Hot summmer and hormones

OK I am definitely not complainging about the glorious streak of warm weather the Maritimes are having. Great to finally be able to get out and enjoy and sit outside in the evenings. However this hot spell has coincided with my hormones going all wacky. I was so confident that menopause ( surgically induced) would just pass me by.

It is not nice to not feel like yourself and not in control of your emotions. Do you remember what is felt like to be a 12 ro 13 yr old girl figurirng out what the hell was going on when you went through puberty? Well for me menopause is kind of like that. I mean I am truly not that bad and very grateful that I am healthy and have a wonderful patient husband. However I pride myself on being very self aware and in touch with my feelings but WOW this in so intense.

I am working with my Naturpath who is wonderful and waiting for hormone evaluation from saliva test. Saliva test is the most accurate picture of hormone levels.The heat has really thrown off my walking scheudule so I am missing the evening walk with Piper this always settles me down and then I can relax with " Nighty Night " organic tea. Sleep continues to elude me, so that makes Karen very irritable.

I guess I have to go through this to once again get to the other side. I want to make sure that I am well balanced before we adopt. Still no word on homestudy so perhaps that is a good thing. OK GOD you have a plan for me I just have to accecpt that. ( However would you hurry up a little I am getting cranky !)


Menopausal Momma
Karen

NOW

BIG BROTHER IS NOW AMONG US!

That's right....as of this afternoon, Sunday, June 28, 2009, BIG BROTHER DAVE is now online at

daveodonnell1@gmail.com

I'm sure he'll be glad to here from all of you, but don't expect a speedy reply just yet.

Hi Family

I would like to thank all the family members who attended Erin's CD release. It was so nice to see all of you. I wish I could have stayed longer. Erin did a super job on both Friday night and Sunday afternoon. We are so proud of her.

Andrew thanks for the great day Saturday. It was a lot of fun hanging out with you

While I was in Halifax Gillian and Andrew arranged for a doctor friend to do a sonagram so I could see my first grand baby. It was amazing and very emotional. We watched the baby suck his or her thumb and kick his or her legs all around. It was great. Thank you both so much for that.

Corinne and Jim are wonderful as always. Thank you for Saturday night it was nice to see so many nieces and nephews.

Bye for now, Love to all of you

Pregnancy

As most of you know by now, Andrew and I are having a wee one. I am now 18 weeks pregnant and starting to "show". Being my first, I am excited, scared, and have a million and one questions for my OBGYN - who usually laughs at me for overreacting to everything. I'm really looking forward to being a mommy, but not so much the ninth month ordeal. I've avoided Chapter 9 of my pregnancy book at all costs, and don't really want all the 'details' of it. Maybe recent baby makers could give me some advice....especially Valerie, who I hear is quite the baby maker - in and OUT!

I'm into my second trimester now and feeling a lot less ill, and have a lot more energy. I'm enjoying doing yoga, and I've started gardening - which has been fun (although I'm waiting for the day for everything to die - it's coming I'm sure of it)

Really looking forward to seeing many of you this weekend at Erin's gig, and hopefully Corinne and Jim's on Saturday night for a visit. I'm certainly looking forward to seeing my own mommy!!!

Chris Costelo - A Gold Medal Olympian

Congratulations to Chris Costelo who won two gold medals in the Florida State Special Olympics. Chris you are a star runner. We loved the pictures Mike sent, Chris is in great shape! What a nice birthday milestone.

greetings from Anita

Hi Family Just to let you know that my MRI was Ok and it will be repeated in Oct. Happy belated birthday to brother Jim .Hooe you had a good one. Love Anita

O'Donnell Family Crest

How do you like our Family crest and motto " By this Sign We Are Victorious"?. Quite bold, is it not?Methinks the ancesters were Celtic warriers. We can see there is a heart on the spear but do you think it's a cat on the other side? Who can guess what it is?

Hi Guys

Hello All,

It's great to see such a good response, and in time I'm sure more of us will be here. Thanks Nina, and Brennan for the work setting this up, and we look forward to it growing in the future. I think it was my progression to middle age ( I'm 45 now, and comfortable with admitting it) that made me realize how quickly time passes, and how little I was in touch with my family. This is a great medium, and in just a few minutes a month we can know what is happening with each others families. Molly is counting down the days to the end of grade 5, and Sharon is counting down the lunch days. Molly is writing some beautiful music on piano, and is also becoming a good guitar, and saxaphone player. We have some great Jam sessions in our music corner, and will put on a show for whoever comes to visit! We just received a picture of Anna Mae Pilling in the mail today, and she is beautiful. I wonder if our folks had any idea of the dozens of lives they would be responsible for when they married. It is quite a legacy. We'll talk to you soon,

Love, Rob, sharon, and Molly

Greetings

Hi Guys, I am not technical with Steven's help I have got here. Great idea Nina to keep the entire family in touch with each other.

Robert is 45, I can't believe it!
How can this be? It seems not so long ago I came home from school to find Rob on the kitchen table having his diaper changed. He was the sweetest baby. My friends had fancy dolls but I didn't need an old doll- I had the real thing- it was so much fun to play with him and I'm sure I kissed his little face ten times a day. When he was old enough to take to school on grading day, he would entertain the class by singing 'Me And My Teddy Bear'. He had a cute little tartan coat and hat that made him look like a little old Scot. He is just as sweet and adorable today as he was then and I love my little brother! Happy Birthday Rob.

Hi Family

Just want to congratulate Corinne on her graduation, good for you. Not much happening in Florida- same weather, every day- hot, hot, hot! Big news, which you all know by now, is that we are going to be grandparents. Michael and I are looking forward to a little Rygh baby. Erin has a CD release coming up on May 29th at the Company house in Halifax. Hopefully, some of you will be able to attend. Chris is practicing hard for State Special Olympic Games coming up May15th in Disney World. He now runs 6-7 miles most days. We are happy to have Patrick back in the states. No charge for phone calls to him! Yea! Michael and I are in good health. We enjoy our motorbike rides on Sundays while Chris is at work. Lots of fun.

Happy Birthday to Robert tomorrow

Bye for now

Love to all Kathy

Hi to all. Had a great and exciting weekend at the Corning residence. Mother decided to come to Halifax with Nina and Lauren for their annual income tax retunr shopping trip, arrived late on Friday night and we enjoyed homemade parsnip soup made with parsnips from the garden that had wintered over..YUM! On Saturday we spent a relaxing day (i did a mani and pedi at the spa) then attended confirmation at my church where my choir sang. It was a beautiful confirmation, very moving. In the evening we had lobster and steak dinner, and at 11 pm Corinne,Jim and Dave went to the airport to pick up LESLEY and MARK and 2 kitties. They look awesome, and we are thrilled to have them home with us again. We slept for about 3 hours then went to Antigonish for my graduation which was lovely - Jim will send some pictures. In the evening we celebrated with the Corning clan at a local Thai restaurant. All in all a fantastic week-end; not too much work and a lot of fun. Corinne

An Invitation

Hello O'Donnell Family, I am adopting this idea from Rob who suggested early this week that we keep in contact through e-mail so that our family, most of whom are connected through the world wide web, can keep track of each other and our lives.

I am inviting you all to join this blog.

Over the next few days, you will receive an e-mail asking you to join. Follow the instructions and before you know it you will be able to post an entry. It is open for anyone to comment, even if you are not an O'Donnell. It will be great fun and will help us to be more connected.