Camping in Siracusa

This past weekend we went with a group of people on an adventurous camping trip to the beach in Siracusa. Yes little ol me went into the wilderness and slept in a tent. We had so much fun around the campfire and snorkling the next day out in the crystal clear ocean. Ruth had some friends with her that she enjoyed running around with and playing in the sand. Fun was had by all and Robert and I plan on camping next weekend in Ragusa at the beach. Enjoy the pics...




Robert and I enjoying the shade...
The kids were so messy by the end of the trip...covered in bubbles and dirt

Daddy and Ruth out in the crystal clear ocean

This is my favorite... Ruth was supposed to be sleeping in the tent. I told her that she needed to lay back down, watch her movie, and not get up. After gasping, she thought I couldn't see her and quickly threw the sheet up over her head and quietly whispered to herself, "Hide, Hide."

The girls around the campfire after the children were in bed.

Ruth really should be eating lunch! Instead she is enjoying her new pooh chair we got just for camping.

Angela Burshteyn

I spoke with the people at CAPPA, a labor doula organization, that informed me of the information I was looking for. As we were transitioning out to Italy there were some family issues that arose with Angela. When the family issues became too much she resigned her position as California state director for OSD and soon thereafter, on July 10, 2007, she took her own life. She leaves behind two school aged children who I worry about tremendously, although I know there is nothing I can do.





Angela, you meant so much to us and I will never forget your smiling face and the love you had for Ruth. You will be missed greatly....

In Memory of Angela Burshteyn
California State Coordinator for Operation Special Delivery
who passed away on July 10, 2007

Two Horses
Author Unknown
Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it. From a
distance, each looks like every other horse. But if you stop your car, or
are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing. Looking into the
eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind.
His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for
him. This alone is amazing. If nearby and listening,
you will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the
sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field.
Attached to her halter is a small bell. It lets her blind friend know where
she is, so he can follow her. As you stand and watch these two friends,
you'll see how she is always checking on him, and that he will listen for her
bell and then slowly walk to where she is, trusting that she will not lead
him astray. When she returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, she
stops occasionally and looks back, making sure her friend isn't too far
behind to hear the bell.
Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because
we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. He watches over
us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.
Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by
the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives. Other times we
are the guide horse, helping others see.
Good friends are like this. You don't always see them, but you know they are
always there Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours.

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."

*Taken from CAPPA newsletter February, 2008

Ruth's Doula passed away...

As I was sitting and thinking in peace and quiet (after bedtime) the other night I realized...I haven't heard from Angela lately. I sent her an email but it has been a few days and I hadn't heard back from her. So I drop Ruth off at Mandy's and decide that I am going access her website and get her phone number again and call her later tonight. Well its almost 10 oclock and I can't seem to get any work done because of all the searching I am doing. Her website is no longer up and running. This makes me even more troubled. It isn't like her to not return an e-mail and not renew her website that once had pictures or her and Ruth on it the day she was born. I do a quick search for her and I find an article in CAPPA (a national organization of doulas) that states, "In loving memory of Angela Burshteyn who passed away on July 10, 2007." Now I have been spending all morning trying to find her obituary, her children, any news article or anything on what happened to her!

Let me explain what Angela meant to me. I found out I was pregnant almost as soon as I found out Robert was getting deployed for 6 months. Calculating out the dates made me realize that Robert would be deployed for the birth of our first born baby. I was directed to a website called "Operation Special Delivery" that offers free labor doulas that help during your pregnancy, are there for your birthing process, and after the birth. Soon after applying for a free doula, Angela showed up at my house in San Diego. She came in with stacks and stacks of papers and I was overwhelmed. She sat in my kitchen, at my table, for hours and explained all the papers and helped me fill them out. All of this paperwork was so SHE knew what I wanted in my delivery room and how I wanted things done so SHE could take care of everything and not me. Wow she was amazing.

