Celebrate ~ It’s alright! September 5, 2009

Time flys when you are having fun….and when you are being a kick-ass mom, full-time office manager, wife, activist, and foodie….but enough about me. Orion turned 1 year old on Saturday! He had the best day ever. He woke up an hour late (bless you, child) and was happy as a lark. He played and hung out with us all morning and then took a super long nap in anticipation of his birthday blast. He friends Holden, Connor, Slade, B and Lucy came over to help him celebrate. He was happy to investigate his cake and did not seem to mind everyone staring at him. We have socialized him well. He received some great gifts (little lawnmower, chunky puzzle, books, and a symphony toy that mom and dad play with way more then he does). I (mom) made sour cream, blueberry cupcakes instead of cake and we had spinach pizza and cheese and fruit for snacks. Tina also brought the best mint chocolate brownies on the face of the planet! The theme of Orion’s birthday party was “space” and it was his birthday “blast”. I promise I will move away from this space/star theme for next year! Then his sugar high kicked in at about 7:30 and he zipped around the house with his little mower, babbling about this and that, then out like a light! Check out pictures here:(http://picasaweb.google.com/Danceleah/OrionS1stBirthdayBLAST?authkey=Gv1sRgCO2U6cmRwMnsMg&feat=directlink)

2009 has been a great year with much more to come.  I am volunteering at the Austin chapter of the American Institute of Architects Homes Tour on October 11th. Also, We are looking forward to taking Orion to Austin City Limits Music Festival (www.aclfestival.com). Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews, Kings of Leon, etc etc. Then the 4th Annual 6th Street Smokeout put together by Josh Schimberg to benefit Texas NORML. We are also going to be going back to Round Top, Texas this Halloween for the PYMWYMI (Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is) Disk Golf Tourney to benefit Texas NORML (www.TexasNORML.org) .Then comes the Austin Celtic Festival in November and then the holidays. Exciting!

On an activist note, we are staying involved in the health care debate, keeping our friends and family informed about marijuana law reform, and watching and listening to a lot of news to stay informed about where our country is headed. I encourage everyone to really think about both sides of all debates and if you really want to be humane (human)about it, think about what the compassionate thing to do is. Not “survival of the fittest” or ” I don’t want those lazy, so in so’s to take MY money” but really think about what makes you believe what you believe and why it is important to think of the whole world, as your family. Dead serious. There are good people, here in the US of A, really hurting. Deep divides, lies, and name calling will get our country nowhere.

Add a dash of salt and pepper and there you have it. With love. Leah Schimberg II.

Giving Cancer the Middle Finger – Planet Cancer.org June 20, 2009

I recently was lucky enough be given the opportunity, by the outstanding company I work for (www.OutlawRealEstateGroup.com) , to organize a  party that benefited Planet Cancer. Planet Cancer is an Austin based non-profit that helps young adults (18-40)  with cancer by providing an online support community, several enlightening summer camp, patient advocacy support to increase the quality of care that young patient receive, and much much more. On top of it all, they have a number of humorous quips about cancer, on their website. Check out their landing site at www.PlanetCancer.org and keep in mind that there are over 4,000 adults communicating behind this site. Sharing stories and advice, laughing and fighting cancer together.

Basically, with my coordination of the Crawfish & Croquet in the Park event to benefit Planet Cancer, I realized how each group of activists is a sum of its parts (people) who get paid little or nothing and who pour themselves into helping other. It is refreshing! I encourange everyone to volunteer with an organization that helps people in your community. You’ll meet awesome people with strong hearts and minds and your life will be fuller because of it.

So, thanks to everyone who came to the Crawfish & Croquet in the Park benefit for Planet Cancer. Thanks to Outlaw Real Estate Group and their team of agents for putting so much time, energy and funds into this event. And thanks to Planet Cancer (Courtney Clark, especially) for supporting our efforts and answering my many questions. Also…thanks to the Texas NORML who allowed me to borrow their easy up, donation jars, etc. Check out their website at www.TexasNORML.org to find out more about their local events and fight to change marijuana laws.

Now go get involved in your community. Oh, and if you have time, stop my www.PlanetCancer.org and donate a little time or money so they can continue to give cancer the middle finger.

