Waiting for Madison

Sitting here in the Labor and delivery waiting room at Long Beach Memorial Hospital.....waiting. My sister Deanna whose baby is due September 30th is having some complications. They may have to induce labor today if her blood pressure doesn't go down. We are at the hospital praying and thinking positive thoughts.

Madison Allyse Corbin may be here sooner than we thought. She has been giving her mother to be the blues for the last few weeks. My sister was taken off work about three weeks ago. She's been resting and hanging out with me while she's been off. We've been shopping and going to lunch and just enjoying each other's company. She is going to be admitted to the hospital, hopefully her blood pressure goes down so Maddy can have more womb time so her lungs can develop a little more. We can't wait to meet her but she needs to stay just a few more weeks.

Deanna seems to be in good spirits but I know my sister. I've known her my entire life-better than I know anyone-and I know she's worried. She's worried about her babies health. She told me that her major concern was about the baby being mentally and physically healthy. The Dr's assured her that mentally the baby is fine. It's the lungs they're worried about. I am worried about my sister and my niece. Deanna shared with me a few weeks ago that she was worried when our friend Robin passed away, she prayed that nothing would happen to her or Maddy. I am praying that Maddy can wait and that Deanna's blood pressure goes down and that mother and daughter are both healthy and happy.

So here I am......praying, hoping, trying not to cry and......waiting.

Michael Jackson, 1958-2009

This will be very short as I am in a terrible emotional state.

Today is June 25, 2009; a date I will never forget. I will always remember what I was doing and where I was. I was in my kitchen making a red velvet cake and the television was on in my den to CNN, my sister yelled to me from the den that Michael Jackson was rushed to the hospital and possibly dead. I lost my breath. I reached for the counter top to steady myself because I got lightheaded. How could this be possible? The iconic Michael Jackson dead?! NEVER! My first concert was a Jackson's concert at Dodger stadium when I was in elementary school. It’s a day I’ll never forget and today is a day I’ll never forget. There are events that happen in your life and you’ll always remember where you were and what you were doing when you look back on them..the passing of Michael Jackson is one of those events. My heart is aching.

I remember trying to moonwalk for the first time, I remember wanting to wear one glove to school and I remember thinking curls were cool because Michael Jackson had one :)

Michael Jackson was a misunderstood and often troubled soul who was taken advantage of by people he trusted. His name was drug through the mud but us, his real fans never wavered, always stood by his side. We love you Michael.

His music is the soundtrack for my life, I probably knew ABC before I knew my ABC's. I have partied to Michael Jackson's music for years. To hear of his passing was terrible. Just last week I told my sister that if Michael Jackson ever died I didn't know what I would do. And today, I don't know what I'll do. He is an icon, an innovator and now he is an eternal legend.

Michael we love you, we'll miss you. Your music will be in our heart and on our lips forever!

-Arrivederci

The week from Heaven and Hell!

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH, sometimes I just have to scream!!!!

Last week started on a high note and ended on an extremely low one. Well Jasmyne (aka Jazzy - my cousin who's more like my sister) graduated from high school. Family and friends gathered together on Wednesday, June 10th to celebrate. We started off with hors d'oeuvres at our house and then headed to the graduation which started at 2pm. We were worried that Stanley wasn't going to make it in time to see his only daughter walk across the stage. The reason he was late was because that crazy ass aunt of ours - Doretha - who always has to be the center of attention, said she wasn't feeling well and at the last minute called Stanley to pick her up. We were all pissed, her blatant disregard for people's time and feelings was once again center stage and as usual she didn't give a fuck. She said she took a pill that made her feel much better. BULLSHIT!! How do you go from "I need to go to the emergency room because I'm in so much pain" to "I took a pill and now I feel much better"? She wanted everyones attention to be on her but fuck her it was Jasmyne's day. So we did like we normally do and didn't acknowledge that she had even mentioned she was sick and went on about our business.

The graduation was fabulous. Jasmyne received so many honors medals that she looked like Michael Phelps with all of them around her neck. LOL. When they called her name our section of twenty something people went crazy, yelling, screaming, cheering, noise blowers went off and the family of the poor kid who was called next couldn't hear their name. By the way, we're sorry, whoever you are. After all the picture taking and crying we headed to El Torito's for her favorite meal...Mexican food. We had a wonderful time and the custom menus had her picture on them. Everything was great. I just hope I am emotionally stable enough to deal with her going to New Orleans for college in August.

Flash to Thursday....Robin (Young) Dunn, crazy Robin we've known since we were kids who happened to just have a baby the week before was on life support, there were major complications when she gave birth and things seemed to go from bad to worse for her. Everyone we knew had been praying for her and her family. My thoughts went back to a few weeks before she gave birth to her son. She came over when we had a barbecue for Jazzy and she came over, even though she was on bed rest. She said she just needed to get out of the house, she picked up to barbecue dinners and some of Decia's famous banana pudding. We sat and talked with her for a while and she was obviously ready to have that baby and she went on in the conversation to say..."I don't see June in my future". She meant she didn't think the baby would come in June but earlier, but he did come in June and my dear sweet Robin, who had so many kind words for me when my Granny passed is now in heaven with her. On Friday evening, June 12, 2009 Robin Dunn wife and new mother passed away, leaving a loving husband and newborn son, family and friends behind. We had all prayed that she would make it through but none of us know what God has in store for us. I was in the Cerritos Mall with my friend Monica when my phone rang and my sister told me the news I also had a text from Sabrina telling me she had passed. I was speechless.

Robin was one of the most loving and thoughtful people you ever met. She was so bubbly and her face always lit up a room, she could make you smile when you wanted to cry. She was a beautiful woman inside and out. I remember last September there was a brunch at our church and Robin was in charge of Women's Day activities..including the lunch. They couldn't find anyone to cook the food and Sabrina volunteered me. I was pissed off and didn't want to do it because my friends and I were supposed to leave for Palm Springs the day before the lunch and return on Sunday - the day after the lunch. Sabrina talked me into it and I rescheduled my plans for 2 reasons and 2 reasons only. 1. Sabrina asked me to do it and 2. it was for Robin that's a combination you can't say no to. My feet were aching, I was tired and instead of 3 days in Palm Springs I was only going to spend 1 but I did it anyway and Robin and I went through so much just getting the budget approved that I was ready to throw in the towel and say fuck it! She said we are going to get you the money you need for the event and that's that. It turned out wonderfully. Everyone enjoyed the food and Robin was a star for selecting such a great caterer - my fam helped too as they always do. Robin Dunn was a selfless person who put others before herself - in death as in life. Her life for her child's life, a true sacrifice. You can see how beautiful she is in this picture.









Robin you are loved and you will be missed!
















Arrivederci