Wedding Weekend

Our holiday trip home started out with a bang with Shannon & Andy's wedding - what an awesome weekend! From the rehearsal to the wedding and reception to the gift opening and everything in between, the whole weekend was SO much fun and absolutely beautiful. Shannon was stunning and true to her trademark pink =) Andy looked pretty good too =) In fact, everyone looked great - the dresses, tuxes, flowers, and all the little details that Shannon stressed so many months over really came together for a gorgeous combination. The decorations were SO nice with the pinks and holiday accents. Weather made things a bit interesting on rehearsal day and for all of the out-of-town travelers (us included), but the wedding day turned out to be as beautiful a winter day you'll ever see in Marquette. The sun was shining, and there was a light snow fall. We even took outdoor pictures which I know are going to turn out amazing. The wedding was emotional and sweet. The reception was a BLAST! Their band rocked the Upfront until almost 1:00 am. All-in-all, the entire weekend was FUN, FUN, FUN. We had so many family members there to celebrate (for the wedding and for a couple days after too!) - I can't think of a better way to start out a wonderful holiday week. This is just a snapshot of the photos taken - between Sara, Steph, and I (and all of our Aunts!), I think we have it pretty much covered, but these were just the ones from my camera =)

Leaving the salon and heading to the church



Beautiful bride



Mom & Dad



Shannon & Shelby (flower girl)



Ellie & I



Some more of Ellie...Ellie was such a little trooper over the whole weekend. She did great at the wedding ('walked' up the aisle with Colin and my Mom) and visiting with everyone at the reception. When she wasn't with us, she was with Grandma & Grandpa Pomeroy at their house or at the hotel. It was so nice to have them there to help us out and spend some good time with Ellie.







Mr. & Mrs. Luehmann (welcome to the family brother!)



Sara, Steph, and I on the party bus



The bride and groom happy and relaxed with blueberry beer in hand!



Steph & Joe



Colin & I



Shannon & Wyatt (ring bearer)



The bride with her maids of honor



Ellie visiting Uncle Andy & Auntie Shannon at the head table



This was by far the best cake display I have ever seen! And it tasted great too!! It was so hard to choose which flavor!





Presents under the Christmas tree



This last one is from the photographer. He's from Marquette, and I think Shannon knew him in school. Anyway, I CANNOT wait to see the rest...he posted this on his facebook page. I think it is just awesome.

Happy Holidays 2008

I decided to save a tree this year and not print out Christmas letters. Since so many read this already, why not give an e-letter a try?

This holiday season has certainly started with a rollercoaster of emotions for our family. Over the past couple of weeks, we have witnessed first-hand a true Christmas miracle as our little bud Carson battled a severe and life threatening case of bacterial meningitis. Thankfully, he is continuing to make wonderful progress every day. We thank God that he is here with us today and continue to pray for his full recovery.

2008 can really be summed up in one word for us – CHANGE! We started the year out with the biggest change on January 31st with the birth of Miss Ellie Ruth. Nothing can prepare you for just how much having a baby changes your life, but now it’s hard to really imagine it any other way. She’s the little sunshine that brightens our day, and each day comes with new surprises. These days she’s into everything, crawling, walking, grabbing, opening/closing, and just exploring the world. She has a contagious smile that can’t help but make you smile too. As her first birthday is quickly approaching, we wonder how the last year went by so fast, but at the same time struggle to remember life before she was born. She’s certainly been the biggest and best change for us this year.

In March we added a little more excitement to our lives when we decided to move. In one weekend and with an army of friends and family, we moved about 45 miles further south, from De Pere to Greenville. We had wanted to move earlier (anticipating the difficulty of a 45 min. commute and a new baby in our lives), but could not sell our house in De Pere quickly enough. Things came together in the Spring though, and we were able to move before I returned to work. Even though we still have some bare walls and the spare bedroom full of random things from the last house, we’re pretty much settled in our new house now and love our new neighborhood.

