The Meredith Life

My Confession

2012-01-16T16:54:00.002-05:00

I've often patted myself on the back for not ever (not even once!) signing my name with my maiden last name since the day Aaron and I were married. I've still never done it, but I may have recently done something even worse.

I've been wanting a monogrammed bag from lands end like this one for a few years. I just love that the style is timeless, they literally are supposed to last a lifetime and they can be used for a million different things - traveling, beach, groceries, diaper bag, etc. Well, with our Hawaii trip for Aaron's big 3-0 around the corner, I thought this was just the perfect time to get the bag I've always wanted. As a bonus, they were on sale. I really wanted a bag that zipped that would be perfect for holding all our stuff to take to the beach. So I went to the Lands End site and began processing my order. As I anxiously awaited my bag in the mail, it finally arrived on Saturday (hooray!) But my excitement was crushed when I pulled the bag out only to read my monogrammed initials as "JMG." Ugh, are you serious, Jenny?!?!?!? You haven't been "JMG" in nearly 4 years.

Lesson learned: Never make a special order that is non-returnable while your husband is on business travel the entire week, you're sleep deprived and you have a sick baby. BUMMER.

At least the bag is still totally fashionable.

Casey at the Bat

2012-01-10T11:00:00.011-05:00

It's funny how many comments we've gotten about Casey's name. Most people say, "Oh that's a cute name." Sometimes people have the guts to say, "Hmm, I mostly know girls with the name Casey." I can honestly tell you that I'm not offended because everyone has name associations. And just for the record, all the people Aaron and I have known with the name Casey are guys. But, sometimes we'll get, "Oh, yeah, like Casey at The Bat." YES! The classic poem by Ernest Thayer was one of Aaron's favorites while growing up. For those of you who don't know, Aaron has been dubbed "the walking sports almanac" by many who know him. He can tell you sports stats from long before he was even born. So being the sports fanatic that he is, it makes complete sense to us that our son would have a name with a sports connotation! You can read about Casey at the Bat here.
If you take the time to read it, (or even if you don't, i'll just tell you!) Casey actually strikes out at the end. People have cracked jokes about this. We've heard, "Wait, but doesn't Casey strike out?!" Yes. Yes, he does. But one of the biggest lessons we want Casey to learn in life is that he won't "win" all the time. In fact, he's guaranteed to strike out in life probably more times than he'll actually win. But this is one of the best ways to learn and grow. Now don't get me wrong, I would disappoint Aaron if I didn't say that we certainly want Casey to TRY and win each and every time. That is true. But we don't want him to have the false idea that it's always a successful attempt. It takes a lot of faith, hard work and dedication to succeed in life and life is filled with painful disappointments as well as celebrated achievements.
I want to include an article Aaron's dad had published in their local newspaper in Alaska. It speaks to what i'm saying here, but on an even deeper level. Truthfully, I nodded in agreement as I read this article for the first time. But as a mother who loves her son with wild abandon, my heart also broke. Life is HARD. And no one gets a free pass.

Hello?

2012-01-07T16:04:00.005-05:00

I had "always" planned on being good about updates on Casey after each month. Alas, as real parenting would have it, the blog falls to the bottom of my list. Not because I don't enjoy blogging, but it just isn't a #1 priority. With that being said, I of course missed posting about Casey's 7 month birthday. So no cute picture with a sticker. Did I honestly think I could keep this up every month?! Here it goes:

Big changes have happened with Casey. Aaron and I have actually seen him change the most we've seen yet. Crazy! He sits up completely on his own, eats various foods (and LOVES them all), plays by himself (mommy appreciates this for showering!), giggles 'til the cows come home, has much longer hair that now spikes (if you've seen ads for the new TinTin movie coming out, his hair looks just like that!) and is seriously working on some teeth. No teeth yet, but my goodness it's gotta happen soon. Teething is the pits!! Poor kid. Truthfully, poor US too. We've entered the world of "real food poop" and still love cloth diapering. Some people in my family who will go unnamed were holding bets that we'd stop once he had his first really nasty poo. Sorry to disappoint! Still lovin' the cloth, y'all. In fact, we've now done two successful trip away still using cloth. We leave for Hawaii for Aaron's 30th birthday with his parents next month, and on that trip we'll be doing disposables. Not too bad though, eh?? Poor little Caseman Spaceman is very congested these days thanks to all the mountain cedar growing behind our house. Yeah, no one told us BEFORE moving to San Antonio that we'd be miserable along with everyone else in this city from December through February. Yuck!

Other than happenings with Casey, Aaron is doing really well in his new position. He has a lot more responsibility now managing an entire office of engineers. I'm really proud of him! I only wish we could see him more. He has a busy schedule and travels to different Air Force bases every month to oversee projects. This month he will be gone two weeks. I will NOT post my complaints here considering that two weeks pales in comparison to what a lot of my friends have gone through with deployments. So, in an effort to maintain my friendships, I will keep all complaints to myself. :) On the up-side, I'm involved in MOPS, a Bible study at our church and a library reading/play group. I added the play group under what i'm doing rather than what Casey's up to because I think the moms enjoy this group more than the kids do! I still don't have a really close friend or anything here yet, but I trust it will happen with time. I just need that one person I really connect with. Don't all of us women need that? I sure think so.

Urgent

2011-12-15T21:34:00.003-05:00

Please pray for baby Anna. You can read about her story here. This is a family from back home in Washington (Alissa and my mom served together for a while in the pregnancy center ministry.) All those who love and trust in Jesus, PLEASE pray for a miracle.

Wanna See My Crib?

2011-12-14T16:54:00.006-05:00

I've promised a few friends that I'd post pictures of Casey's nursery. It isn't anything fancy, but we're not too into flashy, so this is just right!

One of daddy's vintage fishing signs and lots of books that he read when he was a little guy. We love having old things with so many meaning and history behind them!

Can't forget Mr. sock monkey!

This is a quilt that was made for Aaron before he was born. A few friends and family of the Meredith family each designed their own square. This is so special that we had to hang it on the wall.

Has anyone else noticed that there just aren't any cute laundry hampers out there?? This is the old one Aaron and I used (we got a new one.) Thankfully I could reuse it in Casey's nursery! It's just your basic yellow.

If we were living in a house that was our own, I'd probably do some more to the nursery. But considering that we'll move out of this house eventually - and hopefully into one of our own sooner than later - I don't want to have to repaint, patch, etc! We're just thankful that Casey has a roof over his head and a peaceful place to sleep. Oh, I should mention that since feeding him a few solids, he's been sleeping straight through the night from about 7 to 7. THANK YOU LORD!

Yum Yum!

2011-12-07T18:39:00.007-05:00

So as mentioned in my post over the weekend, we were waiting a little longer before feeding Case his first foods. BUT, he's ready. He actually woke up choking during his nap today because he's still having acid reflux issues. I'm hoping that some solid foods will settle his stomach. As seen in this video eating his first solid - whole grain rice cereal...He's hooked! I know it's long (mostly for the grandparent's viewing pleasure.)

Half-Year Gone By

2011-12-04T18:06:00.006-05:00

It's absolutely insane that Casey is already a half-year old. Yesterday we celebrated 6 months with our sweet boy! We, of course, took him to see all the great fishing gear at the Bass Pro Shop. Ok, really we went to see Santa (it was free!) but Aaron may or may not have had alterior motives. ;) I think this picture of my two boys is probably one of the cutest we have. I love it! I just want to document all the things Casey is doing right now!

{Rolling both ways - but he often needs a little help rolling from back to front, though.}

{Giggling! Lots of giggles. We love these happy sounds! He laughs the most at his daddy.}

{Sleeping without the swaddle. I admit, I kinda miss my cute little baby burrito!}

{Spitting. You know, all the silly habbits boys have!}

{Drinking water out of mommy's Camel Back bottle. He LOVES to do this!}

{Teething, but we haven't seen any white just yet!}

{Sitting up - But we're still working on bettering this skill. He falls over a lot.}

{Riding in his car seat without crying!! I'm not sure what happened, but all of a sudden he turned into a happy car-riding baby around 5.5 months. hooray! That was painful for a while...}

{Holding and playing really well with his toys.}

{Reading! Ok, so obviously he doesn't read himself, but he LOVES when we read to him. He even grabs the pages and makes sounds like he's trying to!}

{Sleeping full-time in his crib. I've tried to co-sleep with him after Aaron leaves for work, but believe it or not he really prefers his crib! It's definitely true that your baby can communicate their preferences.}

What he's not yet doing:

{Eating solid foods. I've started making and freezing quite a bit, but we're in no hurry. He'll have the rest of his life to eat food and for now we're all happy with nursing! Aaron and I also want him to be able to sit up more independently before we take this big step.}

{Sleeping completely through the night. He wakes up usually around 4 or 5 a.m. for a feeding, but then goes back to sleep until 8 or so. The "cry it out" method does NOT work on this child. But we're ok with that because I've read a lot about how it isn't always healthy. Plus, he doesn't usually wake up and cry unless he's really hungry. I will not be depriving my baby of food!}

We have his 6-month checkup next week with a new pediatrician in town. We're pretty curious what he weighs. He's a big healthy boy!

Longie Love!

2011-11-28T18:42:00.003-05:00

Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE knit-wear?! I'm so blessed to have a sweet MIL who can literally knit with her eyes closed. I'm working on my own skills, too, but so far I haven't come up with anything blog worthy! I know I've referenced diaperswappers.com before, but I can't say enough just how much I love this web site. They have a great WAHM wears section (work at home mamas) and I came across another mama whose boys had outgrown these longie-alls. She shipped these all the way from Alaska for a steal of a deal. Aaron's mom has also hinted that I have another pair of knit/wool longies coming from Alaska for Casey around Christmas.

Speaking of Aaron's mom, she sent us a box of Christmas goodies for our first Christmas with Casey. We got an Advent calendar and she also sent this sweet tree hat that she made. I mean, seriously, how much cuter can it get?! It's even adorned with little bells at the top.

Our good friend Erica made this adorable stocking for Casey before he was even born. It's perfect! And I think Casey likes it. Santa's beard is made out of super soft, fluffy yarn and the little man loves to feel it. I hope he likes the santa man in real life because we're planning to take him to get pictures within the next few weeks. I can't wait!

It's so special to be entering this Christmas season and starting our own family traditions. My mind is flooded with memories of my own childhood. Casey is the light of our lives, but more than anything we want him to know the one who is the light of the world. We pray for God's grace as we parent him the best way we know how.

The System

2011-11-08T17:12:00.022-05:00

I've been wanting to share about my diapering system because we've finally found what works well for us! Cloth diapering is a process, but believe it or not it can be FUN! There are so many amazing options out there. I love to share my thoughts with other mamas who might be interested in the health, environmental and financial benefits of cloth diapering. And because this is the most common question I get - NO, it's not gross to wash poopy diapers in your washing machine! Everything comes out clean. No smells. That doesn't mean you won't have a few stains here and there, but one of my favorite things is to line dry my dipes outside (yes, just like grandma did!) and allow the sun to bleach the stains.

Also, some are concerned about water consumption with diapering. I wash every third day. Since we have such wonderful HE washing machines now, very little water is used. To be honest, we use more water in one shower than I probably do in a week of washing diapers.

Our favorite diaper cover: Blueberry One Size Coveralls. The added leg gussets are a must to protect against leaks. Casey has crazy poop - I've never found a disposable diaper that he doesn't leak out of. He leaks out of diaper covers that don't have leg gussets (the added layer around the leg opening.) He has NEVER leaked through this cover. We love it!

Our favorite prefold/fitted: Osocozy Prefolds and Green Mountain Diapers Cloth-eez Workhorse Fitteds. Ok, in all honesty, I think prefolds are prefolds - This is just the one we've used and like. But the Workhorse fitted is where it's at! This fitted diaper is UH-MAZ-ING. So easy to use and very affordable. It cuts down on the "bulk" of regular prefolds and hugs to your little one's body. I think it absorbs a lot better, too. Ever since trying these, there's no question that we've found our favorite system. I really have no plans to "try" anything else again.

Our favorite night diaper: Bumgenius One-Size Elemental. This diaper is wonderful because it has 3 layers and all of them are exposed. This makes for better absorbancy and easier washing/drying. This diaper has never leaked on Casey - Even after 14 hours at night!

Our favorite wipes: A bamboo/terry cloth blend from a sweet Etsy mama! Soft yet durable enough to clean the messes. ;) I have 3 dozen on hand.

Our favorite diaper rash protection: Burt's Bees rash cream and Bummis fleece liners. The Burt's cream is all natural and the fleece liners keep the skin nice and dry while still allowing moisture through to be absorbed into the cotton fitteds. These are truly a must when cloth diapering since cloth is not very breathable in general. I've heard of women cutting up their own fleece, but i'm personally a bit leery of the dyes in most fleece from the craft store. The Bummis liners are free of any harmful dyes and/or chemicals. Plus, i'm not convinced that it's cheaper to make your own. But again, this is personal preference.

So, why cotton frefolds/fitteds instead of a pocket AIO (all in one) diaper system? (Again, i'm only sharing my personal preference and opinion here so i'm not saying other systems aren't great!)

1) These diapers can only be used once and then must be thrown in the laundry. Obviously the fitteds we use can only be used once, but I reuse the cover multiple times if Casey hasn't pooped. I just wipe it clean and reuse. This means I only have a few covers. Saves lots of $$!

2) Rash creams can only be used on cotton without the risk of ruining diaper materials. Most, if not all (as far as I know) pocket and AIO systems can be ruined from diaper creams. I love that I can lather Casey's bum up if necessary without the worry of ruining the dipes. Furthermore, cotton can be washed with any type of laundry soap - Though I do still use Rockin' Green detergent. But once this runs out, I plan to make my own natural detergent. :)

*If you've never heard of diaperswappers.com, you gotta check it out! This is a forum where other cloth diapering mama buy, sell and trade. You can also get clothes, toys, etc. People use paypal and it's a very honest, easy way to get mega discounts on things. I've paid half the price for most of my diapering system!

Boo!

2011-10-31T21:13:00.004-04:00

It's Case-Man the Space-Man! Or Buzz if we're being literal. :) I bought this costume two months ago because I was so excited to get him dressed up. The costume barely fit!! Lesson learned - always size up because you can't make something bigger! Our healthy little dude!

He Is.

2011-10-28T11:22:00.002-04:00

My dear friend Chelsea sent this to me in an email and it encouraged me so much that I want to share it! I'm thankful I have friends - though far away - that I can share honest moments with. Then this is how they respond to me. What a blessing!

In Genesis, He's the breath of life
In Exodus, He is the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus, He's our High Priest
In Numbers, the Fire by Night
Deuteronomy, He's Israel’s guide
Joshua, He’s salvation's choice
Judges, He’s Israel’s guard
In Ruth, the kinsmen's Redeemer
1st and 2nd Samuel, our trusted Prophet
In Kings and Chronicles, He is Sovereign
In Ezra, He’s the true and faithful scribe
In Nehemiah, the Re-builder of broken walls and lives
In Esther, He’s Mordecai's courage
In Job, the Timeless Redeemer
In Psalms, He is our morning song
In Proverbs, He is our wisdom
Ecclesiastes, He's the time and season
In Song of Solomon, He is the lover's dream
In Isaiah, He is the Prince of Peace
In Jeremiah, the Weeping Prophet
Lamentations, the Cry for Israel
Ezekiel, the Call from Sin
Daniel, the Stranger in the Fire
Hosea, the Forever Faithful
Joel, the Spirit’s Power
Amos, the Strong-arms that carry
Obadiah, the Lord our Savior
Jonah, the great Missionary
Micah, the Promise of Peace
Nahum, our Strength and Shield
In Habakkuk and Zephaniah, He's brings revival
In Haggai, He restores that which was lost
In Zachariah, He’s our fountain
And in Malachi, He's the Son of righteousness rising with healing in His wings

AND THAT’S JUST THE OLD TESTAMENT

In Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, He is God and Messiah
In the spirit filled book of Acts, He is the reigning fire from Heaven
In Romans, He is the grace of God
Corinthians, the Power of Love
Galatians, Freedom from the curse of sin
Ephesians, our Glorious Treasure
Philippians, the Servant's Heart
Colossians, He’s God and the Trinity
Thessalonians, our calling King
In Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, He's our mediator and our faithful pastor
In Hebrews, the Everlasting Courage
In James, the One who heals the sick
In 1st and 2nd Peter, our Faithful Shepherd
In John and Jude, He's the lover coming for His bride
AND in the Revelation, in the very end, when it’s all over, said and done, when time is NO MORE. He is and will always be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace, Son of Man, Lamb of God, The Great I Am, Alpha and Omega, God and Savior

He is Jesus Christ the Lord

HE IS EVERYTHING THAT YOU NEED!

