I was supposed to participate in a web 2.0 study group on Skype with a group of my colleagues from my school who share the same passion for teaching with technology that I do. This fact, while seemingly mundane and perhaps a bit random, would prove somewhat critical in the events that happened one year ago.
It was a chilly November Wednesday in southeastern Wisconsin, and armed wearing my blue USM fleece, I left our home feeling a mixture of nervousness, excitement, giddiness, and skepticism all at the same time. Getting into my Pontiac Sunfire, I plugged in my iPod and selected my tunes for the morning. With my emotions scrambled like eggs in the skillet on a Sunday morning after church, I opted with an old stand-by for my "go-to-work-song," and turned up "What's the World Got in Store" by Wilco (one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands). As I passed the Residence Inn entering the 1-43 north ramp, I just knew something big was going to happen that day, and I couldn't wait to see how everything would play out.
I couldn't talk about it at all. That might jinx it, and worse yet, what if I wasn't right? I couldn't get my hopes up. Concentrate on driving. Listen to Wilco. Admire the gray on a chilly November morning. Park the car. Grab the travel coffee mug. Take a deep breath in and another one out and just settle as best you can. Yup, that was the way I'd have to go through the days, even though we both had determined earlier that morning that Jeni's schedule was, shall we say, "off by a bit." Can't get the hopes up, concentrate on work, teach about India, yes, that is what I needed to do.
As I entered school, my good friend Matt, who biked into work and was still in his biking garb, was excited to see me. "Pipes!" he yelled from the mutimedia lab as I ascended the stairs to the third floor, "Look forward to seeing you tonight on Skype. I'm totally psyched. This will be a great conversation about 21st century learning and using technology. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on all these cool new tools we can use, Pipes!"
Now, I must digress, I am a TERRIBLE liar. Jeni made me swear before I left the house that I was not to talk about the possibility of what might be with anyone, BUT, how could I lie to Matt after he was counting on me to be part of this dialog this evening. "Matt, I don't think I'll have time to go online tonight," I began, "I'm a bit swamped with grading before conferences and all."
"C'mon Pipes, we need you for this," Matt encouraged, and it was then that I knew I couldn't try to tell a fib at this point. I pulled Matt into his room and explained the situation, including the part about how Jeni told me not to talk to anyone about this, and swore Matt to secrecy.
That day went by ever so slowly. I taught my lesson on the British rule of India and showed portions of the Bollywood film Lagaan. I went about my day as usual, trying to keep my mind off of everything that could be going on. Jeni did likewise at her work. We decided that morning that we would "wait and see until Saturday," but I had a sneaking suspicion that this would not be the case. Not trying to get my hopes up, when the day concluded, I finished up my school stuff, planned my lessons, handled my dean's responsibilities and headed home around 5:30. I called Jeni to tell her that I was headed to the gym for a workout, when she asked if I could come home to eat dinner first, citing that she had a long day and was starving. "Ok," I thought, and to be honest, at that point, all thoughts of starting a family disappeared. "I bet she did decide to wait until the weekend, or else, perhaps our hunch was wrong, and I would be participating in that Skype chat later that evening."
When I arrived at home, I entered the house to our loving dog Maggie running towards me with her giant stuffed toy in mouth ready for her scratch behind the ears. Looking at the Lowe's portable kitchen island, I spied a blue bag with bright green tissue paper and a light blue card envelope protruding from the top. I think that my heart skipped a beat right then and there. I opened the card which read, "I can't wait to begin this journey with you. I love you with all my heart." and then looked in the bag. There was a positive pregnancy test and two pairs of socks, one green and one yellow. Jeni emerged from the living room with tears in her eyes, and we just simply hugged one another and cried. We later ate tortellini with French cut green beans, and
unable to sit still after dinner, went to Starbucks for decaf coffee and then to Borders to purchase, "What to Expect When You're Expecting." Needless to say, I never made it to the gym, nor did I participate in the Skype conference with Matt.
Reflecting back on the events of that Wednesday night in November a year ago this week, I pause to smile. We never thought twins. I was convinced a year ago that in Jeni's tummy was a little boy (who would later become an All Star closer for the Brewers, of course). Was it foreshadowing, irony, or just a simple twist of fate that there were two pairs of socks in that blue bag, and now those very socks reside on the little feet of the greatest miracles I've ever seen.
