering. We literally ate our way around the entire perimeter of the fairgrounds. There were a few displays that we planned to go back to, but we walked around for so long that they were closed. Next year I'd like to explore the DNR exhibit.

durena was also there (next to kathy)

$2 funnel cake!

ran in to our friends, dee and steve

Wedding Celebration - Sarah and John

What an amazing weekend we had down in Alabama to celebrate the love between Sarah and John. They were married in December in a small family ceremony before they moved to California, where John would begin his assignment at Camp Pendleton and Twentynine Palms but we all gathered in Alabama in early August for the ceremony and reception with family and friends.

Back in June, Adrianne, Emily and I consulted with Sarah during a quick trip home for her and then spent the rest of the summer planning and crafting the weekend. We turned the dining room into a planning room and after a trip to the store for poster boards and color coordinated post-it notes, we were in our element.

party planning central!

emily scrubbing labels off bottles (for water and lemonade)

adrianne printing tags for bottles

bailey helping from under the dining room table :)

We all met in Alabama in August (Elliott flew here and he and Adrianne drove one car, Dan and Emily drove in another, Danny and I went in mine, and Sarah, John, Dylan and Alynna drove cross country from California to Alabama). We rented and stayed in several lake houses at Chesnut Bay on Weiss Lake.



When Sarah and John arrived on Wednesday, they decided to change the celebration from the farm to the lake property in order to enjoy the slight breeze from the water and take advantage of the facilities. We contacted vendors and guests to inform them of the change (it was only about 20 minutes difference in location). We now had more free time than we planned so it was a relaxing 3 days. We were so fortunate to have some Indy friends there with us (Debbie, Mike, Meghan, Neil) and they truly went above and beyond in helping with any and all tasks. Plus I couldn't imagine celebrating such an important family event without them!

debbie and meg

neil and i

We got unpacked on Thursday night and Danny and I went to Walmart for groceries for the weekend. We made a list (of course) of all the things that needed to be done leading up to Saturday afternoon and then we relaxed for the weekend. I took Bailey on lots of walks and it was quite a workout - lots of hills and beautiful views. We rented jet skis on Friday afternoon and it was a blast! The lake is huge and once I was challenged to go full speed, it was a thrilling ride!

danny, me, elliott, neil

Friday afternoon there was a brief thunderstorm and we worked on arranging the flowers (delivered the day before), washed and dried the tablecloths, and organized all the reception stuff. The house had an unfinished lower level and we stored all the boxes and drinks and decorations there. It was convenient being able to leave it all down there and not clutter up the house. We all got cleaned up and went to Rhonda and Larry's (John's parents) home for a cookout. So much fun (and delicious potato salad!)

rob (john's best man) and i

adrianne and maia (rhonda and larry's youngest daughter)

carl (officiant) and wife michelle

danny, john, neil

danny, sarah, and pup (with emily crashing the picture)

mike and pup

we also celebrated two september birthdays!

The next morning we had the rehearsal at 9 in the morning. We met at the lake and got a plan together with chairs and music and people. We basically had the next few hours to relax and get ready.

getting everyone organized

decorating the aisle

Sarah's bridesmaids helped her get ready and then she and John drove to the farm with the photographers and took some couples pictures there. Then we all met back at the lake for family and group pictures and soon it was time for the ceremony!

It was a beautiful ceremony and I especially loved the "hands" message that was read:

“These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever. These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other. These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and as in today, tears of joy. These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children, the hands that will help you to hold your family as one. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it. And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.”


We had such a great time at the reception - lots of friends, old and new, a great barbecue feast, dancing, speeches, photographs, and celebrating. Lots of hands made light work when it was time to clean up! We walked the hill back up to the lake house and visited for a while longer with the White's, got a start on packing up for the morning, warmed up some reception food and dished about the day. It was a wonderful weekend and I'm so happy that Sarah and John had the celebration they desired.


Lots more pictures on facebook, here is a link to the public view (don't have to be member)