Just say "Cheer up, Charlie."

2011-10-14T20:52:00.003-04:00

I recently realized that I never really blogged about our move. Not that it matters because most of the people who read my blog knew about it whether or not I "documented" it here, but I do like to get my thoughts out so I decided I'd give a quick update. I'm most definitely not in a place right now to even post pictures. In fact, my camera battery is still dead from my Washington trip which was now almost two weeks ago. That pretty much sums up how these past two weeks have gone!

I got to Texas and met Aaron in Austin on a Tuesday and we were planning for the movers to arrive on Friday. Unfortunately, that didn't happen and they ended up arriving 5 days later but that's how moving goes (as most other people know!) It was probably just as well, though, since I was still recovering from a sinus infection. It's such a bummer that I always manage to get sick when I visit Washington! I'm pretty sure it's from flying. So Friday non-moving-day (as we'll call it) came and went and we had the weekend in front of us. We got the keys to our house and ran to a few places that Saturday. It was strange to walk into Lowes with a list of things since we pretty much lived there 3 years ago when we were remodeling our first house as newly-weds! While in the store, I started to feel sick to my stomach but thought it was from riding in the back with Case (yes, I do this from time to time because it keeps him from screaming!) After a few hours, I knew I really wasn't feeling well at all. Then it hit - the awful stomach flu bug! Ack. Is it not the worst?? Thank goodness the flu usually only lasts 24 hours. It was at that point that I finally listened to my body which had been screaming for DAYS to please slow down! Last Sunday was quite honestly the first time in about 3 weeks that Aaron and I had actually sat down on the same couch together for longer than 10 minutes. It was absolutely necessary. Sadly, we apparently sat a bit too close to each other because I shared my flu bug with my handsome man. On the plus side, Casey was spared!

So now we're moved into our new rental house...well, I should clarify that we're "in" but certainly not settled. I won't be taking pictures anytime soon! Wow, moving with a baby is SO much more work. I get about 2 hours of stuff done in a day - all in about 15 minute increments! (Pause while I go re-paci my screaming child who needs to be sleeping!) Ok, whew. Speaking of my darling boy, he's now in his own room and crib! This is a huge step for us. Coming from a small one bedroom place, it's nice to have more space and I think it truly is healthier for all of us to have our "designated" rooms. But the first night was rough....for ME! I missed my little man being right next to me. But my big man is important. ;)

I'll be honest, if I may. This feels like a lonely town and I'm somewhat lost, for lack of a better term. We know one couple here - Our friends the Legacys. Aaron and Brian were stationed at Andrews AFB together. But they live about 20 minutes from our new place and they're also both working on their masters so they have quite the busy schedule. I met a friendly woman a few houses down, but so far the rest of the 'hood seems quiet, which has been a bit of a surprise to me. I know I can't possibly be the only SAHMama around here! I just said to Aaron tonight, "I know we'll make friends eventually, but right now if feels like we never will." Most of you know I can be a tad dramatic at times, so take that comment with a grain of salt, ok? I can't stop thinking about how much I wish our good friends were here with us. I miss our Virginia peeps (aka family) soooo much it hurts. Aaron must have known I was slipping into a "my life right now in a blog" type of post because he just brought over a pint of Blue Bell ice cream (a Texas favorite.) How is it that ice cream cures a multitude of depressing thoughts? Even for a girl with an on again, off again lactose intolerance? Somehow it does (aren't you enjoying my play-play comments here?)

Well, here we are in Texas, and I'm so happy that I have my little man with me day to day to brighten my life. He, even more so than Blue Bell ice cream, truly makes my life so wonderful.

I promise I will attempt to make my next post more uplifting! But I truly needed an honest moment. Don't we all?

"Desperate Housemoms"

2011-10-05T18:08:00.006-04:00

I'm going to steal my friend Mari's "Win/Fail" format for posting because it's perfect for how our flight from Seattle to Austin went down yesterday. Also, Casey turned FOUR MONTHS (I had to write that in caps because I still can't believe how fast he's growing up) on Monday! We simply love this kid more and more every single day. And because i'm drowning in a sea of setting up bills, trying to figure out why our movers won't be here within their contracted time-frame (ugh), changing our address, etc. etc. (the list of things to do literally goes on and on) I have no idea where my month stickers are for Case's picture, but probably packed away in the moving truck which is STILL in Virginia (another big UGH.) Anyway, I just think the "Desperate Housewives" show is so impractical...no one really lives like that...or perhaps just crazy people do. But I do think a show called "Desperate Housemoms" would be PERFECT. I mean, the amount of juggling moms do with there time and their kids is seriously comical, right?? Oh, you all would have a hayday laughing fest if you were a fly on my wall today! So, yes, i'm a "Desperate Housemom" who had a desperate kind of day yesterday. Here it goes:

WIN: We made it to the airport in Seattle without missing our flight! Thank goodness we left in the am because by pm yesterday, the airport was FLOODED with Amanda Knox supporters and national media. Though I would have loved to greet her!

FAIL: I couldn't for the life of me get Casey to stop crying as we walked to our gate. Everyone around me was glaring at me as if to say, "Dear God, please do NOT let this girl be on my flight!"

WIN: I love that Alaska Airlines lets you board before everyone else including first class. YESSSSSSSS!

FAIL: I pumped before our flight in order to give Casey a bottle for take-off and landing because that way I can control his sucking a little better. This is truly not for feeding purposes as much as it is to help him clear his ears. I tried to thaw out my milk in the sink but there was no hot water. Actually, there was no water at all. So the flight attendent had to give me a barf bag filled with hot water. I about spilled it all over my lap. But in case you're wondering, they did have the water turned on by the time we took off.

WIN: Nobody came to sit in the middle seat of our row. That meant Casey layed out on that seat for two hours straight during the flight and smiled at me the entire time. My dream baby!

FAIL: We had a lot of turbulence and at one point the pilot told us we'd need to stay seated for at least 15 minutes. About 2 seconds after that annoucement we started bouncing around, dropping and coming back up, dropping and coming back up. Just then Casey took a huge poop. HUGE. It leaked out all up his back, down both of his legs and onto me, too.

WIN: This smarty-pants mama packed a change of clothes for Casey and for myself in the event that this would happen. One of about 1,928,000 reasons why I love and miss my cloth diapers. It's just easier to travel and move using disposables...but I can't wait to return to my new amazing diapering system. I haven't had a single leak! Darned disposables.

WIN: This month is the 4 year anniversary of Alaska Airlines flying to Hawaii, so they have really good Hawaiian inspired meals available in-flight for purchase. I got Chicken and soba noodles. It was pretty good for airline food!

FAIL: Casey has incredible timing. He will almost always fuss and get hungry right as i'm starting to eat (or as Aaron and I sit down to eat). Yesterday on the plane was no exception! So I tried to eat one-handed but this is not easy with stringy noodles. I dropped a big glob of them right on his head. About an hour later, I leaned down to kiss his head and it smelled of teriyaki sauce! Oops...

WIN: Casey fell asleep right before we landed so the trip ended well. :)

We have just the sweetest boy in the world. I love him as my travel companion and he reminds me to just take a deep breath and laugh at the craziness of life!

While You Were Sleeping

2011-09-15T17:00:00.004-04:00

During Casey's 2.5 afternoon nap, I made this! I've been looking around for just the right blue-beaded nacklace for months now. Everything I found was either not quite right or too expensive. So I walked up to The Potomac Bead Company today on King Street and bought all the things I needed to create my own necklace. I've discovered that jewelry making might just be my new crafting obsession! After a quick tutorial from the store saleswoman, I whipped this up in about 25 minutes at home. It's a good thing it was a quick DIY project because Casey woke up screaming about 2 minutes after its completion! Tis life! :)

P.S. I really need a better camera. And speaking of cameras, I'm eyeing this even though it would be just for fun. Who doesn't LOVE instant pictures?!

Three Months!

2011-09-03T19:03:00.004-04:00

Holy smokes! We have a THREE month old in da house! I feel like a broken record, but time sure flies. It's true! But we fall more and more in love with Case every single day. He cracks us up all the time with his sweet smiles and coos. He talks to me while I nurse him now. It melts this mama's heart! He will often look up at me inbetween sucks and just coo away with smiles, then he goes back to his grubbin' business. It's adorable.

Also, his latest thing is that he really grabs now! Just last week he did this:

On Friday, he grabbed his burp cloth and pulled it up over his face a few times. I got so excited! You gotta enjoy each and every little thing as a parent. It's all so special!

His cry no longer sounds like a newborn, but more like a baby. Anyone who has children knows exactly what i'm talking about. It's bittersweet to watch our handsome boy grow up! Each new phase brings new joy, but it also comes at the cost of leaving things behind. He is most certainly not a "little" baby anymore. He just weighed in at almost 13 lbs. this past week! But in many ways, he will ALWAYS be my baby (even when he's 40!) Our life was truly so dull without him...we just didn't know it at the time. :) Case is a very, very smiley baby. He likes to smile with his mouth wide open just like his daddy did when he was a baby.

He was supposed to have his first plane ride experience, but plans took a huge turn. I think most people know now that we're moving to San Antonio Texas! Aaron took a promotion with his engineering firm and their main office is located there. We should have been there for the holiday weekend looking for a rental house, but there was a terrible accident on the way to the airport and we missed our flight. We literally sat on the freeway for hours. I feel awful for whoever was involved, but the timing of everything couldn't have been worse. Southwest said we could fly on stand-by the next day for free, but we would have to be on stand-by out of Baltimore then again at a connection before getting to San Antonio. There was just no way we were gonna do this with a baby on a holiday weekend, especially if we got stuck in some random place unable to get a connection. There's literally no other time we can fly out before we actually move, so now we're working with an agent to apply for a rental sight-unseen. I'm not at all thrilled about this because it was really important to me that we familiarize ourselves a bit with area and find a place we felt safe in. Aaron will be traveling one week out of each month with his company. But, for reasons we may never know, God clearly didn't want us in Texas this weekend.

Casey will now have his first plane ride experience when just he and I fly out to Seattle on the 22nd of September to visit family for two weeks. Aaron's mom is flying down from Alaska so we are SO excited to have this time with everyone before our big move! Pray for me though - I'm honestly nervous about a 5 hour flight by myself with the little man! Plane rides make me anxious anyway. But i'm sure we'll be just fine.

5 Billion Uses

2011-08-29T14:49:00.007-04:00

I love coconut oil and I use it A LOT. Maybe not quite for 5 billion things, but I swear it can be used in so many different, healthy ways! You can find a variety of uses and health benefits in this blog. I can't confirm it works for all of these things, but I found this list quite interesting!

Currently, I use coconut oil mostly for cooking (super healthy - Thanks Kristine for introducing me to its foody greatness!) as well as for daily moisturizing. Yes, I most certainly lather straight up coconut oil all over my body! Now before you think "EWWW!" don't knock it 'til you try it! Contrary to what many might think, coconut oil goes on the skin quick and easy and you only need a small amount. The best part is that it leaves your skin feeling SILKY rather than oily -- I promise!! An added bonus is that your skin smells tropical (I prefer to pretent i'm on a private island drinking a margarita while being fanned by my own cabana boy). But seriously, I love this stuff. I also use it as my facial moisturizer. No breakouts. I keep a jar on the counter in my bathroom. Whole Foods sells it in a mason-style jar, so I just peeled the label off and now it looks like part of my bathroom decor! I paid only $6.99 for 14 oz. This jar will last you a loooong time. I love that I can dip into the same jar for a number of different reasons and that it's all natural. I can hardly believe all the crap that's in lotions and cosmetic nowadays. Yuck! Give coconut oil a try!

Ooh, we better wash that.

2011-08-22T15:20:00.003-04:00

No caption needed, really. May I add that those are Aaron's favorite shorts? He wears them over and over again until I sneak them off the floor and wash them. Oh, I love boys.

And since we're on the topic of diapers, we're getting ready to test out some cloth ones. We've decided on the Ecobums. I hope we like them! We're still not sure if cloth diapering is for us, but how do you know unless you try? I'm already tired of spending so much moolah on disposables! Now that Case is almost 3 months and not pooping 10 times a day, it seems like the right time to enter the cloth world. I'll also be using bamboo wipes. Fingers crossed!

Thankful

2011-08-14T20:29:00.004-04:00

We had such a scary event with Casey the other morning. We woke up early on Friday around 5:45 to him thrashing around in his bassinet. I quickly jumped to my feet and leaned over him to discover that he couldn't take a breath. I could hardly believe what I was seeing, but my adrenaline kicked in and I quickly picked him up (still in his swaddle blanket) and threw him face down on the bed. I had to pat his back for the longest approximate 10 seconds of my entire life until he finally took a big breath of air. Aaron and I were both absolutely stunned. I will never forget the look of terror on Casey's face. His eyes were almost popping out of his head and he had spit coming out of his mouth and mucous coming from both sides of his nose. To be honest, we both looked at each other afterwards and said, "Could he have just had a seizure?!" We just didn't know what to think. I felt like I had just ran a marathon, the way my heart was pounding!With tears still all over his face, Casey calmed down, looked at me and flashed the most adorable smile. It melted me and made me cry all at the same time. This mama was so scared! But it was almost like he was saying, "I'm OK, Mama!" I fed him and he fell back asleep for a bit and then I called the pediatricians office as soon as they opened. Looking back, I wish I would have just called the on-call doctor. They told me to go to the ER for some tests just to rule out anything serious. So we made the drive to the ER in Fairfax where they have a pediatric emergency room. I was pretty amazed. Everything was so pint-sized! I snapped a few pictures on my phone but I'm not sure I can upload them to the computer. The blood pressure cuff was so tiny and they even had me put an infant hospital gown on him. It was so precious and pitiful all at the same time. Casey was such a champ...all the doctors and nurses loved him and kept saying how cute and sweet he was. I couldn't agree more!! He only cried when they gave him an IV to draw blood. He was so, so good! Praise God all the tests came back normal. There were absolutely no signs pointing towards a seizure (no lethargy, muscle weakness, etc.) The final diagnosis is that he has an acid reflux problem, so he's now on an antibiotic. They say he most likely aspirated stomach acid into his lungs and had trouble clearing it. They also said he most likely would have eventually cleared it on his own. We're trying not to play the "what if" game. We can only hope and pray that it never happens again. It was absolutely terrifying.

We cuddle and squeeze and kiss our Case-Man all the time, but we hold him just a bit tighter after all that happened. We are so thankful for his health. He is our treasure! We are also thankful beyond words for all of the prayers from friends and family!

How Do I Explain?

2011-08-10T10:56:00.002-04:00

How do I explain just how much I love my boy? There are no words that do it justice. I don't get to style my hair or do my make-up much anymore. I rarely get a shower before noon and my body isn't nearly as "fit" as it used to be, but I'm happier than I've ever been. My entire heart and life are forever changed! I love you, Casey Lowell Meredith!