A star is Born – Orion Drake Schimberg September 18, 2008

Orion was born at 11:23 PM on August 29th! I can not describe the joy and relief that I felt at the moment of his birth. The labor and delivery was much harder than I anticipated, and contractions are no joke! If I ever decide to have another child, a midwife or doula will be employed to help me cope. My main reasoning for going “natural” was so I could move around and get out of bed during my labor BUT when the contractions were every 2 min apart, I was in the bed with my eyes closed, picturing a beach with white sand and unlimited alcoholic beverages!! Hey, it worked but I think it could have been better managed.

Moving on, Orion is going on 3 weeks old tomorrow. He is becoming much more aware and awake for about 10+ hours a day. He eats like a hippo! I’m pretty sure I’ll be beating myself up for so called mistakes I make for the next 20+ years. I can only hope that he is a loving child that is confident, gentle, and smart. I’m sure most parents wish the same for their children and wishing and making it happen are two different things.

He just fell asleep beside me. I think I’ll take a quick nap with him. I never know if he’ll decide to keep me up for 2 or 3 hours tonight. Every night is a little different.

Orion

How do I get myself up from here?! August 24, 2008

Schimbergs at Ruta Maya Coffee House

It is amazing how well things have been going so far. I have gained enough weight but not so much that I feel like I a whale. ALTHOUGH….the floor is not a place for a 39 week prego! I get down there and realize that I pretty much have to roll around until I can get my legs under me and an anchor to help me up. Hilarious!

Otherwise, I am excited to get the labor over, and meet Orion. I also am excited that Fall will be here soon. The cool weather will be such a welcomed change. Hopefully we can elect a president that will change things as well. I’d hate to have to worry about my son going into a war in the Middle East in 18 years. Let’s boot the war mongers (who hide behind their “religion”) OUT!

On another note, Josh and I are going to stay active after the baby. Yes, we won’ be on 6th as often…and we’ll attend many more family friendly events BUT our child will know live music, a range of lifestyles and opinions, and the activist community. I want him to have an open and progressive mind where all of mankind is important to him and not just people “like him”.

We are going to go by the Hot Sauce Festival today. Maybe that will bring on labor! 

Chirp Chirp ~ Preparing for chaos August 11, 2008

The books all tell me that I will not have time to cook, shower, clean, or think, once the baby come. I hope they are as incorrect as all of the books that told me Amsterdam was full of thieves and danger. I suppose there is nothing wrong with being prepared but it sure does get you worked up.

I have plenty of paper towels, frozen food, toilet paper, dog food, clean bathtubs, vaccumed floors, baby car seat in the car…oh my. I am going to work up until August 21st. I will do graphic design and updating office documents part-time before I go into labor and from home during the week before I go back full time. I will return to work on October 1st. I am so freakin’ excited to see Orion!!

Here is another picture, just for fun!

Belly from my point of view

This picture was taken Friday night. We went to Threadgills (http://www.threadgills.com/) for an Asylum Street Spanker’s show (http://www.asylumstreetspankers.com). Funny thing is that Christina, the lead singer/saw player of the band, is pregnant also! It was a hot and not as breezy as a prego would hope….but my Oyster PoBoy was divine and it was nice to be at a show that wrapped up at midnight versus 2AM.

The Asylum Street Spankers Rock!

Amazing – Quiet Miracles August 5, 2008

Leah and Tina kissin' bellies

I am a walking miracle. Not only in my own right, as a daughter, wife, activist, friend and aspiring entrepernuer….but as a mother. It’s crazy! Little Orion moves his little baby body around all of the time. Stretching, hiccuping, elbowing…..waiting very patiently (so far) for his arrival into this world. I’d advise him not to rush.

I am due in about 24 days. I am beginning to worry that I will go into labor at work, if I stay on too long. I may stop going into the office on the 15th, just to be sure. Hopefully, my boss will let me do a few projects from home during those last few days. Mainly I need a long siesta before the baby. Work is wearing me down.

I am dissapointed that I do not have more pictures of myself pregnant. Here is one I know my mom will like. I use to be such the photographer. I want that back! Orion will provide numerous opportunities for me to express my creativity.

