Elizabeth, Scott and Scotty Wilder

Election Day - NYC

I am in NYC... watching CNN to see what happens with the election. There were some wild crowds outside, so my little friends, Mark and Hilary, and I decided to get out our tools and build some barriers to keep the crowds in line. See our tool kit

Need I say more...

More on the Natalie Grant

Last night a little girl was presented with the Natalie Grant  so she could go to summer camp.

Below is a note her mom wrote to the Camp directors:

"I cant tell you how touched I was to see the Natalie Grant last night.  I have read it over and over and it brings tears to my eyes each time I do.  I feel so honored to have Cassidy receive this and hope I can express to Natalie's family and to you how much this means to us.

 

I feel blessed to have known you and your wonderful camp programs over the past few years. 

 

Thank you!!!"

The Natalie Grant

For a while now, I have been thinking about donating money to a group researching the cause of Stillbirths.
To be honest, I am still looking into this.

In the meantime, we have decided to work with the Adventure Day Camp to set up the Natalie Grant so that each a year a young girl can attend Pure Vida (one week overnight camp).

This year's candidate goes to a little girl who was originally very upset because her family could not afford to pay for camp -- even with a big discount. So now her 'camping' is on us.

First Condo Association meeting

We had our first Home Owner's Association meeting tonight. Some key decisions were made, such as:

·      We should paint the hand rails outside -- paint or not paint, that was the question

*  We should fix the garage ceiling roof .. wait until it falls or fix it, that was the question

·      We should figure out what to do with the building's washer and dryer (even though we all have our own)... coins or no coins, that was the question!

·      We should explore fixing the water heater pump temperature problems --- wait 5 minutes or not for the hot water, that was the question!

·      We should fill the 'pool' we have in our basement with water just in case there is an earthquake -- hot tub or swimming pool,  that was the question

·      We should meet more than once every 3 years --- there were no questions about this one

Oh yea, we also discussed fixing our mailboxes -- which I have to say could use some TLC (friendly repairs)

Ah, the benefits of being part of a condo :  )

·      We should paint the hand rails outside -- paint or not paint, that was the question

*  We should fix the garage ceiling roof .. wait until it falls or fix it, that was the question

·      We should figure out what to do with the building's washer and dryer (even though we all have our own)... coins or no coins, that was the question!

·      We should explore fixing the water heater pump temperature problems --- wait 5 minutes or not for the hot water, that was the question!

·      We should fill the 'pool' we have in our basement with water just in case there is an earthquake -- hot tub or swimming pool,  that was the question

·      We should meet more than once every 3 years --- there were no questions about this one

Oh yea, we also discussed fixing our mailboxes -- which I have to say could use some TLC (friendly repairs)

Our first house guest

We have our first house guest now, Olivia, the woman with the golden voice, who sang at our wedding. We thought it was appropriate for her to be the first one to stay in the Blue-Clues room, which is really Natalie's and our future children's room.

Touching hands

We continue to be comforted by so many heartfelt and touching cards, e-mails and letters. Below is yet another example of an inspiring letter we received (from a friend who works at Elizabeth's high school)

Para: Ely
De: Erika

Ely se que no hay palabras que entiendan tu dolor. Cuando me di cuenta
de lo que paso, senti tristeza y no lo podia creer en ese momento, no
sabia que hacer y luego pedi por ti. Me imagino como te sentiras.
Ely, pero tambien se que vas a salir adelante y pasando el tiempo vas a tener
tu recompensa con ilusiones nuevas que la vida te dara

Se que tuviste a tu linda bebe entre tus brazos y que sentiste la ilusion de ser
madre, la dicha que toda mujer espera, pero veras que nuevamente la vida te dara
la oportunidad de volverla a sentir porque si ahora fue por un rato el dia de mañana
sera para siempre.

Creo que es todo por ahora. Ely son mis mejores deseos. Cuidate mucho. Te mando
un abrazo y un beso y espero pronto volerte a ver

Te mando estos pequenos detallitos y quiero decirte que cuentas conmigo.

Hasta pronto

Atte: Erika

---
(artwork by Dvorah Levy)

She who would travel happily must travel light.

Today was my first day back at Intuit.

I have to admit it was a bit difficult driving down Highway 101 early this am. I kept wondering what it would be like to walk in the office.

But once I got there, I was reminded of how great my friends and coworkers are. Everyone was really 'there' for Elizabeth and me

And the kind words keep coming. Today, we received a note from one of Elizabeth's high school students. See below

"Dear Mrs. Abbott

Every day in class you watch us struggle to find words to express ourselves (Elizabeth is a Spanish and French language teacher). It is the most frustrating thing I have ever encountered: to be unable to shape my ideas. And it is even more painful now as I write to you in English, not to have the words.

Because no words at all, in any language, can express how sorry I am. And I know how pointless it is to say, but words are all I can give you. Since you have given me so many. You should know what she meant to us all. We loved her. Please don't think that she didn't have a chance to make an impact on the world. She has already touched us so much. My heart goes out to you, Love Maya.

PS: The most beautiful things in the world are born from the saddest

To Maya: thank you for the lovely note and the artwork below.
To Maya and all our friends: thank you again for the notes, the flowers, the hugs and the comforting words.

Je crois qu'il profita, pour son évasion, d'une migration d'oiseaux sauvages.
- La Petite Prince
Antoine de Saint Exupéry

Wisdom of Crowds...

It is time for us to ask for some help from our friends and family.... Help us pick a name for Baby Wilder. (aka Snoopy)

Click Here to take THE BABY WILDER SURVEY

My work at Intuit is based on the premise that 'the aggregation of information in groups results in decisions that are often better than could have been made by any single member of the group.' Meaning -- when many people work on a project together, the outcome is better than if one person tried to solve a problem.

With this in mind, I am asking our friends to send us suggestions on baby names. At the end of the day, it will probably come down to what feels right -- especially after we see Ms. Wilder in person. But in the meantime, let us know what you think.

Nice note from a friend

Congratulations for you both.
I was just checking in to say
hi and see what the latest news
is and I see that you are going
to have a baby girl. WOW!!!
Take care!!
Hope to see you soon!!
Veronika