Calling

2011-08-05T13:10:00.006-04:00

Each of us has one. My passion is quite possibly very different from your passion and that's ok. If you haven't already picked up on this over the years, my passion is for women who have had or are considering an abortion. Sometimes that means talking them through the decision before they make it and other times that means talking them through their decision afterwards. I prefer to call this my ministry because it's from the heart. For a while, I got paid to do this work. But it wasn't about the money. Honestly, I got paid very little.

When I first found myself in this ministry, I might have said it happened by "accident." To make a long story short, I found myself in a Planned Parenthood clinic in Washington DC. DC and Maryland have some of the most lax abortion regulations. The room was filled with young women of various minorities. Contrary to what a supporter of "choice" might think, I was not there to do research. Though it's important to note that poor communities are targeted by abortion clincs (and also leads to the question of: Do we seek to protect the poor or exploit the poor?) Rather, I was there for personal reasons. But for this particular post, that is neither here nor there. When I walked in, I was told it was a "termination only day." Initially this rolled off my back. But as I sat in the waiting room and watched these women be filed in and out for their abortions, I could hardly believe what I was seeing. I still ask myself, "Do I really live in a country that thinks it's just A-OK to kill babies?? This is a country that's supposed to protect women's rights. When you reach into her womb, you are violating her most sacred capability. And I'll be honest...as I watch this country in economic crisis, particularly with health care, I say with confidence that until we become a country that protects human life, those who are the most vulnerable - the poor, the hungry, the sick, etc. will never be protected by this government. Plain and simple. Let me make a comparison for just a moment....when we see images of starving children, do we just sit back and say, "Hey, we should just let them die. They'd be better off. At least their suffering would end." NO! We say, "What can I DO to help?!" But then why do we say when it comes to unplanned/undesired pregnancy, "Let's just end the life...this child shouldn't have to suffer." Well, I still say the same, "What can I do to help??"

After that morning in Planned Parenthood, that's exactly what I prayed and God answered in a mighty way. Just a few short months later, I entered into the pregnancy center ministry. Though I've taken a step back for a period of time to raise my son, I know without a doubt that my calling has not changed. If anything, the fire is feuled even more. Each time I look at my son...his innocense....how perfectly he is formed.....how completely unique and individual he is.....I know that life is a miracle.

There are many babies I know I will see one day in Heaven. One in particular, and a client I grew to love and have such a bond with, will forever stand out in my mind. This young woman's child at 10 weeks was the very first time I had ever witnessed life via an ultrasound. I was stunned. That sweet baby waved back and fourth at the screen. I could hardly believe my eyes. After many conversations and tears, this young woman made the decision to go ahead with an abortion at 14 weeks. I saw her afterwards and she was broken, yet she believed it was the only way. We had many conversations. I shared with her the greatest truth of forgiveness in Christ. A few weeks later, I got the most beautiful vision that I would one day see that little one in Heaven and know him or her by name. And there will come a day when I will be able to see that sweet face and say, "I saw you. I knew you. You are human." What a wonderful reunion that will be.

You see, it is not a choice to sit back and accept that 1 in 3 women has had an abortion and millions suffer from that decision with each passing day. It's a calling to do something about it.

Today I turned on the TV and the Dr. Phil show came on. I wouldn't normally watch this show...just not my thing. But today's show was different. It was about "secret regrets." One young woman came on the show to talk through her secret regret. The regret of abortion. I sat on the floor cuddling my Casey boy as I physically ached for her. Her pain was so real and raw. She was so honest and for that I have the utmost respect. She spoke on behalf of millions of silent women. She, like so many others, thought it was her only option. I was thankful for Dr. Phil's remarks to her. To be honest, I was a bit surprised. He provided her with long-term counseling and also suggested to her that "good could come out of it." He said, "perhaps one day you will work for a crisis hotline (maybe a little shout-out to pregnancy centers?!) and help another young woman in your same position. I think what I hate the most about the abortion issue is how its become so "political." Yuck. I hate that word. Once something becomes political, it's like rolling dice. Life is no longer an absolute, it's to be questioned...messed with. What the heck. I hate you, politics! The greatest tragedy of Roe v. Wade wasn't the legalization of abortion (though still terrible) it was the mind-set it created - Such that choosing to have an abortion is really no different than trying to decide what to eat for dinner. No. Big. Deal. I care enough about women's rights that I say it is a big deal. I care enough about women's "silent suffering" in the aftermath.

I am called.

I am so grateful that I am called to stand up for women, children and men (they suffer, too.) States don't require a married woman by law to inform her legal husband of an abortion. He never has a chance. So in an effort to give women more rights, we've stolen them from men. Selah.....Whenever there's a winner, there's always a loser.

I look forward to the many more women I will come to love through this calling. There is nothing greater than seeing a wounded person find healing. I thank God he has given me Casey as a reminder of the fire he's placed within me. I pray for this nation and the impact we have on the rest of the world. I pray we become a nation who values life. For from that comes true value for health, well-being and unconditional love.

Big Boy!

2011-08-03T18:09:00.004-04:00

Our sweet Casey boy is two months today! I know I sound like every other new mom out there, but I truly can hardly believe how fast he's growing up. He's learning new things every day. Today we had his two-month check-up and he weighs 10 lbs. 11 oz! He's still only in the 15th percentile, but still growing steadily. He's also officially wearing 3 months clothing and can only wear a few outfits that are 0-3 months. He got a few vaccines today and it was a bit traumatizing...for ME that is! It just breaks my heart. He was super smiley and happy at the entire appointment and then - BAM - those darn shots! I may or may not have cried when I told Aaron about it after he got home from work. I'll give a run-down here of his likes and dislikes:

Likes:

-His paci (Actually, this might belong in the "obsessed" category.) That'll be a fun habit to break!
-Being held
-Being sung to. His favorite is when I sing him a song that goes "Hey beautiful boy. Mommy loves you, she loves you. Most beautiful boy, in the whole wide world." It's supposed to be "girl" but of course I changed those lyrics. ;)
-Tummy sleeping. The pediatrician has warned me about this, but I only let him do it right now during naps. He's still a back sleeper at night until he can roll over sometime in the next two months.
-EATING! My goodness, this boy can eat. He nurses at least 7 times each day (and still at night...sigh....) and he scarfs it down in about 10 minutes. No messing around here.
-Standing - He's a very strong little guy!
-Being outside - He's not too fond of the stroller sometimes, but as soon as we get outside he's perfectly content.
-His Daddy! Case looooves Aaron. I know he loves me too, but right now I think it's because he knows I feed him! With Aaron, he just sits and stares at him, becomes calm as soon as Aaron holds him, and typically falls asleep too. However, he will not sleep for his mommy very often. Stinker.
-Skyping - I think he's fascinated by the colors and movement on the computer.
-Taking baths
-Swaddling arms out

Dislikes:

-Sleeping on his back
-Having his diaper changed. I often say to him while he's screaming, "Really?? You don't want me to clean your poopy butt?!"
-Getting out of the bath. Hates. It.
-When I leave the room. He notices now!
-Swaddling arms in - This, I have to say, is the fault of the hospital. They said it was "better for his development" to have his arms out. Now I feel like calling them and inviting them over at 2 a.m. when my child has startled himself out of a deep sleep. GRRR.
-Napping (but only with his frustrated mama!)

He's now smiling a ton and starting to make noises when he smiles, too. I'm thinking we might get a laugh out of him very soon! He's definitely found his voice. He coos quite a bit and we, of course, think it's the darn cutest thing ever!

Aaron and I are having so much fun with this kid. Aaron always says, "I just love him!" whenever he's holding him. I couldn't agree more!

Melt-Down

2011-07-22T13:20:00.002-04:00

Mama said there'd be days like these.....

Case has decided to boycot his naps today. It's now 1:30 and he hasn't slept since he woke up at 9 a.m. this morning. I've tried it all....changing, feeding, rocking, paci............AHHHhh. Poor baby. I just don't know what else to do, so i'm currently letting him sit in his bouncy seat and cry. I feel like a terrible mother. But what more can I try?? He is beyond.tired. I'm sitting here crying while he cries. It's a sight to see. Somehow blogging seemed appropriate while I attempt to keep my sanity.

Sincerely,
-A new mommy who just wants to take a shower.

Say HI!!

2011-07-12T08:53:00.002-04:00

I'm just missing my grandparents and wanted to say hello! Love you!

A Wedding and a Tough Decision

2011-07-10T16:17:00.005-04:00

Today my dearest, best college friend is getting married in California. Today I am sitting in my living room in Virginia writing this. I'm fighting back the tears to even make this post! I was supposed to be there, in the wedding, but Aaron and I made the difficult decision that it was just too much for me to go out there with Casey so soon after his birth. There are many reasons we came to this decision. I know I've disappointed my sweet friend, but I don't think anyone could possibly be more disappointed than I am. Bre and I have walked with each other through so many life experiences, it feels surreal that I'm missing quite possibly the most important one. Life is full of tough decisions, but that doesn't mean it gets easier to make them.

Bre, I love you and I pray blessings over your special day. You are so dear to my heart. Cheers to this beautiful new start! xoxo

Packin' on the Lb's!

2011-07-04T20:10:00.008-04:00

We had Casey's One-Month check-up today and he went from 7 lbs. 3 oz. to almost 9 lbs. in just about two weeks. We can hardly believe it! I'm exclusively breast feeding and things are going very well! We have quite the eater on our hands. So while he's working on gaining, I on the other hand am working on losing. I had my first two mile run since being pregnant. I ran a half marathon when I was 4 weeks along (didn't know I was growing a baby yet!) and let me tell you, two miles felt H-E-double hockey sticks. How does that happen?! Someday i'll get back in shape, but this experience is so worth it! Casey is truly a gift and we love him to pieces! I can hardly believe we already have a one-month old!

Lovin' My Boy!

2011-06-23T16:44:00.005-04:00

We took Case to his first baseball game at Nationals Stadium the other night. The Mariners are in town, but sadly they've lost both their games so far. We still had fun though! Casey is such a chill little guy. He sat through 7 innings of the baseball game and didn't let out a single cry. He fell asleep on Aaron at about 8 p.m. and stayed that way until we got home at 10:30 and I fed him.

At this point, he gets up to eat 2-3 times a night. Sometimes he'll go as much as 4 hours before wanting to eat again, but this is still a rare occurance. I know it'll get better as he gets older! For the most part i've been feeling pretty good even with the lack of sleep. I'm starting to adjust to the demands! But I will say that today i'm painfully tired.

He continues to eat like a champ! I am so fortunate that he latched great from the day he was born and my milk supply came in full when he was just 3 days old. Nursing was tough at first - and still has its challenges - I finally broke down and starting using a shield, but then I couldn't get him to latch without it! So I went to see the amazing lactation specialist at his pediatricians office and of course, he latched right away while she was watching. Little stinker! She said it happens all the time. I laughed and said he was a show-off. So now i'm able to nurse him without the shield (or with it if necessary) which is great! All of that to say, I've realized that you have to just stick it out with nursing even when it down right hurts and you really just want to quit and start giving the kid a bottle! I'm hoping I can nurse him full-time for 6 months and then quit completely after 12 months. That's my goal!

Case's weight gain is great, too! When we left the hospital, he was 5 lbs, 12 oz and then at 3 days old he was back up almost to his birth weight (6.5). At his 2 week appointment he was 6.14 and then on Tuesday of this week (just 4 days later) he was already at 7.3! My little champ! It's hard to believe I already have a 3 WEEK OLD! These 3 weeks have flown by it seems. It truly is amazing how quickly a baby changes, so i'm soaking up every single second! I am SO grateful that i'm able to stay home full time and watch him as he grows. I don't take it for granted at all! I'm sitting here as I type listening to him make little noises (and fill his pants...HAHA!) and I can hardly put to words how much I love him.

Baby Casey is here!

2011-06-10T19:23:00.012-04:00

Casey Lowell Meredith (after my dad) 6 lbs, 5 oz and 19 inches of perfect love!

I'm so excited to make this post because we've been waiting! Baby Casey arrived on Friday, 3 June at exactly 11:45 a.m. On Thursday night, I was feeling funny so I went to bed around 10 p.m. I told Aaron I was frustrated because I felt like I needed to pee every 10 minutes - I was feeling so much pressure! I got up out of bed after I had only been laying down for about 15 minutes and I felt something trickling down my leg. I quickly realized that my water was leaking. I yelled out to Aaron, "Babe, I think i'm in labor! It's happening!" Within a few minutes I was feeling strong contractions about 7 minutes apart. I called the doctor on call and he said to go ahead and come into the hospital because they needed to give me antibiotics (for being GBS positive - no big deal though). Aaron wanted to stop by his office to see if he could pick up his work computer since he obviously wouldn't be going into work the next day. By the time we got to his office just a few miles away, I was in a lot of intense pain and I said, "My contractions feel really close....is it all supposed to happen this fast?" Contractions had gone from 7 minutes to about 5 minutes apart in less than a half hour. They got so strong that about 10 minutes from the hospital I made Aaron pull to the side of the road to let me pee. I could NOT hold it! And yes, I really did pee right along a side-walk....and an elementary school. Such a fine moment.

Once at the hospital, they checked me into my room and had me put a gown on. That's when my water completely broke. Once that happened, things really picked up even more. Within the next half hour or so, my contractions were about 2 minutes apart. After having zero relief for a bit, I opted for an epidural and do not feel bad about it. In fact, Aaron and I were both able to sleep for a few hours that night. So at midnight I was 4 centimeters, by 3 a.m. I was around 5, by 7 a.m. I was at 8 and by 9 a.m. I was a full 10! My mom had hopped a red eye flight from Seattle and got to the hospital right around 9. By 10 a.m. I was feeling enough pressure to start pushing. I had the most incredible nurse named Kim who made the experience so wonderful! Aaron and my mom were a huge help too. And to top it off, my most favorite OB happened to be on call (I had prayed for this!) So after only 1.5 hours of pushing, our sweet baby Case was out and in my arms! It was such an incredible experience! I could hardly believe I was holding him and seeing his face. By far the best moment of my life! It's almost surreal to Aaron and I that this little person is part of us. And only about 12 hours of labor, start to finish- I think that was the Lord's mercy on me for having such a rough pregnancy!

Now we are home getting used to our new life! So far, Case is a great sleeper and eater. My milk supply came in after only 3 days. Nursing is one of the most challenging things I've ever done, but i'm so thankful that my body is cooperating so that I can do it. I really enjoy our mommy/baby time and we're getting better at it with each new day. My mom has been such a HUGE help. Aaron has been able to work since she's here and we honestly don't know what we'd do without her!

Aaron is the most incredible daddy and is loving his new son. They're so cute together when they cuddle. I'm already seeing a new, even softer side of my beloved husband. It's so wonderful!! We couldn't be happier. We thank God for blessing us the way he has!

39 Weeks....Whew!

2011-06-02T14:07:00.003-04:00

Alright, so no picture this week, just an update! I saw my OB today and we've made more progress since last week. I'm 2 cm dialated and almost completely thinned out now (I was 90 percent effaced with less than 1/2 cm dialation last week). Dr. Anderson asked me about my contractions. My response was, "Hmmm....what contractions??" I say this because all I've really had is a ton of pressure downstairs and lots of painful menstrual-like cramping. She was surprised at my response because she said she could feel his head and in her words, "If this kid drops anymore, he'll fall right out!" Wow, wouldn't it be nice if labor could be that easy! Ahhh, now I have this Beach Boys song stuck in my head. Boy, I sure get distracted easily.

Anyway, I think this stage is rather frustrating because 2 cm could mean a lot, or very little. I could stay this way for another week....or TWO! Yikes. I've decided that this little guy is very much like his daddy - super chill with the patience of a SAINT. No joke. Aaron's amazing like that. I, on the other hand, don't even pray for patience because God sits up there on His Throne of Glory laughing at me (i'm sure.)

