Alison and Jack ...

please don't give up ...

there's a place where you belong.

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Everything ...

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"My daughter is everything I never knew I always wanted." ~ Tim Sentner .

Tim and his newborn daughter Elly

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Copyright 2010 Patti Ramos. All rights reserved.

Please no copying, reproduction or transfer without permission from Patti Ramos.

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In dreams ...

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"In dreams, we enter a world that's entirely our own."

~ Steven Kloves

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Copyright 2010 Patti Ramos All rights reserved.

Please no copying, reproduction or transfer without permission from Patti Ramos.

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Joy ...

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“Nothing I've ever done has given me more joys and

rewards than being a father to my children.” ~ Bill Cosby

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Tips for Earthquake Safety ...

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EXTRACT FROM DOUG COPP'S ARTICLE ON THE 'TRIANGLE OF LIFE'

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My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most experienced rescue team. The information in this article will save lives in an earthquake. I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with rescue teams from 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several countries, and I am a member of many rescue teams from many countries. I was the United Nations expert in Disaster Mitigation for two years. I have worked at every major disaster in the world since 1985, except for simultaneous disasters. The first building I ever crawled inside of was a school in Mexico City during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under its desk. Every child was crushed to the thickness of their bones. They could have survived by lying down next to their desks in the aisles. It was obscene, unnecessary and I wondered why the children were not in the aisles. I didn't at the time know that the children were told to hide under something. I am amazed that even today schools are still using the "Duck and Cover" instructions- telling the children to squat under their desks with their heads bowed and covered with their hands. This was the technique used in the Mexico City school. Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects, leaving a space or void next to them. This space is what I call the 'triangle of life'. The larger the object, the stronger, the less it will compact. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not be injured. The next time you watch collapsed buildings, on television, count the 'triangles' you see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most common shape, you will see, in a collapsed building.

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TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY

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1) Almost everyone who simply 'ducks and covers' when buildings collapse ARE CRUSHED TO DEATH. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are crushed.

2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal position. You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety/survival instinct. That position helps you survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa, next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to it.

3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in during an earthquake. Wood is flexible and moves with the force of the earthquake. If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are created. Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight. Brick buildings will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many injuries but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs. Concrete slab buildings are the most dangerous during an earthquake.

4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs, simply roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by posting a sign on the back of the door of every room telling occupants to lie down on the floor, next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.

5) If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting out the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal position next to a sofa, or large chair.

6) Almost everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam falls sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you will be killed!

7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different moment of frequency (they swing separately from the main part of the building). The stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who get on stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads and are horribly mutilated. Even if the building doesn't collapse, stay away from the stairs. The stairs are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even if the stairs are not collapsed by the earthquake, they may collapse later when overloaded by fleeing people. They should always be checked for safety, even when the rest of the building is not damaged.

8) Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If Possible - It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather than the interior. The farther inside you are from the outside perimeter of the building the greater the probability that your escape route will be blocked.

9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above falls in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what happened with the slabs between the decks of the Nimitz Freeway. The victims of the San Francisco earthquake all stayed inside of their vehicles. They were all killed. They could have easily survived by getting out and lying in the fetal position next to their vehicles. Everyone killed would have survived if they had been able to get out of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the crushed cars had voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the cars that had columns fall directly across them.

10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper offices and other offices with a lot of paper, that paper does not compact. Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper.

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In 1996 we made a film, which proved my survival methodology to be correct. The Turkish Federal Government, City of Istanbul , University of Istanbul Case Productions and ARTI cooperated to film this practical, scientific test. We collapsed a school and a home with 20 mannequins inside. Ten mannequins did 'duck and cover,' and ten mannequins I used in my 'triangle of life' survival method. After the simulated earthquake collapse we crawled through the rubble and entered the building to film and document the results. The film, in which I practiced my survival techniques under directly observable, scientific conditions, relevant to building collapse, showed there would have been zero percent survival for those doing duck and cover. There would likely have been 100 percent survivability for people using my method of the 'triangle of life.' This film has been seen by millions of viewers on television in Turkey and the rest of Europe, and it was seen in the USA , Canada and Latin America on the TV program Real TV.

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Spread the word and save someone's life... The entire world is experiencing natural calamities so be prepared!

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Gene Porter - The Man

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Rest in peace Mr. Porter

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http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011227470_bellevueporter02m.html

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The rapture of living ...

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"Once I knew only darkness and stillness...

my life was without past or future...

but a little word from the fingers of another

fell into my hand that clutched at emptiness,

and my heart leaped to the rapture of living."

~ Helen Keller

Copyright 2010 Patti Ramos. All rights reserved.

Please no copying, reproduction or transfer without permission from Patti Ramos.

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A long journey to peace ...

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~ Alison and Jack ~

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from this day two years ago ...