My mom is so excited about baby Orion. It is kind cute because I don’t know that I have ever seen here this giddy. I am grateful for all of the love and kindness that my family and friends have given Josh and I. This is one of the reason I wanted a family/a child. I have such a wonderful and supporting family that loves me unconditionally. That kind of love should be felt by everyone. Orion is going to be a luck little star.

I’m at a CD release party a Ruta Maya so I’ll sign off now. My belly is needed on the dance floor.

30 weeks down, 10 to go! June 22, 2008

I am 30 weeks pregnant! This is a nice round number to match my nice round belly. These last 30 weeks, or almost 7 months, has already brought forth a number of fast and furious changes. Sometimes it feels like the ultra fast preparation for this life changing event called “Orion Schimberg” is too exhausting….and entirely too serious for me. Sometimes it feels like my life has reached a crossroads, and I am being driven towards a change that will lead towards success and balance between my career, family and free time. I am so excited and nervous!

So yes, we have decided on our little star’s name. In the most fitting fashion, his name is Orion. I love the ancient history of this name, the fact that it is a recognizable constellation for me to describe and point out to our son, and that the name and legends surrounding it span many cultures and belief systems. Plus, the name is strong and unique, but not TOO unique.

Josh does not blog here much (ever!) because he is so busy blogging for social change across the internet, so I’ll give an update on his stroll into fatherhood. Josh is being fantastic, as usual. He goes to the grocery store with me (once a rare occurrence), he cooks more, he asks me how I am feeling and rubs my belly, and he tells me how cute I look with a baby basketball sticking straight out. He is quite the companion. He is also diligently deciding on a middle name for the little man child.  

Also, we plan to do Orion’s room in stars and basic shapes. I’ve read babies are in to big, solid shapes and contrasting colors. Please see below room example to see the decor we are going for! No, the white shag rug will not be included in our version of his room! Can you imagine!

Orion – An ancient name June 22, 2008

So yes, we have decided on our little star’s name. In the most fitting fashion, his name is Orion. The description given by the Constellation Index website: http://homepage.mac.com/kvmagruder/bcp/aster/constellations/Ori.htm

Description

The hunter Orion is one of the most easily spotted constellations, especially in winter, and is visible from every inhabited part of the globe. His belt of three bright stars in a line is quite distinctive (and lies nearly on the celestial equator). A sword hanging from his belt at first sight looks like three stars, but the middle one is ill-defined (with binoculars you can tell that it is not a star, but a fuzzy region–as we are now told, a giant cloud of luminous gas, 20,000 times the diameter of our solar system, called the Great Orion Nebula). Orion’s right shoulder is Betelgeuse (pronounced roughly “beetle-juice”), a red giant that is one of the largest stars in the sky (capable of being discerned as an actual disk rather than a point of light with large telescopes; if Betelgeuse were placed at the position of our Sun, the Earth and Mars would fall well inside its surface). Orion the hunter appropriately faces the red eye (star Aldebaran) of the adjacent bull (constellation Taurus); Albrecht Dürer represented him thus. His dog (constellation Canis Major) walks at his lower right, containing the brightest star in the sky (Sirius). Orion’s lower left foot (Rigel) is a bright bluish-white star at a vertex of the so-called “Winter Hexagon.” The Bull Taurus contains the bright cluster of six or seven naked-eye stars called the Pleiades.

In Egyptian mythology, Orion was the abode of Osiris, the mythical pharoah who invented the arts of agriculture before being slain by his animal-headed brother, Set. Osiris conquered death and, once resurrected, came to reside in Orion (his wife, Isis, dwelling near Sirius). Jewish tradition eventually identified Orion with Nimrod, the “mighty hunter before the Lord” spoken of in early Genesis. To the ancient Syrians, Arabians, and even Ptolemy, Orion was the Giant; to the Chinese Orion was (with Taurus) the White Tiger; to the Vikings Orwandil. (R. H. Allen, pp. 303ff.) Or, from Ireland, a modern tale of how St. Patrick sent him to hunt in the heavens begins thus…

O’Ryan was a man of might
Whin Ireland was a nation,
But poachin’ was his heart’s delight
And constant occupation….
Charles G. Halpine

Furthermore:

Three stars in a row make up Orion’s belt, within a rectangle of four bright stars representing his shoulders and feet.