Well, I think i'll go take a long walk in this 90 degree, humid weather in hopes of dehydrating myself and starting contraction. Ok, JOKING about the dehydration part, but I admit i'm kinda curious about contractions so I hope they start. Yes, I will be retracting that statement once they're in full swing. And yes, I'll probably hit someone in the face. Hopefully you won't be the one in my way! ;)

38 Weeks - Are we done yet?!

2011-05-25T08:24:00.005-04:00

Birthday dinner - Please excuse my terrible posture!

The anxiety is starting to set in. When will he get here? How much longer will I be pregnant, uncomfortable, tired, cranky, etc.?? I'm thankful i'm one of the lucky few who hasn't had ANY heart burn. But the backpain, pressure and cramping are making me look like i'm 90 years old when I walk around! I feel pretty yucky, but i'm hangin' in there. I think my biggest fear at this point isn't the labor, it's finding myself still pregnant at 42 weeks. That would mean 4 more weeks from now! I need to stop thinking that way!

So, let's talk about something HAPPY! Monday was my 27th Birthday and Aaron treated me to a romantic dinner at our favorite Italian place. It really reminds us of Italy. The food is all made from scratch and the Italian family who owns it has been running it for many, many years. We've had really hot, humid weather and it was storming a bit the night we went to dinner, but we still decided to sit outside at a table under an umbrella. The rain and the experience reminded us of our favorite night in Venice Italy almost two years ago. Aaron surprised me with a prenatal massage which I've already booked for next week (trying to stay busy!) I have the world's most wonderful husband! It was a bit strange to think that it was my last birthday without a baby! But we're ready for it. Come on little guy! We want to see you!

My next OB appointment is on Friday, so they'll finally be checking me to see the progress i've made...if any. Saying our prayers!

37 Weeks!

2011-05-18T10:05:00.004-04:00

Aaron with his fish - getting his "fix" before our baby boy makes his appearance!
Sam (Aaron's brother) and our buddy Stan

From what i've been reading, apparently 37 weeks is "technically" full-term. So can I say that we've arrived?! But I have a feeling this child is not coming out just yet. :) A few of my doctors have said he could come as late as June 11 because he measured slightly different on two early first trimester ultrasounds. Can they ever really know for sure?! I don't think so. I'm actually A-OK with it because i've already come this far....what's 3 more (or perhaps more!) weeks?? But I must say, this stage of the pregnancy is d-r-a-g-g-i-n g.....on......and......ON! There is nothing like the anticipation of seeing your first born's face - i'm convinced! What will he look like? Will he be even HALF as handome as Aaron?? Will he have dark hair? No hair? Curly hair? What will he weigh? What will it be like to touch his fingers and toes for the first time?? I could go on and on but I think you get the picture.

I'm feeling pretty good for the most part. The baby is quite crowded, so i've been feeling a lot of discomfort on my pressure points and it knocks the wind out of me! I talked to the doctor on the phone about this and he said they may want to check those pressure points (not sure what that means, but maybe i'll find out tomorrow at my check-up). He is still moving regularly, but very slowly. I'm curious how he's positioned - though I know he's head down - because I never feel his feet kicking. I'm wondering if his legs are stretched out sideways instead of up?! So many questions!

I've continued to have "bouts" of morning sickness....oy. But I guess you could say i'm used to it now! Sad, isn't it? I haven't had any further signs of labor other than the usual cramping i've had since 34 weeks and a lot of pressure "downstairs" but for those who have had babies, I haven't yet experienced the other tell-tale signs of labor being on the horizon. I had one HUGE contraction a few nights ago. I thought for a moment it might have been the real thing. It wrapped around my entire lower back and stomach and was down-right PAINFUL! But it lasted about 20-30 seconds, went away and never returned...hmmmm.

Our fun May visitors have come and gone now. Aaron's brother Sam was here for about a week and the guys got a lot of fishing time in! Then Aaron's mom came to see us and just left yesterday. We loved having them both here! So now you can imagine me sitting around wondering what the heck to do with these last few weeks! Not so fun! But on the bright side, my 27th Birthday is next week, so i'm hoping for a romantic night out on the town.

Baby boy Meredith will be here before we know it!

But baby, what will we do?

2011-05-09T09:02:00.004-04:00

Our worship pastor sang a song during our mother's day service yesterday and let me tell you, HOLY EMOTIONAL ME! Our pastor was preaching on the book of Proverbs and the importance of chapter 22, verse 6: "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." I think the reality that our son will learn from all we say and do is such a monumental responsibility! I know it might sound silly since i'm still pregnant (currently 36 weeks) but I know time will fly! First, I want to cherish all the moments when he's small and snuggly because I know the day may come when he's 14 and disinterested in my kisses and cuddles. And right now it may seem far off, but perhaps sooner than I think the day will come when he's married and having babies of his own. The best thing Aaron and I can do for him is to teach and direct him so that he can go out on his own to impact the world for good.

Aaron and I have a prayer for him that will eventually hang in his nursery. A good friend of our family painted a picture (a watercolor! Watch the video/song and you'll know why this is so fitting!) with the prayer on it:

*For Your Salvation: to have a place in the kingdom
*For godly character: to be a credit to the kingdom
*To become a servant of others: to be used to promote the kingdom

Above all other things, we pray he loves Jesus, but more importantly that he knows how much Jesus loves him. And also that he will have a heart for the world and desire to love ALL of God's human creation.

I actually grew up listening to this song in the 80's - gotta love the early Christian music movement! But it never meant much to me until now. The video is pretty old, so hopefully you can look past the rockin' hair do's and outfits from that era (or perhaps you're like me and still in love with it!) Either way, enjoy...and grab a tissue!

Watercolor Ponies by Wayne Watson

There are watercolor ponies on my refrigerater door
And the shape of something I don't really recognize
Drawn by careful little fingers and put proudly on display
A reminder to us all of how time flies

Seems an endless mound of laundry
And a stairway laced with toys
Gives a blow by blow reminder of the war
That we fight for their well-being
For their greater understanding
To impart a holy reverance for the Lord

But, baby, what will we do
When it comes back to me an you?
They look a little less like little boys every day
Oh, the pleasure of watching the children growing is mixed with a bitter cup
Of knowing the watercolour ponies will one day ride away

And the vision can get so narrow
As you view through your tiny world
And little victories can go by with no applause
But in the greater evaluation
As they fly from your nest of love
May they mount up with wings as eagles for His cause

What Do You Do?

2011-05-05T12:44:00.004-04:00

What do you do when you search around for a cute laundry bag for your kid's clothes and all the hampers you find are too big, cheap-looking, not cute, etc.?? Well, you make one! I snagged this adorable fabric off Amazon.com (yes, I LOVE Amazon and pretty much buy everything from them) and made this laundry bag for just under $10. It's perfect! I'm really into the elephants and giraffes for this kid. We'll see when we go to actually decorate a nursery at some point if the theme sticks! Also, I had to show everyone a picture of his bed/stroller and diaper bag. I might have gone with a "cutesy" bag but thought better of it once I reminded myself that Aaron would NEVER hold or carry a cute bag for me. So, my decision came with alterior motives. :) Go Huskies!!

And here we are....35 weeks!

35 Weeks....

2011-05-03T08:06:00.003-04:00

I really want to post a picture, but I just don't have the energy to do it! I'm still waiting on some test results from my OB to make sure they diagnosed my infection correctly. In the mean-time, they told me to stay on bed rest. I've been feeling a lot of nausea off and on again for about the past week or so. It feels just like my earlier pregnancy morning sickness. This morning, I threw up while eating breakfast. I just feel DONE! Sorry I sound like a complainer....I know i'm being a complainer right now.....but this pregnancy thing is not for the faint of heart and it's feeling extra tough today. I've spent most of the last 8 months now feeling like I have a flu bug. :(

I'm feeling so ready and anxious to meet this little boy who is our son. I'm already so in love with him and I just want to look in wonder at his beautiful face! And i'll admit, i'd like to shed this pregnancy feeling too!!

My OB ran some test last week to determine if i'd go into labor within the next two weeks. She called and said it came back negative, so I guess we're in the "clear" for at least another 1.5 weeks. I have no clue how they can test for that! Pretty amazing I guess. Anyway, baby boy and I would love your prayers over the next few weeks. I know his birth date is in God's hands, not mine or anyone elses.

I can do it, I can do it, I can do it.....

Bed Rest

2011-04-29T14:23:00.002-04:00

I just got back from an OB appointment and am actually having some signs of pre-term labor, so i've been put on bed rest to see if it helps. Turns out (sorry...TMI) I have some sort of bacterial infection that has caused my cervix to soften quite a bit and I started having contractions last night - No wonder I was up for 3 hours in the wee hours of the morning! I had back pain and just felt AWFUL last night, so I crawled into bed around 9:15. Then I woke up with menstrual-like cramping at midnight. It was a good thing I mentioned it at my appointment today because I had kinda written it off for some reason.

Although i'm only 34 weeks, the doctor says not to worry because she's hoping the bed rest and prescription will calm things down. Though she said she thinks I may not make it past the end of May. Don't wanna get my hopes up, only God knows! But this kid really does need to stay in and strengthen his lungs for even a few more weeks. It's hard to believe we could actually have him any day!

The good news is that I put on about 3-4 more lbs. (my mom fed us well when she was here!) and our boy's head is down, so he's getting ready. :) Such a good boy!

Better Than I Deserve

2011-04-25T11:18:00.007-04:00

Couples baby shower BBQ!

My wonderful parents

We're on the home-stretch! I'm 34 weeks today and feeling pretty good....better than I deserve! My feet have been swelling a bit in the evenings, so i'm trying to take it easy these days. My parents flew back home after spending about a week with us. It was SO WONDERFUL. I love my parents. They're just a ton of fun and so loving. My mom cooked meals almost every night and made extra to put in our freezer for after the baby is born. My dad fixed our wireless printer (hooray!) and tracked down floor mats for our new Pilot which will come in handy for Aaron's fishing trips. It's much easier to clean mats than carpet! And then I joked about how if this kid is anything like me, he'll get car sick a lot and it'll be easier to clean up puke, too. Ha! I cannot express how thankful I am for them! It was hard to say goodbye yesterday, of course. It gets "easier" being so far away, but it's always just as hard to say goodbye after our visits together. But they'll be back in about a month! My mom plans to be out here for the delivery (we'll see when!) and my dad will fly out right after the little guy is born. My dad and I were saying how strange it is to think that the next time we see each other, we'll be holding our boy! I can't wait.

Our neighbors threw us a couples baby shower BBQ. What a great idea! The weather was beautiful and we were reminded, yet again, how COMPLETELY BLESSED we are to have the friends we do. With Easter being this past weekend, I spent one evening just thanking God for who He is and how He has blessed us. I was filled with so much joy from simply having a heart of thankfulness....i'm thankful for Salvation and that I'm completely loved and forgiven, I have the best husband - He's more than I could have ever dreamed of and he'll be the BEST dad in the world. And my friend Erica wrote in a card to us that she loves being a mom so much that she even loves the sleep depravation (even when it's really hard!) I know that might seem hard to wrap your mind around, but reading that was so encouraging to me! I will never take for granted the gift of being a mom and will be forever grateful for it. I'm even thankful for the little things - Like when "junior" tries to stick his elbow through my skin. ;) His movements are getting very wild! Not painful, just very noticeable - almost "alien-like" but actually very human! I love him so, so much.

Can we say...

2011-04-13T17:28:00.005-04:00

HUGE!? We're at 32 weeks and getting antsy! Thank goodness I have so much to look forward to between now and when little "junior" arrives. Today I had an amazing pedicure, courtesy of my awesome, sweet co-workers at the pregnancy center, Saturday my parents come to visit us for just over a week, and then in May Aaron's brother and mom come to see us. YAY! I love having people in town. I also hopped on a scale today and discovered that i've gained somewhere between 5 and 7 lbs. My OB's will be very pleased. This is a huge praise! I gotta give a little shout-out to Kristine, an amazing nutritionist who has been so instrumental in helping me eat my way to healthy weight gain!

Just Breathe...

2011-04-11T07:15:00.005-04:00

Today things are already off to a rough start, but i'm hopeful! I didn't sleep well at all last night and this morning i'm just feeling downright anxious. We had our hospital tour yesterday - making all things real - and i'm 32 weeks. This little goose needs to bake a while longer, but I can't help feeling "ready" to hold and cuddle him. I just can't wait to see his face. I'm thinking about God and how you can't see him but you can feel him. Sometimes you question if he's really there. I know he is. I feel him all around me and see the marvelous works of his hands! Our baby (surprise name) boy is sort of making me feel like that, too. I feel him, I know he's there but I just can't wait to see him! Last night he had the hiccups when I went to bed and then again this morning around 6:45 a.m. Not sure what I ate yesterday, but something that perhaps didn't settle right with him! That's the first time i've ever felt him hiccup. :) Kinda cute! I actually broke down this morning in tears and asked Aaron to go into work late. Yeah, i'm completely off my rocker. Then I caught myself...."No!" I said. And I wondered why I actually asked him to go into work late just because I can't get my crazy, pregnant, emotional self together. I'll post again later with a picture! Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7-8

The Familiar Anticipation

2011-03-25T12:06:00.010-04:00

One of the first pictures Aaron and I ever took together. :)

I've recently been reflecting on the parallels of this time of my life with another. Four years ago during this same time, I was anticipating a meeting with Aaron. See, we had started emails and phone chats more than a year before we actually got to see each other in person (I hadn't seen him since before I moved away to LA for college.) During the summer of 2006, Aaron sent me an email saying that he would be deployed to the middle east for 6 months that fall. At the same time, I was finishing up my final semester at Azusa Pacific. We both had important things to accomplish. From September to March, I hung on every word from every phone call and every word from every email. I didn't know how life would turn out, but I trusted everyday that God had a divine plan.

I had struggled through some things from my past through college and found it difficult to comprehend if reconnecting with the man I would soon marry could really be happening right then. But it was! I graduated from Azusa in December of 2006 and moved back home with my parents. I got a good job that I enjoyed and continued to stay in touch with Aaron...knowing that I was falling in love with him, but not certain of his intentions. In January of 2007, I planned a trip out east to attend my college roommate Julie's wedding. I talked this over with Aaron because I knew it'd be a great opportunity to see him since he was stationed at Andrews AFB. So I booked my flight into DC with plans to visit Aaron and attend my girlfriend's wedding with him as my guest in Pennsylvania.

Aaron returned from his deployment in early March, but I still had to wait to reunite with him until June 1. I remember the months that followed feeling long and I was anxious, but now it seems like a blur! June came and I still remember the moment I walked off the plane and saw him: khaki shorts, flip flops and his striped blue polo. For the record, he can still recall what I was wearing, too. I knew this trip would define our relationship and it did. Aaron told me that he was in love with me and I moved out to DC that August to be closer to him. We were engaged 7 months later and married 13 months after we were reunited on that hot, humid day in early June. Yes, we planned our wedding in 4 months!

Now I sit here realizing that in a similar timeline, we anticipate the meeting of our precious son. It's March 25 and he's due to arrive in early June. I can't help but smile as I realize God's sense of humor in all of this. I actually love it. And I love my life with Aaron and the blessing of our son. I am so thankful for how things have turned out and I look forward to growing in patience (yet again!) over these final two months.

Write a Book?