It was a chilly November Wednesday in southeastern Wisconsin, and armed wearing my blue USM fleece, I left our home feeling a mixture of nervousness, excitement, giddiness, and skepticism all at the same time. Getting into my Pontiac Sunfire, I plugged in my iPod and selected my tunes for the morning. With my emotions scrambled like eggs in the skillet on a Sunday morning after church, I opted with an old stand-by for my "go-to-work-song," and turned up "What's the World Got in Store" by Wilco (one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands). As I passed the Residence Inn entering the 1-43 north ramp, I just knew something big was going to happen that day, and I couldn't wait to see how everything would play out.
I couldn't talk about it at all. That might jinx it, and worse yet, what if I wasn't right? I couldn't get my hopes up. Concentrate on driving. Listen to Wilco. Admire the gray on a chilly November morning. Park the car. Grab the travel coffee mug. Take a deep breath in and another one out and just settle as best you can. Yup, that was the way I'd have to go through the days, even though we both had determined earlier that morning that Jeni's schedule was, shall we say, "off by a bit." Can't get the hopes up, concentrate on work, teach about India, yes, that is what I needed to do.
As I entered school, my good friend Matt, who biked into work and was still in his biking garb, was excited to see me. "Pipes!" he yelled from the mutimedia lab as I ascended the stairs to the third floor, "Look forward to seeing you tonight on Skype. I'm totally psyched. This will be a great conversation about 21st century learning and using technology. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on all these cool new tools we can use, Pipes!"
Now, I must digress, I am a TERRIBLE liar. Jeni made me swear before I left the house that I was not to talk about the possibility of what might be with anyone, BUT, how could I lie to Matt after he was counting on me to be part of this dialog this evening. "Matt, I don't think I'll have time to go online tonight," I began, "I'm a bit swamped with grading before conferences and all."
"C'mon Pipes, we need you for this," Matt encouraged, and it was then that I knew I couldn't try to tell a fib at this point. I pulled Matt into his room and explained the situation, including the part about how Jeni told me not to talk to anyone about this, and swore Matt to secrecy.
That day went by ever so slowly. I taught my lesson on the British rule of India and showed portions of the Bollywood film Lagaan. I went about my day as usual, trying to keep my mind off of everything that could be going on. Jeni did likewise at her work. We decided that morning that we would "wait and see until Saturday," but I had a sneaking suspicion that this would not be the case. Not trying to get my hopes up, when the day concluded, I finished up my school stuff, planned my lessons, handled my dean's responsibilities and headed home around 5:30. I called Jeni to tell her that I was headed to the gym for a workout, when she asked if I could come home to eat dinner first, citing that she had a long day and was starving. "Ok," I thought, and to be honest, at that point, all thoughts of starting a family disappeared. "I bet she did decide to wait until the weekend, or else, perhaps our hunch was wrong, and I would be participating in that Skype chat later that evening."
When I arrived at home, I entered the house to our loving dog Maggie running towards me with her giant stuffed toy in mouth ready for her scratch behind the ears. Looking at the Lowe's portable kitchen island, I spied a blue bag with bright green tissue paper and a light blue card envelope protruding from the top. I think that my heart skipped a beat right then and there. I opened the card which read, "I can't wait to begin this journey with you. I love you with all my heart." and then looked in the bag. There was a positive pregnancy test and two pairs of socks, one green and one yellow. Jeni emerged from the living room with tears in her eyes, and we just simply hugged one another and cried. We later ate tortellini with French cut green beans, and
unable to sit still after dinner, went to Starbucks for decaf coffee and then to Borders to purchase, "What to Expect When You're Expecting." Needless to say, I never made it to the gym, nor did I participate in the Skype conference with Matt.Reflecting back on the events of that Wednesday night in November a year ago this week, I pause to smile. We never thought twins. I was convinced a year ago that in Jeni's tummy was a little boy (who would later become an All Star closer for the Brewers, of course). Was it foreshadowing, irony, or just a simple twist of fate that there were two pairs of socks in that blue bag, and now those very socks reside on the little feet of the greatest miracles I've ever seen.
1 comment:
You had me in tears. This is a beautiful post of the anticipation and love you shared. They are true miracles.
Post a Comment