In May, we welcomed a new cousin to the Pomeroy family. Maxwell Jeffrey was born on May 18th, lungs in full force and ready to tackle the big bad world. It’s been fun watching Ellie and Max these past few months as they’re so close in age and with each visit, more and more curious of each other. Christmas will be really fun with all the Pomeroy cousins, Brendan, Aiden, Ellie, and Max, all together for the first time.

Professionally, Colin and I have both had some changes this past year as well. In late Oct. 2007, Colin accepted a new job as the Director of Technology for the Bellin College of Nursing in Green Bay. Over this past year, he’s become more comfortable in this role and has also enjoyed the new challenges. And once again, he’s found himself in a work environment largely dominated by women which always comes with its interesting twists. Colin just loves things like cookie exchanges which he always seems to get himself into (and yes, I am saying that with the utmost sarcasm!)

This past October I accepted a new position within Kimberly-Clark. After nearly 5 years working on HUGGIES® Baby Wipes, I’ve now moved into product development for KOTEX® and POISE® brands. While this may not sound too drastic, it was, in some aspects, like going to work for a different company. Everything about what I’m doing and the people I work with changed, so it’s taken some adjustment, and I’m still continuing to learn every day. So far, I really like the new role, and mostly have enjoyed learning something new. And, for the first time in my career, I’m also working on a female-dominated team which is different and fun!

With everything else we’ve had going, Colin and I were also able to get some travel in this past year. Most of it for work, but we each got to visit some new places and do some sightseeing as well. In the Spring Colin went to Charleston, SC for an IT conference, but he also got to see the historic downtown and experience some real Southern culture. In the summer, I spent a few days in Chicago where I got to spend time with some of my best girlfriends, and Ellie and I also went to Ypsilanti, MI to visit our friends, the Mayo family, for a few days. This was Ellie’s first trip on an airplane, and she did great! This past fall I also visited Providence, RI and Boston, MA, both for work on 2 separate trips, and both very nice cities. I had a little more time to sightsee in Boston, and I stayed right in the Faneuil Hall Marketplace which was very cool. Top that off with a couple fun weddings and a few bachelor/bachelorette parties, and we’ve had a good year!

Change, change, change, but it’s been a wonderful time, and we’re looking forward to the New Year ahead. This Christmas will be extra special with Shannon & Andy’s wedding to celebrate as well. We’re excited to welcome Andy into the family, and Colin’s happy to have a fellow ‘in-law’ at our crazy family gatherings. On the Pomeroy side, Colin’s brother Ashley will be home for Christmas for the first time in 10 years, and we’ve doubled the number of cousins to add to the excitement. We have much to be thankful for and many happy times ahead.

Wishing you all the most joyous of holiday seasons and many blessings in the New Year.


Love,
Stacey, Colin, and Ellie

Things Are Looking Up!

How things can change... On Wednesday, the Neurologist gave a prognosis leaving all with little hope for Carson's recovery. Sara and Jim were at their lowest low, fearing the worst possible outcome. I think Carson heard that Dr. though, and said 'No way buddy, I'm not quitting that easily!'

On Thursday, Sara and Jim were in Carson's room, talking to him like they had for the last week. While they were talking this time though he moved. They wondered if they had imagined it, but then he did it again. Over the course of the day and night, Carson moved his arms, hands, and upper body. He moved his legs a little, and he opened his eyes. He would respond to 'open your eyes', 'squeeze my hand', 'move your toes'...we were all overjoyed. It was very emotional.

Then Friday morning he wowed everyone again. He opened his eyes, and when Sara asked him if he could see, he nodded yes. So, he can hear AND see which is truly amazing considering the injury he has sustained. This morning he had his breathing tube removed and is now breathing completely on his own. He's off almost all of the medications and continues to respond and answer questions by nodding his head yes or no. He remembers that he's a Chicago Bears fan, that he likes Star Wars, and playing Wii with his Uncle Craig. These last 3 days have really been a turn-around; it really has been amazing to see. Carson still has a long recovery ahead, so please continue to pray that he gets stronger and stronger every day.