At sunset in the autumn, Orion’s belt appears to rise straight up on the horizon.

The sword hanging from his belt includes M42, the beautiful Orion nebula.

In a comical ballad called “The Star-Splitter,” Robert Frost described a man outdoors splitting firewood after the first frost of autumn. Frost’s poetic tale reminds us that Orion’s rising on the eastern horizion at sunset is a marker of autumn.

However, for early risers it is visible all summer. Ancient Greeks marked the Mediterranean harvest seasons with Orion’s positions. The poet Hesiod admonished his nephew farmer to watch for the early summer rising of Orion at sunrise: “Forget not, when Orion first appears, To make your servants thresh the sacred ears…” Late in summer, at the time of the grape harvest, Orion rises at midnight. And when Orion rises at sunset in autumn, sailors knew that the time had come to bring their ships to port:
…then the winds war aloud,
And veil the ocean with a sable cloud:
Then round the bank, already haul’d on shore,
Lay stones, to fix her when the tempests roar…

Since Orion’s belt of three bright stars lies upon the celestial equator, Orion is visible from every inhabited part of the globe.

Orion the hunter appropriately faces the red eye of Taurus. His two hunting dogs follow behind: The Big Dog or Canis Major, with the bright star Sirius. And the Little Dog, or Canis Minor, with the bright star Procyon.

What do you hunt, Orion,
This starry night?
The Ram, the Bull, and the Lion,
And the Great Bear, says Orion,
With my starry quiver and beautiful belt
I am trying to find a good thick pelt
To warm my shoulders tonight,
To warm my shoulders tonight.

 

 

Rollercoaster – of life! April 12, 2008

It truly has been six months since I’ve blogged. I should call the blog, Schimberg holds on for dear life and has moments of occasional sanity. Maybe that title is too long.

So, I am 20 weeks pregnant! Holy mother of all that is great. I feel great, I am happy, I am busy, and I love it. Having more time in the day would be wonderful.

We found out yesterday that we are having a boy! This will balance out our home making two girls and two boys. Jen, of course is a girl dog – nicely put of course. So, the new Schimberg boy… so cute in my tummy! He is working out his muscles and is very active right now! I have gained about 5 pounds in my tummy and luscious wonderbreasts! Yes, wonderbreasts. Otherwise, I look pretty funny with stick arms and no butt. Now we can start thinking about baby names and baby colors, etc. I have been looking into baby slings, beds, etc. I want to try to keep the baby items and room simple colors and shapes and want a baby sling and mobile that plays classical music that you don’t have to wind every 5 minutes (Enlik suggested this item to me).

We have moved in to our first home! It is cute, and I like it alot. 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, 2 car garage. We have a cozy fireplace that needs a mantle, an empty backyard, and a garage that needs shelves and hooks. Ohh and a million other things for it, but atleast it does not need any major work done on it. Those kitchen cabinets were enough of a job! I bet we put 50 hours into them between Josh and myself. Now we are trying to get the grass to grow in the back yard and contemplating a few raised flower beds in front and back. We hope to have a house party and BBQ at the end of May to celebrate! First, we have to put a layer of extra fence in the back yard, our back neighbors have the most annoying dogs!

Here is a shot of our colorful kitchen!

I am in the planning stages of 3 social/business events right now, along with building experience to work from home for 15 hours a week on graphic design services. I’m building by portfolio and hope to accomplish this by the end of 2008. I I will plan to make a section for my work on here, in case anyone wants to check it out. Look for that coming soon!

Find pictures of our new house and pregnant Leah on next post. I had to warm up my blog fingers first.

Chicago-land – I *love* you! October 16, 2007

Hey everybody! Forgive my delay….. My husband and I went to Chicago, Illinois in August of this year. I am a slacker and perfectionist at the same time. Why do I say these things? I wanted to put all sorts of info about the trip down on my blog but did not write it all down….got home and did not have time to knock it out all at once, and let it slip until now! Schimberg Speaks,How is that for a excuse? Lame.