2011-03-23T08:54:00.007-04:00

I reconnected with a friend from my past the other day and discovered that she's pregnant with a boy and due just a few weeks before me. It's times like this that I LOVE Facebook! We started talking about our pregnancy experiences and also realized that we've had a very similar journey. So we joked about writing a book that we'd title, "The No BS Book about Pregnancy." What do you think? Maybe I should google that one to make sure no one else has come up with the same genius idea. Please know that I write this post with a VERY light heart as I recount the past 7 (approx.) months and realize that no matter what, I am SO BLESSED to be carrying this precious little baby! But let me give you a few reasons why I think a book like this would be funny and encouraging for first time pregnant mamas who thought those 9 months would be sweet, beautiful and perhaps even glamorous (wishful thinking!). Maybe if I'd had a book like this, I would have accepted much earlier that I was pretty normal rather than abnormal (ha!). A lot of these things MOST women just do not talk about! But leave it to me (of course) to be shame free!:

1. Morning sickness is not just for the morning. You can have it anytime, all day!

2. Leaking boobs are not just for breast-feeding mamas. Oh no, that can begin much earlier.

3. One word: CONSTIPATION!

4. And another that quite possibly follows: Hemorrhoids. Oh yeah, nice.

5. Gas that comes out either end or often both at the same time! Your husband never thought you had it in you.

6. Passing out. It can happen anytime, anywhere. But I don't recommend throwing up all over your neighbor's living room right after you come back to. Ugh. (But I DO recommend having really sweet friends who don't hold it against you!)

7. Dizzy spells. It easily makes you want to throw up just watching someone turn in a circle.

8. Seriously MESSED UP eye sight! If you have 20/20 vision before pregnancy, enjoy it while it lasts! Though it often returns back to normal once the baby is born (so i'm told.)

9. Discovering that even your stretchy sports bra no longer fits. I never thought I'd have to "stuff" myself into something...if you're catching my drift. Wow, I almost can't decide if I might actually be excited about this!

10. Last, but not least, my personal "favorite." You might pee a little in your pants everytime you sneeze. Just sayin'.

So I have others I could list, but I thought I'd keep it to the "Top 10" for now. Thankfully I can laugh about most of these things now. Pregnancy is such a unique experience that I would go back and do again because I love my kid so much! Though let me be real folks, I won't be begging to do it again anytime too soon!

28 Weeks...Frustration!

2011-03-18T18:29:00.003-04:00

Today I had an OB appointment that didn't quite turn out how I had hoped! First, I did my glucose test which was actually nowhere near as exciting as I thought it'd be (ha!) Instead of peaking my interest, I was left with an awful tummy ache for most of the day. That stuff is
S-U-G-A-R-Y! Yuck! But i'm really not worried about my results. Then I met with the OB who is disappointed in my weight gain. Ugh. What's new? I've only gained 9 lbs. to date. I know what some reading this might be thinking...."Celebrate it!" "Feel lucky!" Because these are a few of the comments i've already heard. But the reality is it isn't good! Either end of the spectrum isn't good whether it's gaining too much weight or too little. I've just really struggled with pregnancy. I was sick for 24 whole weeks! Somtimes so sick I couldn't get out of bed. The doctor said this is why I haven't gained enough. Really....you think?!? But then why must doctors make you feel "abnormal" about it?? Now i'm just venting my frustration. The good news is that she measured me and said our boy is measuring spot on. So perhaps I haven't gained weight, but it seems that he has! Praise God. He must have been thinking, "Don't make my mommy feel bad" because as soon as she put her hand on my stomach to check his heart rate, he gave her a nice kick! Don't get me wrong though, all of my OB's are wonderful so i'm really not taking this personal. I know she's just trying to make sure we're all healthy over here! They're gonna check me again at 32 weeks and possibly order an ultrasound (if I still haven't gained much more weight) just to make sure things are ok. So we will be praying A LOT about this between now and then! But like I said, I think he's completely fine.

On the up-side, we got our stroller today and it ROCKS! We went with the UppaBaby Vista. I won't go on and on about all the millions of reasons why we love this stroller, but feel free to look it up if you're curious! And we were super excited to find a 2010 version instead of the 2011, so we did NOT pay $700 for our's! We paid half that. Yeah! I can't believe the price difference between the two and the features are completely the same. The major reason we love this stroller is because of its bassinet feature. Our little guy will not have the luxury of having a nursery (our place is a very small one bedroom!) so he will be sleeping next to our bed in the bassinet for a few months until we can get into a bigger place. Yes, a small place, but our hearts have so much love for this kid and that's all he needs!

Showered with so much love!

2011-03-14T13:02:00.007-04:00

The planners: Charlie, Chel and Brigitte
Girls just wanna have fun! Monique, baby Arianna, Anne, Brigitte, Chel, me, Charlie, Rebecca, baby Asa and Michelle :)
That friend you see on the far left looking so innocent holding her baby?! She shoved that cupcake in my face. Mmmmhmmmm!

How cute is this?!?

Seriously! Where do I even begin to share about all the FUN we had! I'm always thankful for the amazing girlfriends I have, but it's also overwhelming at times...in a good way! These girls are like sisters! Charlie, Chelsea and Brigitte planned this amazing shower for me and my boy. Charlie and Chel are both elementary school teachers - Can you tell? Brigitte is a graphic designer. They are so creative! The thing I love is that I look at this group of women and realize that the story I share with each of them is nothing short of an act of God. I met each of them in such unique ways. That never happens by accident! I feel soooooooo blessed!

Just Wondering...

2011-03-03T18:44:00.004-05:00

How does a pregnant lady go from looking like this to THIS in a matter of about 1.5 weeks?! Amazing! This kid is GROWING! I was really hungry when Aaron took this picture and sometimes that makes my tummy look larger, but now it just sounds like i'm making excuses for my "large load." :) I'm almost 27 weeks and feeling pretty good. Thank goodness the second half of pregnancy seems much better for me than the first!

Yes, I am THAT mom.

2011-02-25T15:57:00.003-05:00

...You know, that one that tries to do everything "just right" the first time around. Yeah, the one that makes all the "seasoned" mamas laugh (because they really know that nothing ever goes the way you imagine it!) and the whole reason why the book, "I was a really good mom until I had kids" hit the market. Well, today my OB gave me the paperwork for the hospital i'm delivering at. Though i'm not even quite 26 weeks, apparently the hospitals need the paperwork at least 60 days in advance. So what did I do after getting that paperwork? Went home and filled it out right away. I also admit that I started packing my hospital bag. Ok there. I outed myself.

First Baby Shower

2011-02-23T13:24:00.003-05:00

Aaron getting all prepped for diaper changes!

Aaron with his boss, AnnMarie

Our diaper cake, courtesy of Jen!

Some of the finished burp cloths i've been sewing (plus a few more patterns i'll be using.) One side is a cloth diaper, the other a fun pattern. Totally not necessary but oh-so-fun!

More hand-made burp cloths and blankets made for me by friends Jen Naipo - from back home in Olympia, and Brooke Johnson - the wife of a Major Aaron works with.

The dress I made...perfect for pregnancy and after!

Wow, first off, we are SO BLESSED. We couldn't ask for better friends than the ones we have. Jen, the wife of one of the Colonels Aaron works with, planned this amazing lunch/brunch baby shower for us and it was a blast! She even had a friend make an incredible peanut butter chocolate chip cheese cake. Um, YES! Aaron's boss was in town for meetings, so it was wonderful that she could be there. Almost everyone from his "section" in his office came to celebrate our little boy! Even a few wives came that we had never met before. It meant so much to us and we are thankful for the support system we have here. It's true that the people, not the place, always make home feel like home. We got set-up with a few things off our registry that we need and I have to say, it's fun (and strange at the same time) perparing for this kid! Sometimes I still can't believe i'm actually a mom. I had always hoped that one day i'd be preparing for this and here I am! Aaron is going to be such an incredible dad, too. Just last night, baby was moving around a ton. He likes to curl up on my left side in the evenings after dinner time. It makes my stomach look very lop-sided. Then I poke at my stomach just to mess with him. Aaron gives me a hard time for doing this, but seriously!? If you had a person growing inside your stomach, you'd mess with him too! It's amazing. Last night Aaron put his ear/head on my stomach and the little guy gave him a nice swift kick! Aaron jumped up and had such a big smile on his face. He loves it. :) We can't wait to kiss his sweet face!

25 Weeks!

2011-02-21T11:01:00.003-05:00

My sister asked for a "belly shot" so this one's for her. :) It's hard sometimes being far away from family because we miss out on many of the small, everyday things. Our little guy is definitely growing! Just this morning he was moving around so much that it looked like he wanted to jump out from the middle of my stomach. It cracks me up! And I love how it feels especially since he isn't quite big enough to kick my ribs yet - or else he's just being really nice to his mama! I think I've finally started gaining a little weight. I saw my general practitioner last week and if the scale there is right, i've put on about 8 pounds now. Yeah!

Today marks one week since I stopped taking my anti-nausea prescription. Zofran has helped me in many ways. For the past nine weeks its kept me from throwing up so I could keep food down. BUT, it brought with it many "fun" side effects. Sorry for TMI but it created terrible constipation. Since pregnancy already causes that, let's just say it was an interesting 9 weeks. Ready to put that behind me! I've felt nauseous off and on here and there, but i've promised myself I won't run for the Zofran unless I feel the puke coming up. It's better for me and our son to be off meds. Right now i'm battling a little cold so I feel somewhat out of it. Though overall, I seem to be finally gaining some energy. My dr. found that my iron is still a bit low, so i've started taking an extra supplement. I wondered from the beginning if this was part of my problem with feeling dizzy, but oh well. Better to try late than never! My food cravings are pretty minimal but I can't seem to get enough citrus! I'm obsessed with grapefruit specifically. I eat a half grapfruit just about everyday. I'm also loving Kashi brand foods right now. They have these meals I get from Whole Foods that have no additives or preservatives. They're low sodium and packed with protein, whole grains and veggies (quinoa, kale, etc.) I love them! Also, homemade taco salad seems to be a favorite. It's a good thing that Aaron loves all the things i'm craving these days! My weakness this week has been girl scout cookies....the caramel/coconut ones. What can I say! They are heavenly!

I have an OB appointment this Friday and I think i'll be sent for my glucose test. I'm very curious about it! I hear it tastes like really high-sugar soda. If that's true, it'll be a shock to my taste buds because soda has never been a part of my diet, let alone really sweet drinks.

I've started a few sewing projects and organizing some things for the baby, so my next post will be pictures and updates on all of that. I love crafting!

Who Will You Love?

2011-02-17T08:40:00.002-05:00

Romans 12:9 "Don't just pretend to love others, really love them."

Sometimes it seems easier to "love" others half-way and it becomes like fake love. It's easiest to respond this way to people who annoy, frustrate and make our lives more challenging. It's amazing how I learn to love the ones in my life better who are easy to love by practicing genuine love on people in my life who are difficult to love.

I have been so encouraged this morning is many ways after reading Romans chapter 12. God's word comes to life for me every time I open it. It truly is a changing from the inside out. Physically, I wake up most mornings feeling "fluish." Between allergies, nausea and exhaustion, it feels like I have to literally "peel" myself out of bed. Please don't mistake me for being a complainer, i'm simply sharing my reality. But this morning my devotion from "Jesus Lives" by Sarah Young (I highly recommend "Jesus Calling" also) spoke to living in constant hope. Because hope transcends our circumstances. Whether we are sad or happy, broken or encouraged, the hope we have in the saving grace of God through Jesus Christ is the joy we have to keep us going through another day. And simply calling upon the name of Jesus has healing power. I am being honest with you when I say that I already feel a whole lot better this morning...even physically. My body is weak, but my hearts desire to serve and honor God is still strong. And through that committment to my father, HE is my strength. Not my own body. Praise God for His never-ending faithfulness even through the daily struggles of this life.

Romans chapter 12 - probably one of my new favorite passages in the Bible. And to think i've read it before, it means so much more to me now than at other times. That's how God's word comes to life!

Let's Get Real

2011-01-24T18:16:00.002-05:00

My body does not love pregnancy. There. I said it. I actually don't feel bad anymore saying that, because it has NOTHING to do with how much I love my baby and carrying him in my body. But let's get real here, folks. I have been sick....real sick for most of my pregnancy so far. I'm still having to take a strong prescription to keep me from tossing my cookies all day long. On top of that, i'm tired all the time. Who said the 2nd trimester is the most wonderful?? Not me. And i've come to grips with the fact that for most people, that's true. But not for me. And you know what? I'm ok with that. Every kid is different, so every pregnancy is most certainly different. I have still been very dizzy and experiencing heart palpatations that are rather scary and uncomfortable. And for the 3rd time, I went to the ER last week. My experience was horrific after the dr. got all scientific and said I might need a CT-Scan to check for a blood clot in my lung (long story, won't get into it) that (in his very words) "could quite possibly kill your baby." What?!? Who says that to a first time pregnant woman who is alone in an ER with no support. Why would I get a CT-Scan when you're telling me it could kill my baby?! Terrible. I don't know how true all that was, but I didn't have the scan, though I did have a panic attack following that conversation. Not one of my proudest moments. It was a memory I would be OK with soon forgetting.

Instead, i'm now under the supervision of a cardiologist. I really don't think anything's seriously wrong with my heart, but my OB sent me to this guy just to be sure. So i'm now the proud owner - for the next two weeks - of a constant heart monitor. I am also having an ultrasound of my heart on Wednesday. Furthermore, i'm under strict orders not to get behind the wheel of a car until all of this testing is done. It's all for the good, but this certainly has and continues to be a long journey. Praise Jesus that our boy is doing perfectly fine. It really does appear to be me. And who knows, perhaps they will just confirm what I said at the beginning of this post - That my body does not love pregnancy. The funny thing is, I would do this all over again. That's just how much I love my baby (and future child(ren)) already! It's amazing.

I am constantly reminded of the very heart of God in all of this. Of all His creation, He loves PEOPLE the most. If He didn't, Jesus life and death wouldn't have been necessary. So i'm comforted in knowing that I am held by the creator of the universe and so is my son. God knew how my journey would go, but thought it important enough to create this little one and choose me to carry him and be his mother. I just know God's plan for our baby in marvelous and i'm overjoyed just thinking about it. Who will he be? What will he become? I look forward to sharing with him this experience and using it as one of many examples to show him how faithful and wonderful our father God truly is.

I've begun journaling privately and digging into scripture more than I have before. It's true that the word of God is living and active and brings comfort to the broken. I am experiencing it ever so deeply (Hebrews 4:12). I know that I will be able to look back and continue to see the constant faithfulness of God. That's why I want to journal. I want to give God all the glory for how he works through me. And I will learn just a bit more about His very character through this process...the only thing my heart really longs for.

We Still Have a BOY!

2011-01-19T13:12:00.003-05:00

"Hey, look over there, Mom and Dad!"

Uh, DEFINITELY a boy.

He looks so sweet and cuddly!

Aaron and I had the most amazing 20 week ultrasound this morning! Our tech was so sweet as was the radiologist. They spent about 20 minutes capturing pictures and letting us watch our little man! It made me cry, laugh and want to hold him! I can't wait. They said everything looked absolutely wonderful - Baby boy Meredith is good and healthy! My favorite part is when he stuck his tongue out at us...not sure that will be as funny in a few years. Hmmm..... ;)

I feel so blessed that God chose me to be this little one's Mama!

Back In the Game!

2011-01-15T11:33:00.005-05:00

Christmas 2010 with the Gordon fam!
Aaron and my dad the day the Seahawks won the Division - one of the best days of both their lives.

Addie sure loves her Uncle "Ernie" (Aaron) :)

One of Addie's favorite things about the Super Mall!

Cute as can be! And almost 2. I can hardly believe it!

My dad's face when he found out our baby has a penis. BIG DEAL since our family is flooded with GIRLS!

Aaron flying his new helicopter he got from my parents for Christmas. My dad bought himself one, too. Do boys ever grow up?

Sorry for the random bullet points, but here's the latest:

Washington was wonderful - it only rained a few days and the sun shined the rest (contrary to what people who are not from WA might think!)