So, obviously this situation has been consuming much of my life these days, but I thought I'd give a little update on Miss Ellie too. Last weekend she was a spoiled girl with all kinds of visitors here to play with her. Colin and I spent 4 straight days at the hospital, but Ellie wasn't without attention. My cousin Danielle was in town for work on Thursday night, so she came here for the night. Ellie gave her a good 'refresher' on what life with a 10 month old is like, and they had a lot of fun. Then Friday, my Mom came down for the weekend. Her and Ellie had a fun time putting up Christmas decorations and playing at home. On Sunday Suzy came over in the afternoon, and her and Ellie had fun playing with the castle blocks - Ellie's new favorite toy now. So thanks everyone for being here for us...we really do appreciate all of your help and Ellie had a lot of fun too! Here are a couple videos of Ellie doing two of her favorite things these days...walking and talking! It's funny, she just babbles on in her own little language =)

Why?

I am at a loss for words this last week. Some of my best friends are going through the worst experience any parent could imagine while the only thing that will help is time. Time for Carson to heal, time to determine what's currently unknown, time to process what may lie ahead. As a friend, my heart breaks for them, for the grief they're experiencing, the ups and downs of emotion, the guilt they feel, and seeing their sweet boy in such a life-threatening condition. As a parent, you want to protect your child from any harm, and trust that others will help in that mission. Carson went to the ER with a fever 2 times before the fateful trip that put him where he is today. Both times they were sent home with antibiotics and instruction for fluids...it was just an ear infection, the symptoms were flu-like. Who would think it could be a disease that affects only 0.001% of the US population annually. What are the chances? How many times a day do Dr's simply dismiss 'over-reactive' parents? My heart breaks for the overwhelming sense of guilt any parent would feel...'what could we have done differently?' In hindsight, all the signs were there. The reality though is that even the best parents are struck with tragedy for seemingly no reason. God MUST have a plan, but when it's so close to your heart, it's hard to accept how something like this could be a part of that plan.

Carson still has a chance for recovery, there is hope, but it will be a long road ahead. Please keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers. This is probably the worst experience I have been through in my life, seeing my friends in such a state of grief and seeing Carson clinging to life with monitors tracking every breath - they are images that will surely never leave my mind. If anything I've learned from this, it's how precious and vulnerable life truly is.

Pray for Carson

This little guy needs your prayers. His name is Carson, I've known him since he was born, I've known his Mom since we were in elementary school, he's my Godson. He's a bright, happy first grade boy that loves Star Wars and Transformers, but right now he's very sick. Carson was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis late last night and is now fighting for his life in a Pedatric ICU in Green Bay. Doctors say that things will get worse before they get better, but he continues to fight with family and friends all around him. Please pray for him...the next 2-3 days are critical.

Silly Ellie

We're getting back into the swing of things at home after a long and enjoyable Thanksgiving break. I had all of last week off work, so Ellie and I headed to the UP on Tuesday afternoon. Colin rode with Shannon and Andy on Wednesday evening. We all had a fun time with family, visiting Grandmas and Grandpas, Great-Grandmas and Great-Grandpas, Aunts, Uncles, cousins, and friends. Of course we ate too much on Thanksgiving day, but that's just what we do on holidays - the food is too good!! We also shopped, helped Auntie Shannon with some of the final wedding preparations, played cards, and just visited with everyone. Of course, the weekend ended with lots of laundry and little cranky Ellie, but we've bounced back and now are looking forward to Christmas. I have another long break from work coming up at Christmas, so these next couple weeks will be busy. But in less than 3 weeks we'll be heading home again for Auntie Shannon's wedding (yeah!) and Christmas too! Lots of fun times ahead!

I didn't really take many pictures while we were home (it always seemed like someone else was!), but I did get a few of Ellie being quite the silly girl.

Sassy girl



Big cheesy smile



Playing with Cousin Max



Jumping, jumping (notice the blur of her hands - she was having a blast when I shot this!)



And a video of the action too!