She met me at the hospital a couple of times to go to my prenatal appointments and held my hand. She called me on a weekly basis to ask how I was feeling. I called her one night and said, "I think I am in labor and I am on my way to the hospital!" She met me there and sat with me, walked with me, rubbed my back and told me everything would be ok. The hospital sent me home that night in labor and she begged to come stay with me. I convinced her into going home with her family and getting some sleep but she was not happy with me :) Two days later my water broke. I called her immediately to tell her. Her husband answered the phone and said, "Um she is sleeping right now, can I take a message?" I told him I was in labor and needed her but to let her sleep a couple of hours. Well that didn't happen. When she heard she rushed right down to the hospital with donuts and muffins for the ENTIRE nursing staff and myself. It was 8 am but she had been sleeping when I called. Why? Because the night before she was in the hospital at a 20 hour birth until 6 am. With just 1 hour of sleep she climbed out of bed and rushed to my side. For no monetary value, just volunteering her time to a military wife all alone. She coached me through my entire labor and delivery and helped with EVERYTHING.

Soon after getting home from the hospital Angela made the one hour drive from her house to mine to see Ruth and make sure I was ok. She helped with breastfeeding and became my friend.

Our relationship didn't stop there. She became a close friend. I can recall many times sitting with Ruth alone in our house on the phone with her till all hours of the morning. We always had something to talk about. I can hear her distinct voice in my head as I write this right now.

Angela became the president of Operation Special Delivery for the entire state of california soon after Ruth's birth and she began to become a nationally recognized labor doula. She began appearing on all the local san diego new stations to promote OSD. All of the San Diego news stations did a live interview with Angela...with little Ruth in her hands...holding her tight and presenting her with pride that she had helped Ruth and her mommy while daddy was deployed.

I haven't talked to her in a year now, tomorrow will be one year since she died, but I do miss her despite the fact that she has been gone a year now and I didn't know until today. It is hard sitting and thinking of her sitting at my table. It is hard to think of us sitting at Denny's together at 5 am before we appeared on the 6 am news. And it is especially hard to think of Angela holding Ruth the many times she has.

We had a going away party for all of our friends to get together one last time in San Diego. Angela showed up with her husband and two children and seemed to be the life of the party. At the party she gave Ruth a stuffed animal with a photo album of her and Ruth together. That photo album means so much more than it ever did. We will cherish it forever and someday when Ruth can understand...I will show her it again and tell Ruth all about Angela and what an angel she was to us when we needed her.

I havent been able to find anything on Angela. You see she has two school aged children that I am worried about. Angela was married to a wonderful guy in San Diego but he is just the "step father". She grew up, married and had children in Midland Texas. When those children were just babies, her husband became very abusive and at one point tried to kill her. She fled with both children to San Diego. She made a life of her own and met her wonderful husband who is from Russia. I am worried where those children are and how they are doing. I have no way of finding out.... I just wish I knew....

Happy 4th!

We hope everyone had a wonderful fourth of July!! Ours was interesting. Robert had to work, as he does EVERY holiday. He worked until 7:30 and then came home to get us and we all rushed out to the fireworks. We got to the football field at the base and there was a loud band, food, and lots of fun.


At first Ruth was scared of the loud music and stayed cuddling tight to daddy and whining.

Soon she realized that the music was ok and actually FUN! So she got up and began to dance with all the kids.

They announced the fireworks were going to start so she got excited and sat patiently waiting in her pooh chair. We warned her and talked all day about how there would be pretty lights to watch in the sky but that it would make a loud "boom boom." and that it is nothing to be scared of. Well this pre-talking didn't work. She still clung to daddy crying and cringing with each bang.

The fire works lasted a short while as the result was not good at all. The first set of fire works went about 10 feet in the air, exploded and lit the whole field on fire and this was the view. They continued the fireworks through the fire for a short while but with all the smoke and flames it was hard to enjoy it.

The coaches daughter

Many of you may know that Robert is one of the new football coaches for the high school here on base. What many of you may NOT know is that Ruth has volunteered to be his assistant. Ruth was playing with his whistle in the car. She figured out how to blow in it and of course made us go deaf. All of a sudden the noise went silent. When we turned around she was sleeping with the whistle in her mouth! Roberts response, "Thats my girl right there! The coaches daughter!"

Ruth and Joseph

It has been way too hott outside to even go out to play during the day. So when it starts to get dark she meets the neighbor boy outside. They have a blast running around the yards, picking flowers in Josephs yard, copying eachother, and screaming in excitement. She has so much fun and always talks about him and wants to go to his house. She can't seem to say Joseph so instead she calls him "Jo Jo," but he responds to that too.