My dad took Aaron to his first Seahawk game since Aaron last went in the Kingdome - Yes, that would be since 1988! They had a great time and of course it was a HUGE game since they won. Yeah!
Addie is growing up super fast - She's absolutely hilarious and says the funniest things. She's pretty advanced (verbally) for her age. Right now she loves Toy Story 3. And can you guess who her favorite character is? BIG BABY. Seriously - The creepiest character in the entire movie! When you ask her, "What does Lotso say?" She attempts to deepen her voice and says, "Hey Big Baby." SO FUNNY. She also loves Buzz, Woody and Jessie. Sometimes she'll just babble on and on and then at the end of a no-nonesense phrase say, "Buzz!" We watched Toy Story no less than 7 or 8 times while we were there. But I must say, hands down one of my favorite Disney movies of all time.
Addie also loves her uncle Aaron. Though "Aaron" actually comes out of her mouth as "Ernie." Easier to say I guess. And it usually comes out like "Eunie" almost with an East Coast accent. We die laughing everytime she says, "Where Eunie?? EUNIE! EUUUUUUUNNNNNNNIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE!" It really is comical.
I am not as cool as Uncle "Ernie." I'm the default when she's upset. I can be in a different room entirely and she'll be mad at my sister or Tim or really anyone else and you'll hear her yell, "NO Ney!" (She calls me "Ney" since she can't say the "Jen" part.) Oh well, i'm sure she'll grow out of this stage!
She can identify all the letters of the alphabet, as well as numbers 1-10. Her favorite letters are all the vowels.
Telling my dad that we are having a boy was his Christmas present. My dad has waited half his life to hear that a boy will be joining our family (well, he got Aaron and Tim, but this is blood relation now!) As you can see from the picture, his reaction was quite fantastic. I wrote a funny poem. It was perfect.
My parents got spa packages for my sister and I for Christmas. BEST GIFT EVER. Two hours of massage and facial. HEAVEN!
In case some of you are wondering, we found out at 15 weeks we were having a boy (not planned) but when I passed out the first time and went to the ER, they did an ultrasound just to be safe. Baby looked just fine. AND we saw "the goods!"
I was tired a lot out in WA...slept a ton and ended up back in the ER after a few more near pass-out spells. It takes a lot out of me. Still, they can find nothing "abnormal" as they put it. Yesterday, I almost passed out while driving. This is getting FREAKY and, quite frankly, RIDICULOUS. Driving and passing out is my greatest fear: hurting myself, baby and God forbid, someone else. :( I feel like an old person who needs to realize it might be unsafe for me to drive and I should really stop....The OB says I should stop working. But I haven't brought myself to do that yet. Like I said, this is getting ridiculous.
I'm still carrying very small. The OB says it isn't a big deal since everything (by measure) is spot on. I still think it's a bit strange, but I suppose I better just enjoy it.
I started really feeling our little guy move and groove the other day. I LOVE it! It's so surreal, wonderful and miraculous to feel! He's most active at night. This has me nervous for June! His nights and days are already mixed up. He's ready to rock and roll at midnight. I, on the other hand, am not. It's amusing now, but will certainly not be once he arrives!
Wednesday (1/19) is our 20 week ultrasound. I'm so excited to see our son! This will also be the time to confirm he is, in fact, still a HE. Yikes. It would be better to find out now than in the delivery room! Right?!
Wednesday is also a big day for Aaron. He is having his first cavity filled. This is a BIG DEAL since he's been saying our entire married life already (all 2.5 years of it...ha!) that he has "superior genes." DORK!

More updates to come!

Hello, Baby!

2010-12-23T10:08:00.002-05:00

When I sat down on the couch this morning, I literally laughed outloud when I looked down. It might sound strange, but I often feel like my body changes on a DAILY basis! I am exhausted and still not gaining much weight on the scale (only 1/2 lb. up from pre-pregnancy weight), but the baby seems to be growing just fine! This week the doctor said he expects that I will start gaining pregnancy weight within the next few weeks since apparently as you get closer to the 20 week mark, they see a healthy progression of weight gain. I suppose if they aren't concerened, i'll try not to be. :) I'm still exhausted and struggling with dizzy/light-headed spells, but it's all worth it in the end. The medicine I got has really helped my nausea. Things are looking up! Or out - in my case!

Baby Meredith also got his/her first Christmas present from G and G Meredith! I love presents and I get to open them for baby at least for a little while!

Lord, help me!

2010-12-20T09:21:00.002-05:00

I am so excited to meet our little one for more reasons than one! First and foremost, because I can't wait to watch and see all that he/she becomes, who he/she will most look like, etc. But for goodness sake, my morning sickness is TERRIBLE and I desperately can't wait for it to be over! I'm still having trouble eating enough and still throwing up regularly. Sigh. And of course, Aetna still won't approve the only medicine that will actually work! I'm going in for my 16 week appointment tomorrow, so i'm hoping the doctor can help me figure something out. I've been doing my best to pack back on all the weight i've lost so far in this pregnancy from being so sick. I even had a crispy chicken sandwich from Dairy Queen the other night. Yes, i've resorted to a bit of fast food (NO McDonalds, though (ick)). I've been baking a lot more chicken and potatoes, but we'll have to wait and see what the scale says tomorrow. This might just be the only time in my life I will actually try so hard to gain weight. I pray I've gained the weight!

Appointment Update

2010-12-09T21:39:00.002-05:00

Today I went and saw one of the OB's in the practice I go to (I rotate between 5 and they're all wonderful!) She was disappointed when I stepped on the scale and was nearly back to my pre-pregnancy weight (112). Two weeks ago at my 12 week appointment I had gained up to 118 which was awesome. I've never been so excited to gain weight in all my life! And I never thought I'd be so disappointed to see 114 today. I have fairly high ketones in my urine and the doctor said that's a sign of lacking nutrition. Aaron and I have always been fairly healthy eaters....a lot of vegetables, fruit, etc. and I realized today how important it is that I start eating more meat and protein. I never anticipated this being such a problem! But it really woke me up. The doctor thinks the lack of protein is responsible for my fainting spell. Fortunately the baby is prefectly fine, so our little one must be taking all he or she needs! I heard the heart beat again today and that never gets old! My uterus is also up closer to my belly button now - It's the strangest thing to feel stretching throughout the day...I can't wait to start feeling the baby move!

Thank you all for your prayers. This is probably the best case scenario considering that it just requires a change in my diet (at least we're hoping this is the cause - we'll know sooner than later!)

So i'm happy to say that my first step in altering these eating habbits included a giant grilled chicken sandwich from Fudruckers right after my appointment! I think i'll enjoy the holidays with my new orders to "eat more calories!"

Scary Times!

2010-12-07T09:19:00.005-05:00

I've not been feeling well lately and just yesterday experienced a black-out/pass-out spell (followed by "no warning" vomiting that ended up on my neighbor's living room floor - ugh.) I have the sweetest friends. My neighbor wouldn't even let me help her clean it up. Seriously. I felt terrible, but God blesses me so much through these women He's brought into my life. I started blacking out yesterday morning and somehow made my way down the hall to my neighbor's condo. I am so thankful she was home. My memory of what happened is fuzzy, but it was the scariest thing I've ever experienced! My other neighbor took me to the ER and they did a lot of blood work and sent me for an ultrasound of the baby (for some reason they couldn't find the heart rate on the hand-held thing.) Baby looks wonderful, cute and perfect, measuring at 14 weeks 2 days, so we're thankful for that! I had pretty low blood pressure, but i'll have a follow-up with my OB this week to hopefully figure something out. Praying and trusting in God's protection. All of this is so out of our hands!

Thankful and More...

2010-11-24T17:10:00.006-05:00

I've heard many women say this happens, but boy did my tummy "pop" today! No sucking this in. Please excuse my lazy look. I'm just preparing myself for what my "usual-do" will probably look like! ;)

I haven't updated in a while. Perhaps it's because I'm finally on the "home-stretch" of probably the worst flu virus i've ever had! Who knows how I got it, and let me tell you, it came on QUICK! I spent all of Monday feeling just fine. Then about 20 minutes after Aaron and I ate dinner, I started feeling sick to my stomach. I thought it was morning sickness returning, but no. I was throwing up about every 20 minutes! I couldn't keep anything down...no food, fluids, nothing. So I called the on-call dr. in the middle of the night to get his advice. He said he wanted me to go get iv fluids in the ER. So, I made the quick trip there and they got me back to a bed right away. I was soooooo sick. They hooked me up to fluids and gave me some anti-nausea medicine in my iv and it worked quick! I'm so thankful for doctors and medicine. At first we thought it might be food poisoning, but then I came down with a high fever yesterday. My OB said not to let my temp get above 101 without going back to the ER. Well, the highest it got was 100.9. Thank you, Lord (and Tylenol, too!) Ironically, I had a pre-scheduled 12 week appointment yesterday, so even though I was still sick I went in. They were worried they may have a hard time finding the heart beat, but nope! She put the wand to my belly and picked it up right away. We have one cooperative baby on our hands! It's so comforting to know that even despite whatever attacked my body, the baby is safe. Amazing.

So today I'm thankful for many things. 1) Baby's health, 2) My improving health and 3) Good friends - who are like family - and brought me mashed potatoes. I wanted my mom so bad!

I'm also thankful for our sweet families (and friends) who have blessed us and our baby with his or her first gifts! We told my parents on Halloween about the baby, so that's why they sent us the cutest little Halloween infant set. My sister mailed us Goodnight Moon - A must have in baby's book library! Aaron's parents sent us the cutest little strawberry hat. Aaron's mom Patty is incredibly gifted at knitting. She knits various fruit hats for all new babies born in their church (strawberries, blueberries, etc.) Isn't that precious?!? I couldn't wait to finally get mine! :) And my dear friend Charlie gave us the sweet little elephant. Charlie and her husband Klaus just had their first little boy, so it's fun to be in baby-mode together!

Even though tomorrow might be a very low-key Thanksgiving for us - depending on how i'm feeling - we still have so much to be thankful for. God is good and we rejoice in Him in all of our circumstances. I hope everyone has hearts filled with thanksgiving!

Ooooh Baby!

2010-11-10T07:29:00.005-05:00

Baby is facing down - You can see both sides of the brain, a small left hand and a few facial features!

Well the word is out! Aaron and I are expecting our Mini-Meredith sometime around June 6, 2011! I'm about 10 1/2 weeks right now and had planned to wait to share the news until 12 weeks, but as many know it's nearly impossible to wait that long! We told our parents at 8 weeks and knew we absolutely couldn't ask them to keep it a secret, so it slowly started to leak out from there.

Amazingly, I was pregnant when we ran our recent half marathon but had no clue. And even better, I had my best running time. Awesome! So I wonder if we might have a future athlete on our hands. :)

I found out the morning after the pregnancy center banquet. I didn't sleep well that night and couldn't figure out why. It dawned on me that I should take a pregnancy test?? Not to mention that the morning before, my devotion reading for the day had me praying through Psalm 139. I cried through the entire thing and thought I was simply emtional because of the miraculousness of life! Actually, I thought I cried because it reminded me how well God knows me even when I'm confused about myself. But my heart knew something my mind didn't yet. Since I work at a pregnancy center, one might think that I just took a test at work. But since I have Friday's off, I had to run over to CVS to take a test. I peed on that little stick and set it down on the counter. I watched it for a second and didn't see anything (I've never been good at following directions!) so I left the room thinking, "I'm such a nerd...why would I be pregnant?!" But when I returned, I saw a faint little line. That's when I threw all of my work training out the window and thought, "It's too faint to be a positive." HA! Can we stay stupid?? So I went to ask the pharmacist and I showed her the test while I quietly and timidly asked, "Is this a positive?" She glanced slowly up at me and said, "Any line is a positive." DUH, again, I work at a PREGNANCY CENTER. I see this ALL THE TIME. But there's something about it happening to you. CRAZY! Let me tell ya. Although I can't say this pregnancy was planned, we weren't trying to keep it from happening either. But as a friend recently said, trying or not, a pregnancy is ALWAYS a surprise! I love that. It's so true. So of course I paced around the house the rest of the day taking in all that this means and it took all the patience I had to not call Aaron right away and tell him. But I was successful and waited until he got home from work that night. He was surprised too, but so excited. We had an early ultrasound at 6 weeks and saw our little one's precious beating heart. It was nothing short of incredible. But the picture I posted is actually of our 9 week ultrasound. The baby changed a lot in just 3 weeks! Everything is looking great. I'm measuring spot on now (was a bit small at 6 weeks) and the baby's heart rate is strong at 155. I wish I could see that everyday!

My doctors are wonderful. I go to a completely pro-life, faith-based OB/GYN practice. I love knowing that my doctors pray for me and celebrate the gift of life in all circumstances. I've opted out of the 1st trimester testing, so I won't have another ultrasound until we find out the gender at 20 weeks (sometime in January.) Aaron and I made this decision given that we are low-risk by all accounts for birth defects. We also know that there are way too many false positives. Pregnancy is scary enough, so I don't need anything else to worry about! Plus, the 20 week ultrasound would show more accurately if anything looks unusual. So we're very happy with our decision and are just taking each week as it comes!

I'll keep posting as I go to fill you all in on the progress!

In October??

2010-10-11T19:52:00.002-04:00

No joke, I've been trying to grow this pepper since sometime in June. I realize the problem has been that the pot is far too small, but what else do you do when you live in a condo?? Regardless, the weather has stayed so nice that I FINALLY have a lovely little pepper to enjoy! I'll be able to eat it in one bite, but i'm still excited. I also noticed a new one blooming yesterday, but i'm sure this 70 degree weather is about to end any day. I can't wait to have my very own garden in my very own backyard someday!

Half the Distance, Twice the FUN!

2010-09-19T20:38:00.004-04:00

Aaron and I ran our very first half-marathon together today! We've both done them before, but never together so this one was extra special. It's wonderful to face such an incredible challenge with the love of your life! The race overall was AMAZING. The weather was perfect - about 70-75 (a little chilly when we first started...but who's complaining?!? I'm just thrilled it's not humid!!) There were about 4,000 people racing and we finished right in the middle. I PR'd at 2:15 on the dot - WOO HOO!! I hadn't even done that well in any of my training runs! I was shooting for 2:30, so I'm definitely pumped about how well we finished.

It was the first ever race across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge which connects VA to Maryland. It started at George Washington's Mount Vernon estate (where we got engaged) and went all along the GW parkway into Alexandria, across the WW bridge and ended at Maryland's National Harbor right on the waterfront. If you're thinking it sounds beautiful, it WAS! We felt awesome the entire run, including the uphill run for half of the 2.5 mile bridge. At the start of the bridge, there was a sign that read "Welcome to the Rude Awakening." Uhhhh, excuse us?? Not what we want to read at mile 8! It was pretty funny. And for the record, there's a statue at national harbor that has a huge hand coming out of sand and it's called "The Rude Awakening." So I guess that's where they came up with the clever idea (Ha...Ha.....sarcasm!) Mile 11 was the hardest (the true "rude awakening") because it was entirely up-hill, so that was the point where my body said, "Ummmmm...STOP NOW PLEASE!" But of course I pushed through it and we finished strong. Up until that point, I really hadn't felt tired at all.

Aaron did an incredible job for not training nearly as much as I did. He has a runner's body, which i'm a bit envious of, so running comes a little more natural for him. My man was sweet enough to let me cross the finish line first....do I have the best husband or what?!? Especially considering that he is very competative. ;)

The question continues to come up as to when I plan to run my first marathon, and my answer continues to be the same....I don't have ANY plans for that! I just haven't felt the desire to do one, or put my body through it! It's funny how you forget just how tough the end of these races are until you do it, but of course we come back and do them again...and again!! (I wonder if this is what child birth is like??) So everytime I hit mile 12, a marathon sounds terrible! Haha! We hope to do some more races over the next year and see how things go! I can't get enough of running - It's such a spiritual experience for me....more time to talk to God (as I realize how weak I am in and of myself) and I think of the scripture Hebrews 12:1-2 that talks about throwing off anything that entangles us (destructive sin) and running the race with perseverance while fixing our eyes on Jesus (who went before us to prepare a place in Heaven.) Oh what a wonderful image that comes to my mind when I think on that!

Our "Iron-Man/Iron-Woman" pose

The beautiful view from the WW bridge

This man was my hero of the day.