... to this day two days ago

A truly challenging, difficult and at times, painful ... journey

You did it! ... with honesty, grace, dignity, courage and LOVE.
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03-01-10

Patti ~

It was an incredible weekend! I cannot express my gratitude to you enough - this was JUST the thing I needed to help process Stella's birth before I could move on and be ready to embrace Abby's upcoming birth. I can't put into words quite yet what it all meant to me - I'm still processing - but it was a truly unique and wonderful experience and I am incredibly grateful to you for creating the space that allowed me to be free and let out all my feelings and emotions. I'm completely wiped out and was asleep by 10pm last night. It felt so good to get 8+ hours of sleep and wake this morning feeling refreshed. I got so much from the weekend and am truly looking forward to Abby's birth and feeling that sweet, new babe join our family.

WE LOVE YOU and since Stella's birth have said over and over again how amazing you are and how true it is that you are absolutely doing what you should be doing.

Thanks again (thank you truly isn't enough.....)!!!

Love, love, love,

Alison

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Dear Alison and Jack ~

I am beyond excited about having this opportunity to share another

birth with you. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your love and trust.

Witnessing your "journey" over the weekend was incredibly moving

and brought many tears to my eyes.

I hope you can now see and feel that strength within you

and the purpose of Stella's birth.

I just love you both so much!

~ Patti

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Separation ...

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"I want my Mommy"

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Copyright 2010 Patti Ramos. All rights reserved.

Please no copying, reproduction or transfer without permission from Patti Ramos

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Happy Birthday Papa!

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If my precious Father was still with us, today would be his 90th birthday!

Truly the most God-like man on earth.
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This photo was taken three days before my Papa passed away - May 2002

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CRABBY OLD MAN

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When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home in North

Platte, Nebraska , it was believed that he had nothing left of any value.

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Later, when the nurses were going through his meager possessions, they found

this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were

made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital.

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Crabby Old Man

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What do you see nurses? . . . . . What do you see?

What are you thinking . . . . . when you're looking at me?

A crabby old man . . . . . not very wise,

Uncertain of habit . . . . . with faraway eyes

Who dribbles his food . . . . . and makes no reply.

When you say in a loud voice . . . . . 'I do wish you'd try!'

Who seems not to notice . . . . . the things that you do.

And forever is losing . . . . .. A sock or shoe?

Who, resisting or not . . . . . lets you do as you will,

With bathing and feeding . . . . . The long day to fill?

Is that what you're thinking? . . . . . Is that what you see?

Then open your eyes, nurse . . . . . you're not looking at me.

I'll tell you who I am. . . . . . As I sit here so still,

As I do at your bidding, . . . . . as I eat at your will.

I'm a small child of Ten . . . . . with a father and mother,

Brothers and sisters . . . . . who love one another.

A young boy of Sixteen . . . . with wings on his feet.

Dreaming that soon now . . . . . a lover he'll meet.

A groom soon at Twenty . . . . . my heart gives a leap.

Remembering, the vows . . . . . that I promised to keep.

At Twenty-Five, now . . . . . I have young of my own.

Who need me to guide . . . . . And a secure happy home.

A man of Thirty . . . . . . My young now grown fast,

Bound to each other . . . . . With ties that should last.

At Forty, my young sons . . . . . have grown and are gone,

But my woman's beside me . . . . . to see I don't mourn.

At Fifty, once more, babies play 'round my knee,

Again, we know children . . . . . My loved one and me.

Dark days are upon me . . . .. . my wife is now dead.

I look at the future . . . . . shudder with dread.

For my young are all rearing . . . . . young of their own.

And I think of the years . . . . . and the love that I've known.

I'm now an old man . . . . . and nature is cruel.

Tis jest to make old age . . . .. . look like a fool.

The body, it crumbles . . . . . grace and vigor, depart.

There is now a stone . . . . where I once had a heart.

But inside this old carcass . . . . . a young guy still dwells,

And now and again . . . . . my battered heart swells.

I remember the joys . . . . . I remember the pain.

And I'm loving and living . . . .. . life over again.

I think of the years, all too few . . . . . gone too fast.

And accept the stark fact . . . . that nothing can last.

So open your eyes, people . . . . . open and see.

Not a crabby old man . . . Look closer . . . see ME!!

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Welcome Brody!

Congratulations Darcie and Scott!

Happy BIRTH-day little Brody Lucas

Born by cesarean on February 17th, 2010 at 11:55am

Weight: 7 lbs. 5 ounces .. Length: 20 inches

Good Samaritan Hospital

Obstetrician: Dr. Morris ... Nurse: Julia ... Doula: Patti
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Sleep ...

"A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book."

~Irish Proverb

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A smile ...

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"Let us always meet each other with a smile,

for the smile is the beginning of love." ~ Mother Teresa

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Copyright 2010 Patti Ramos. All rights reserved.

Please no copying, reproduction or transfer without permission from Patti Ramos.

Congratulations Shasta and Tim!

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Welcome to the world beautiful Ellysha Belle!

Born on February 12th at Lakeside Birthcenter

Time of birth ~ 11:59pm

Weight ~ 7 lbs. 3 ounces .. Length ~ 19 inches

PROUD parents ~ Shasta and Tim

Midwife ~ Nancy Spencer

Doulas ~ Patti Ramos and Jennifer Wildflower
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