We arrived in Chicago via Midway airport. Chicago has a fantastic elevated tram system, AKA “El”, so we bought our 7-day pass for $20, and got off at ”the loop” in downtown Chicago. We jumped out and ate at America’s Dog  on the run. They had a large selection of hot dog types, and I went for the Chicago dog (pretty good for a hot dog), and Josh went for the San Francisco dog. After fighting off hunger with hot dogs…we walked over to Borders Books to wait for my cousin to arrive.  While at Borders, I bought a Maeve Binchy book, Quentins; and finished that sucka by the time I arrived home from the trip. Maeve is a great Irish, fiction writer. If you like drama, legacy, and and Irish Fiction that reads like a ideal reality….check out Maeve. Sorry, I’m getting off on something else….after purchasing my new book and meeting my cuz, we rode the bus up to his condo to drop off our stuff and get acclaimed to how to get around the city. We then headed to sight-see on the Magnificent Mile. We got some chocolate selections from Ethel’s (http://www.ethelschocolate.com/), rode the water taxi on the Chicago river, and arrived at the tapas restaurant to fill our stomachs and catch up on our lives, liberties, and pursuit of happiness . We had tapas at Cafe Iberico (www.iberico.com). We took Adam’s recommendation and had sangria, PATATAS BRAVAS (Spicy potatoes with special tomato sauce), CHAMPIÑONES A LA PLANCHA (Grilled mushrooms with garlic and olive oil), and a few other special of the week items. Fantastic food and service at a great price! After this fine meal, we went down to see another part of town and ran into a gal on the street who invited us to an improv show at the Playground (http://www.the-playground.com/) to raise money for the AIDS walk. I laughed my bum off! I love improv because it is funny but oddly uncomfortable for everyone involved. (It) Freaks me out. After getting my serotanin (http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Seratonin) fix, we gave a friend a call to meet us at the Hop Leaf for a brew and  Mussels for two in white wine sauce. The word for those excellent bivalve mollusks is,”perfect.” Afterwards, we strolled down Clark St. towards my cuz’s place and stopped in to the Martini bar for a chocolate experiment at Marty’s wine & martini bar for chocolate and strawberry cheesecake martini. Yum! It was one of those things I would not usually do (martini/chocolate) but I’m glad that I did.

Over the course of the rest of the beautiful weekend, we strolled The Navy Pier, Nordstroms’s (Please reference Josh’s flip flop and new shoes story), did shots from a inflatable sheep’s ass, watched the sun set on the 96 floor of the Hancock center, investigated a crime scene at the CSI exhibit at the Science and Industry exhibit, and saw sooooo much more art than necessary at the Art Institute of Chicago. It was all good though.

This vacation was a nice change of scenery and unforgettable experience. Chicago is a stunning city with an vibrant art and architecture scene. Josh and I had a chance to relax, exercise via our vacation tradition of walking off a few pounds, and hang out with my eber (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=uber) cool cuz.

Lastly, we also ate dinner and dessert in Chicago’s “China Town”, ate at a cozy but long awaited (too dang popular) brunch at wonderful restaurant, M. Henry. We also went to see the theatre production of The Wizard of Oz. The production is called Wicked (http://www.wickedthemusical.com/chicago/) and was a fascinating and visually spectacular production. Plus, who did not love The Wizard of Oz and can imagine how intriguing the story behind that peculiar tale must be.

Schimberg Tidbits: I bought fantastic Chicago Shoes! We were late for our plane on the way there AND back!  We are becoming those people who are always late! I am addicted to sushi. While in Chicago, fresh and tasty seafood and seaweed at Tank Sushi (www.tanksushi.com) . We just missed the Half price sushi when we went there on Sunday, but had good service along with tasty and fresh Midori and rainbow sushi rolls. The miso was done nicely and the seaweed salad was one of the top 3 I have ever had.

Here is a quote to leave you with. From Me.

Love and nurture yourself and tell most others to attend to their own business. If you are taking care of your body, soul and mind, then peace and enlightenment will follow.