Trying to catch a good picture during the race...we sort-of failed!

Mullet Memories

2010-09-05T21:31:00.004-04:00

I was looking back through some of our wedding pictures just the other day and came across this beauty. I still can't believe more than two years have gone by! What a fun day this was and i'm glad our photographers got so many great shots. Leave it to my dad to bring this bad boy wig to our wedding. And leave it to my husband to rock it on the way to the reception. I have a FUN family!

Sums It Up!

2010-08-15T19:15:00.005-04:00

I love everything about this picture. Addie is so silly and this face pretty much sums up how much fun she is to be around. Aaron and I spent 10 days out in Washington and had a wonderful time. The Merediths had a family reunion on the coast and it was such a blessing to have both my family and Aaron's family in Washington. Even better, 3 days of that was spent ALL TOGETHER at my parent's place. We cherished every moment and it was perfect.

Triennial and Natalie Grant

2010-07-30T21:40:00.007-04:00

Worship

Flags of just a few of the many nations represented at the conference
Woman from India speaking about sharing Christ through a sexual abuse recovery ministry
The international market - women from around the world hand-make all of these things and Covenant missionaries brought them over to sell
Our good friend Liz - She and her husband are missionaries in Mongolia

Miss America 2008 - Kirten Haglund. I attended her and her mom's powerful seminar on how God sees us vs. how the world sees us as women

Tiffany! Natalie's back-up singer. This girl is awesome!

The boys of the band. Funny, awesome guys!

with my sis, Natalie and my mom

My mom and sister flew out last week for the Triennial Covenant Women's Conference (amazing, by the way) which happened to be in DC this year and our guest concert artist was Natalie Grant. The three of us had the priviledge of spending a day with Natalie and her band. Natalie is actually from Seattle, so it was fun being in DC with another PNW native. If you haven't heard any of her music, definitely do it. She has an incredible voice, but more importantly a huge heart for Jesus. One major thing that Natalie and the Evangelical Covenant Churches have in common is that we're all very passionate about ending human trafficking in the US as well as around the world. Her new song "Human" was written after a trip to India where she saw 5 and 6 year old girls being subjected to prostitution. She also looked up at a tall building to see a young girl caged in the window. The song is all about how we're not just a bunch of empty beings roaming the earth without souls, but we're human beings, designed to have hearts and a passion for the suffering and lives of others.

Also, Paul and Kathy Wilson, friends of my in-laws who pastor a church in nothern California, started an organization called A New Day for Children which is a safe-house for girls forced into prostitution. It's projected that within just a few short years, human trafficking will surpass drug trafficking in popularity around the US because it's much easier, tougher to track and makes more money. If this doesn't lead us to action, I don't know what does because the truth is that this isn't just an "over there, overseas" kind of problem, it's happening in our own communities around the US. If you click on the link above, you can watch two powerful videos from the New Day for Children web site.

I love that the Covenant empowers women through Jesus Christ and very strongly supports women's ministries because we truly have the power to tackle the terrible violence against women around the world.

Texas Twenty-Four

2010-07-05T13:42:00.003-04:00

This past week we spent a whirlwind twenty-four hours in San Antonio for Aaron's company meeting. His boss was so gracious to fly all of the families out, too! We stayed at a beautiful resort and enjoyed every second of our quick stay. I'm amazed by all the fun things we packed into such a short period of time. After everyone arrived on Wednesday evening, we had a great meal and we all chatted for a while. Afterwards, Aaron and I spent time exploring the resort and quite a while in the hot tub. The next morning, Aaron had a meeting and I had a long workout in the gym (a 3 mile treadmill run is FANTASTIC when your machine has its own television!!) Then Aaron and I enjoyed some Starbucks, packed up our stuff, went hot tubbing again (WITH our Starbucks!) and then the whole crew made our way over to the movie theater and we watched Toy Story 3 in 3-D. Let me just say that I think the Toy Story series is the best Disney has ever made! They're absolutely hilarious! After the movie, we trecked over to Red Robin and had lunch. Following lunch, we drove as fast as we could (through the wind and rain and everything else in the wake of the hurricane blowing through the south) and made it to our gate about 20 minutes before we boarded.

Like I said, it was a whirlwind trip, but absolutely wonderful! It taught me how important it is to be spontaneous and to make the most of a small amount of time.

YUM!

2010-06-26T13:24:00.005-04:00

I've been busy baking today! I recently decided that I'd start making bread myself instead of buying it. So far, so GOOD. Homemade bread is very tasty, but it is a bit of work. I think when it comes to bread, I already prefer the recipes with the fewest amount of ingredients. Some of them have eggs, milk, buttermilk, etc. and I just don't keep those types of ingredients in the fridge - esp. because of my allergy. This bread tastes so fresh and fluffy. You can't even compare it to store-bought stuff!

The other yummy treat I made is called "Do-It-Yourself Power Bars" from the cookbook Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson. This is a must have for the healthy baking/cooking enthusiast. It was recommended by the friend, Rebecca (thanks girl!) and I've been lovin' it ever since I got it! She's my awesome friend who is constantly introducing me to new fun crafty things and yummy food tips. Don't you just love friends like that?? So now I'm sharing the wealth, too! These bars are SO easy and fun to make....no baking required! And they're packed full of delicious ingredients like dried cranberries and crystalized ginger (YUM!) This recipe is easily varied...I use almonds instead of walnuts. Heidi incorporates natural sugars instead of refined ones and let me tell you, you can taste (and feel) the difference. Try 'em!

Sweet Love!

2010-06-11T12:46:00.008-04:00

Ok, following my ridiculous blog-deleting mishap from a few days ago, I knew I was due for a special post. I'm still trying to figure out how I could manage to delete a blog I had spent so long creating. It was all about blasts from the past...pictures from college and the life-long friends who have made life so much sweeter.

I dedicate this post to my dear best friend, Bre. We met my first year at Azusa and have shared so many life experiences together...both the joys and sorrows. True friendship. Boy, that's real life!

Well, Bre and her wonderful man, Jimmy, recently got engaged and I couldn't be more thrilled! The journey of marriage is such an incredible, refining experience...an adventure of sorts and who better to have an adventure with than the one you love!

So here's to Bre - a friendship that will always remain. And here's to Bre and Jimmy as they begin the journey. I love you both!

Oops...

2010-06-04T21:34:00.002-04:00

Well, after spending an hour or so writing a blog update, I accidentally deleted it right after I posted it! I have no idea how that happened, by apparently i've forgotten how to use my own blog....Oh well. I suppose i'll find time to post a replacement later.

As Promised....

2010-04-26T20:11:00.006-04:00

So I have no idea why, but these pictures posted really blurry and they weren't like that when I edited them with Picnik (my FAVORITE picture editing program...and it's free!)

These just happen to be four pictures of some most treasured moments of the spring thus far. The first, a night out with our neighbors, Gini and Harper. We dazzled ourselves in 80's garb and rocked the night with our favorite local cover band, the Legwarmers. Anyone living in or visiting DC/Baltimore: They're a MUST SEE. Truly one of the best bands around. It's always such a fun time!

The second and third is from a recent trip to Charlottesville, Va. One of the most charming plantation towns and of course, the home of UVA (a little shout-out to our friends Chris and Erica Andresen....and BABY!) We met up with our dear friends, Aaron Watson as well as the Kelley's and enjoyed a sunny Virginia spring day at a local winery. Both Aaron Watson and Eric Kelley were photographers at our wedding. They've become such treasured friends of our's! Eric and his wife Lora were married just after us and they're expecting their first little boy any day now!

The fourth is of Aaron and I from the NeedToBreathe concert just a few weeks ago. We were lucky enough to have my cousin Jason in town from Washington and I had the pleasure of introducing him to my love for bluegrass/rock music. This band just so happens to help make life pretty wonderful. Check them out!

All for now. Until next time!

Dear Blogging World....

2010-04-16T08:07:00.003-04:00

It has been such a long time since I've posted anything....well, a few weeks I think. But in the blogging world that's a lot longer - Almost like animal years.

Aaron and I have been pretty consumed with the busyness of life lately. The sun has been shining and we've had unusually warm weather for this time of year, so we've managed to sneak away the past few weekends to enjoy fishing, hiking, kayaking and exploring with friends. We're both reminded how much we loathe winter (once March rolls around and it's STILL 20 degrees) and just how much we LOVE spring. The changing of the seasons is truly a reflection of our loving God. I think of a song as I type this that has a line saying, "for everything must die to rise again." Jesus' life proved that. And the changing of the seasons prove that as well. From winter (when everything seems to die) and then to spring (when everything begins to rise!) I'm looking out my window to see my blooming flowers and the trees full of bright green leaves. I simply love it.

A lot has transpired over the past few weeks and I think the longer I have taken to blog about them, the less I have a desire to. I have many pictures that I'd like to post, but i'll have to save that for a different blog. I think this will be my up-to-date "word" blog. The next one will be my picture blog (with captions since it will cover a few different activities.)

For me, work has been busy. About 5 of our clients had their babies right around the same time. The biggest challenge was that we ran out of car seats (as a non-profit, we can only give out what is donated to us) but God is always faithful to answer our prayers. We lifted it up to Him and we showed up to work yesterday with two car seats annonymously donated on our office steps!! We also had a MOPS group donate $100 in Target gift cards, so I was able to run over there and purchase 2 more car seats! I cannot say clearly enough just how big our God is. I feel like I'm relying on Him daily to meet our needs when it appears impossible. I've found myself thinking, "What am I doing?!? Limiting God based on my own comprehension!" I'm amazed. He shows up. Every. Single. Time.

We are still continuing to get new clients that pose different challenges, but there's always joy in the relationships we build with them - Regardless of their challenging circumstances. Life together: Life is good.

Aaron has been enjoying his work and is making great connections with people at the Pentagon. I'm convinced it's a whole different world there! I'm filled with joy as I see him thriving and I know he's happy. For that, I feel blessed and we are both content with where we're at in life. He's also been busy tying flies for fly fishing which never ceases to amaze me. I posted some pictures on Facebook of this incredible talent he possesses.

The latest on me is that I've begun yet another journey of medical testing. I went to see a new GI specialist and he wanted to run the same procedure I had last summer as soon as possible. I never had a follow-up appointment with my military doc last summer since Aaron got out of the Air Force just a few short days following my last procedure. Since seeing this new doc, I've been informed that I may be at higher risk for a few other things (awesome) so I may be sent for genetic testing and a visit with an oncologist (even more awesome.) In short, I have a handful of unanswered questions and for me, that's the hardest part. I hate waiting. There - I admitted it. I think I just needed to throw that out there. We're praying for wisdom for the doctors i'll be seeing as I move forward, but we're really praying for healing. Like I said, my God never fails me!

Well that's the latest for now. I'll post my picture blog soon, so watch for it!

A Vintage Treasure

2010-03-20T20:46:00.005-04:00

I found this hot little number at a vintage shop in Washington while I was visiting. I love the shops downtown Olympia because they're so unique yet still affordable. In case you were wondering...that's almost un-heard of in Alexandria. I paid $14 for this dress (Used...but who cares?) It was a little too big, so I performed some sew-magic and had this puppy at a perfect fit in about 20 minutes! You sure can't beat consignment shopping!

Snap Shots of Washington

2010-03-18T23:05:00.007-04:00

I'm back from the best trip (ever!) to Washington. I actually got to see most of my family from both the Gordon and Walton sides. I can't think of any other time when that happened. I only wish Aaron could have been there! It was so special to celebrate Addie's first year of life with a fun birthday bash. She came down with a fever the night before and still had a wonderful time. She's just the world's best kid. She's so happy, funny and FULL of personality! I can't get enough of her. Addie even decided to walk for the first time for her GG and Auntie! She completely surprised herself - She took about 5 steps, landed on her butt, then started clapping. It was so cute and funny, all I could do was laugh and cry at the same time! I love my family so much and couldn't have imagined a better time together. I'm truly, TRULY blessed.

It was only fitting to post this picture with my cousin Jill first. She's blogged about me in her famous running blog and she's amazing! She'll be running her first marathon this Summer. We got in two good runs together while I was in town. It was beautiful - The Cascade Mountains, Mt. Rainier and the Puget Sound all around us. It just doesn't get much better than the PNW!

When you're 4 years old, choosing just one when presented with a plate full of cupcakes is the toughest decision you've ever made. Waiting for a scream...(eek!!)
Nope - We're happy still!!

Sis, GGD, me and Mom (GG)
GG and Oompa's gift to Addie. Her first Radio Flyer wagon!
Birthday festivities
Addie's gift from her auntie and uncle. She LOVES her Rody Horse!
Childhood friends - Tyler and Claudia

First hair cut...somewhat of a tramatic experience, but a lovely look to show for it!

Someone loves ducks...and bath time!

Just the "usual" attitude of this kid!!

Ruston Way - The beautiful Puget Sound!

Mom's side of the family...were we really all together?!? And no, that's not Aaron behind me...only my 7 foot, 18 year old cousin - Ok, 6 feet. But when you're only 5'2, everything just looks ridiculously tall.

Tutu Time!

Old Friends :)

Addie Walked!

Power Smoothies

2010-03-06T14:08:00.005-05:00

I'm on this new kick that I thought I'd share. I love most fruits and veggies, but it's not always "easy" getting the right amounts of them. And of course if I have the choice between a fruit or a veggie, usually the fruit wins! I started thinking, "I wonder what it would taste like if I ate them together?" So I tried it! Why not? The result is a super tasty, healthy, vitamin-packed power smoothie! I grab anything from a kiwi to kale and throw it right in the blender along with some ice and liquid (water, your favorite juice, or I use Naked Juice "Green Machine.") I realize it may sound a bit strange, but don't knock it 'til you try it.

To add a little protein, try throwing in half an avocado. I'm a huge fan of avocados - Not only for their taste, but for the fact that they're made up of healthy, essential fats.

Here are a few ideas. If you try this, let me know what you think.

1 kiwi
1/2 banana
4-5 frozen strawberries
1/2 avocado
1 carrot
5-6 kale leaves
3-4 broccoli spears (I don't "recommend using the "tree" part...it doesn't taste as good.)
a few ice cubes
1/2 C. water or juice of your choice (juice will obviously sweeten it a bit more.)

or

4-5 frozen strawberries
1/2-3/4 C. mix of frozen blueberries, respberries and blackberries
1/2 avocado
1 carrot
5-6 kale leaves
5 slices cucumber
a few ice cubes
1/2 C. liquid of choice

It's fun to play around with different ingredients to find what you like. I typically enjoy this for breakfast and sometimes one other time during the day (but not as a meal replacement other than breakfast.)

**I generally use kale (visit the link and scroll down to read about its nutritional value) in every smoothie because it's one of the healthiest veggies known to man. It's extremely anti-inflammatory and packed with antioxidants.

Enjoy!

Purse Project

2010-02-11T18:31:00.005-05:00

My friend Rebecca has sure kept me on my game, because I promised I'd finish a craft project before this crazy snow storm was over! Thanks, Becca, for the texts, calls and encouragement! ;)

I've been meaning to fix the strap on one of my favorite purses. It isn't a fancy purse, nor did I pay much for it to begin with, but I absolutely love the size, color and look! So, after searching at the fabric store, I came home with the only pattern I thought would really work. It isn't the best, and Aaron isn't a fan of it (when I asked him what he thought, his response was, "Does it match?") Arg. Thanks, honey!! But he gave me two thumbs up for my creativity. Coming from such a handy guy, i'll take that as a compliment. Of course, the alternative would be a new bag!

Thankfully, this was super easy and took me only about an hour. That means I can always switch it out with something else in the future. Hey, at least I dusted off the sewing machine after about a month of no use!

Snow Crazy

2010-02-08T15:12:00.003-05:00

It's official, we are snow crazy AND stir crazy! Since Friday, we got somewhere between 25 and 30 inches of snow. Old Town looked more like the Whistler Ski Resort (fitting, I'd say...) than it did a busy, happenin' city. We ventured out and hiked a bit on Saturday, ending up at the steps of one of the monuments. It had been turned into a snow boarder's haven. Pretty incredible!

Today (Monday), the entire city is bascially shut down still. The metro system can't operate above ground because there's too much snow piled on the tracks. My office runs on the Fairfax County School District schedule, so who knows if we'll even be open tomorrow. And the latest?? Another 6-10 inches in the works and hitting us tomorrow in the early evening! I must say, the snow is beautiful, but will this winter EVER end?!? I'm fairly certain I've asked that dreaded question every year since I've lived here. Thank the Lord for seasons and the hope of Spring!

Explanations

2010-02-05T14:26:00.002-05:00

I've found myself unable to blog much for the past few weeks. It isn't because there's a lack of things to share, it's just that I've yet to discover a way to share things that can't be understood outside of the heart.

It's almost conflicting when I realize that most of the work I do is what many would call "depressing" and "overwhelming." When people ask me what I do for work, I often want to blurt out the question: "Do you want the short or the long answer?" Sometimes I can tell when I've explained too much....I might start to really bring the mood down in a conversation. I've come to realize that it isn't purely natural to "want to" walk through the fire with another human being during a time of great brokenness.

As I was catching up today with a friend who is about to embark on a new journey working for an international ministry, God brought these words to me as she and I discussed the amazing places faith in Christ leads us. I said, "Being in a ministry that takes you into the lives of hurting and often over-looked people, leaves your heart in two places. Half of your heart is constantly hurting and broken, but at the very same time the other half of your heart bursts with joy for the incredible miracles the Lord allows you to witness." The world is full of great sorrow - It is easy to get stuck on those things...this I know. But incredible things are still happening!

As I met with my boss yesterday, she shared something with me that really resonated. She said, "Often times we ask ourselves why a loving God would allow so many awful things to happen in the world. But the real question we should be asking is this: How could God not just wipe us all off the face of the earth for the destructive choices that we make." He created us. He could take us all away. It's very humbling to think of life in that way.

The thing I love most, is that I get to share real life with women as we see the good and bad in one another. I'm allowed the opportunity to walk beside someone as we journey through a time of life. She allows me trust - and to love and to help her. What our clients don't always realize is how much they actually bless us. It's incredible and I truly learn so much from them. Someone also said to me recently, "Whoever you come into contact with, always remind yourself: YOU are the worst sinner you know." Leaving any and all judgement behind and thinking of yourself as less than the broken one sitting before you. Since Jesus died to save us all, we are all broken in need of His grace and forgiveness. And it isn't about "getting rid" of anything, but accepting the gift that we could be loved enough to die for. For me, compassion flows out from my very being as I continue to grasp a bit more each day the grace I've been given. And how freeing it is to know that I am not given the power of judgement. That belongs to God alone. But through Jesus, I can be filled with his love and called to share it with women as it breaks our chains of pain and sorrow.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

For ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and are justified FREELY by his grace, through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23-24

Reconciliation

2010-01-13T16:00:00.006-05:00

During our Christmas vacation in California, I brough along an amazing book that I could literally not put down. It's such an incredible story that I decided to dedicate an entire blog to share about it.

I don't want to give away important pieces of the story - so I won't - but this is truly one of the greatest books to tell of authentic faith, the bridge from misunderstanding to understanding, reconciliation, compassion, ministry, true friendship, love, struggle and pain. If you haven't read this book, you're missing out on something so imporant and special! I encourage you to visit your local book store or library to pick this up. Grab a box of tissues, because you'll cry and laugh tears. This story will change your perspective and increase your understanding of racial divisions, help you find your true passions in life and will move you to take action. It gave me a renewed compassion for people and helped to re-fuel my faith in a fresh new way. It also taught me that each one of us walks through life with intense joy as well as pain, regardless of what it looks like on the "surface."

This book is another reinforcer as to why I love the work that I'm doing, and a reminder that I ultimately do that work for God, who can do far greater things than I could ever imagine.

Ok, now go out and get the book! Then leave me a note.

First Meredith Christmas

2010-01-04T20:15:00.007-05:00

Not a first for any other Meredith but me! And of course, the real first Meredith Christmas for Aaron and I as a married couple was last year. But this Christmas was a big deal for me because it was the first time I hadn't spent this special holiday with my side of the family. And being that it was also Addie's first Christmas, it was a little extra sad to not be with them. But truth be told, I always feel "at home" just as long as I'm with Aaron. I'm not sure about other women, but I didn't really grasp at the time that I was "leaving" my family as soon as my daddy gave me away. It's such an important thing to prepare yourself for as you commit to marriage. I'm wearing my heart on my sleeve as I write this because I did struggle with it at first. But the reality is that I didn't marry Aaron to make decisions in life that centered around anything or anyone else....but him.
We had a wonderful time in Palm Desert, Cal. We spent 9 full days in the sunshine and loved every second! Each day went nearly something like this: eat, run, pool, eat, pool, hotub, read, eat, games, hotub, sleep. And for the boys, golfing was in there just about once a day. Sounds like a pretty nice vacation, eh?
We spent time enjoying our family; visiting and catching up. We missed having Jesse and Jen with us. Aaron, Jesse and Sam have such a unique relationship. They're brothers, but truly best friends. I love the bond they share. My in-laws were down from Alaska, so you can only imagine how great of a mood the sunshine put them in! Sam's awesome girlfriend, Marylin, also came down and I ALWAYS enjoy her. She's simply adorable. We get to see my mother and father-in-law about once a year now, if we're lucky, so reconnecting with them is special. And it was fun to get to know Aaron's Grandpa and Grandma a lot better. Grandpa Dupar has some great stories! And I've returned home with a few lovely knitting creations thanks to the very talented Grandma Dupar!
We made time to revisit some of my old stomping ground when we took a trip up to the Joshua Tree. I have so many great memories of being there with my old Azusa roomate, Julie. We had many fun adventures together! I wouldn't necessarily call the Joshua Tree "beautiful" because it's the desert, but it's one of the most unique places in the world (I think, anyway.)
So here we are back home in 15 degree weather with a chance of snow at the end of this week. Go figure! Southwest "lost" our bags for a little more than 24 hours, but we finally have our stuff back following a day spent with un-brushed hair. I looked pretty cute. Anyway, here are a few pictures from our sunny Christmas!

The Fam

Aaron and his "rough life."

Marylin and Sam

It's all an illusion...

I miss sunsets like this

Family Time

2009-12-18T15:40:00.010-05:00

Well i'm a good beat behind, but I wanted to post about my parents fun visit and our trip to NYC and Conn. to see some family. One of the high lights of the trip was finally getting around to seeing the Newseum. It's so typical that I only get out to do these fun things when people come to see us! It's now probably one of my top two favorite museums in DC - Truthfully. They have real pieces of the Berlin Wall, a whole section on 9-11 and so many educational exhibits that remind us how important a role the media has played in US history. I don't always love the media, but this museum really shows the good side of things.

We just had so much fun with my parents. At this point, I only get to see them about 2 times each year, so it's always a special time. Aaron and I are constantly thanking the Lord for our incredible families. We feel so blessed.

We drove up last weekend to Connecticut to see my uncle, Nonz and the kids. Unfortunately, my aunt Tina wasn't in town, so we missed her! It was such a sweet time for my mom to reconnect with her brother since the last time we were all together was at our wedding! Distance sure helps keep things in perspective. It isn't easy being so far away, but it helps us to never take our time together for granted. The kids performed on their violins for us, they took us to see where they go to school and then we went out for ice cream which is always a crowd pleaser! Too bad I just officially found out that i'm allergic to Dairy...and eggs! UGH. What will I do?!?

Anyway, it was very, very cold up north so we didn't stay out as long the day after spending a freezing Friday in the city, but we did get out to catch the incredible sunset on the Long Island Sound. My uncle lives just up the street from a park where you can look out over to the city. It was breath-taking and we had to take some pictures!

It was such a fun experience to see New York City at Christmas time...something Aaron and I have not had a chance to do until now. It really is beautiful! The department stores have the prettiest window displays and I thought I was dreaming when I discovered that the Macys in the city is EIGHT FLOORS. Yes, it's true. Can we say OVERWHELMING?!? Then, that night we went to see The Lion King on Broadway. I'd heard people say it was incredible, but I'm pretty positive there aren't any words to describe it! It amazes me just how creative we can be. Broadway talent never disappoints!

Here are a few pictures that capture our fun time together!

The beautiful Long Island Sound

The fam - Minus Dad and aunt T

One of my favorite Christmas windows at Lord and Taylor

Such an INCREDIBLE show!

Mom and Dad (or GiGi and Oompa...according to Addie!)

This guy proposed to his lovely girlfriend while skating at Rockefeller Center. Hundreds of us got to watch! Super cute!

Simple Pillow Fix

2009-12-04T09:48:00.005-05:00

I've had a decorative pillow that I use for our bed, but I was getting a bit tired of the same boring pattern. I found fabric that I LOVE and decided my pillow needed some sprucing up. Even better, the fabric was only $6.99 per yard and when I walked up to the counter to have it cut, we discovered that it was almost to the end of the spool. The woman at the counter offered me the rest at 50% off. Woohoo!! Gotta love it! I don't plan to decorate our entire place with this fabric (ha!), but I love it so much that I'm thinking of other creative ways to use it. Right now, I'm working on a little shoulder bag with a different fabric. If I like how it turns out, I may use the leftovers for that.

I enlisted Aaron's help for the button in the middle (he squeezed it down for me as I threaded). I found this little vintage thing at a shop in Arlington and it was just what I was looking for. It ran about $3.

The best thing about this pillow project is that it only took me about 30 minutes. I just re-covered the pillow I already had. It was easy to measure the fabric and you avoid the mess of pillow stuffing. Plus, I can always just remove this new fabric and re-cover it again in the future. Lovin' the easy fixes!

The Day Ahead

2009-12-03T08:36:00.002-05:00

If any of you think about it, please pray for me today. It's just going to be a an extra challenging day at work, but I know God is in control.

I just listened to these words from a new song by Casting Crowns called "To Know You." If you haven't heard this album, go listen to it!

"To know you, is to know the pain of the broken-hearted, 'cause they can't live without you."

And neither can I!

Perfect as Pie

2009-11-26T13:22:00.007-05:00

One would think it makes more sense to blog about Thanksgiving food AFTER Thanksgiving, but I couldn't stand to wait because of how my morning has gone! Aaron and I have plans to spend the evening with some good friends, Grant and Joy, who happen to be in town and also without family in the area. I told them that I'd like to bring the pumpkin pie (I LOVE making pies) and the stuffing (my number 1 Turkey Day favorite!) Joy is a Vegan, so I knew I wanted to make both of these dishes suitable for her diet. She certainly didn't request this...but I made the decision! Vegan eating is obviously very healthy because it focuses on veggies and protein from legumes. I'm no where near a Vegan, but Aaron and I have been eating far more veggies and fruits since my diagnosis over the summer than we previously did, so I'm ALWAYS looking for "healthier ways" to prepare a classic meal. Pie, in my opinion of course, is one of those classics. I learned from my mom and grammy G when I was just a kid that you NEVER EVER buy your own pie crust. You make it from scratch! So I've gone from using Crisco, to using butter (not much better for you!), to just today learning how to use light olive oil for the crust. I've found that butter is better than crisco because it creates a flakier, pastry type crust, but olive oil is always healthier for you. I couldn't have used butter in this case because it comes from cow's milk and that isn't Vegan.

So, my first try with the recipe I found: Terrible. It wouldn't even roll out without falling apart! I thought I may have missed a step, so I tried again. STILL no luck! Then I finally looked up a different recipe...PERFECT! It worked like a charm! So I think i've found the best olive oil pastry crust recipe. After a morning of initial frustration, please allow me to share the wealth of knowledge!

For a single crust pie. Double the recipe for a two-layer crust.

2/3 C Extra-Light Olive Oil-chilled (put bottle in the fridge for about 20 minutes)...and emphasis on extra-light. You don't want a strong olive flavor to your pie!
2 1/2 C Flour
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 C Ice Water - I suggest even putting cubes in it to make it really cold

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly with a fork. Add the chilled olive oil and cut in with a pastry cutter. Cut until pea-sized balls are formed. Add cold water and mix again with the fork. Then form a ball of dough with your hands. Flour your rolling pin and rolling mat and flatten dough.

Add ingredients (apples, blueberries, cherries, pumpkin, etc.) and bake for 15 minutes at 425. Then lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 35-40 minutes.

*Today I made a pumpkin pie and I highly recommend the pumpkin mix from Whole Foods. It's all natural and smells amazing. The color (as you can tell from the picture) is darker than usual...probably because they don't use artifical colors! Hooray!

Enjoy! This recipe makes a beautiful pie!

Sew, baby!

2009-11-23T20:07:00.009-05:00

My sweet little niece, Addie, is the lucky recipient of my first project on my new sewing machine! Lets just say that I'm loving every second of my free time because I've been busy cooking, baking and crafting! My dear friend, Rebecca, let me borrow this simple dress pattern which I variated just a bit. I found a cute red turtleneck and white sweater to go with it so Addie can wear it this winter. But I also added some little lady-bug buttons to make it wearable in the spring/summer.

I am finally getting familiar with my machine by Baby Lock and it's amazing how many features it has. One of my favorite, of course, is the button hole feature. Makes life much easier! I bought from a great little shop in Maryland that has been so helpful. They've given discounts on supplies and have spent a few hours with me showing me some tips. They threw in a basic sewing course that I was all for!

I've been hunting for great fabrics and have found a handful, so more projects to come!

Where Have I Been?!

2009-11-13T08:35:00.003-05:00

Whew. The past few weeks have been pretty darn busy, hence my complete lack of blogging.

I started my new job almost two weeks ago now. It all happened so quickly! I had been in contact with a local pregnancy center for a few weeks looking into a potential position that was more operations oriented. Then everything changed in a matter of about 24 hours. I had spoken with the office about coming in to shadow someone working on the admin side of things. I called on a Monday to set things up, and I was offered a counseling position, instead, right on the spot. WOW. God has definitely known my heart all along! Since i've been training for the past year to counsel, this is exactly what i've wanted to do. I'm not a certified counselor or anything...though the possibility about going back to school isn't off the table as of yet. But as far as the term "counseling" in this position goes, I'm trained to counsel based on specific guidelines.

This has been a bitter-sweet job experience for me because the woman whose shoes i'm attempting to fill has just been diagnosed with terminal cancer. I'm sad that it was her illness that allowed this opportunity to open up for me. We continue to pray for a miracle for her. There's so much about my job that I can't write or talk about. The only difficult part about this is that I would love to share the amazing things that God is doing. It's incredible just how blessed I am through the process. But it still comes with its huge challenges. I see many clients who are in desperate need of help and compassion. It is only by God's goodness that I can be the hands and feet of Jesus. Such a humbling process. But the only boast I will make is in the mighty power of Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:17)

I've found that Romans 15 shares the truth and purpose i've come to know in this position - Just in case you wonder about (or I ever begin to doubt!) my calling here, at the pregnancy center, as well as in this life. Sharing the hope of Christ is the goal. Because whether we are talking about the life of the unborn, or the salvation of those who do not know the Savior of the world, it comes down to an issue of LIFE. So I am thankful that i've been called to this position to be a "fisher of men." (Matthew 4:19)

I love Romans 15 (1-13) from the Message Bible, so i'll leave everyone with this:

Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, "How can I help?"

That's exactly what Jesus did. He didn't make it easy for himself by avoiding people's troubles, but waded right in and helped out. "I took on the troubles of the troubled," is the way Scripture puts it. Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it's written for us. God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next. May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all. Then we'll be a choir—not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus!

So reach out and welcome one another to God's glory. Jesus did it; now you do it! Jesus, staying true to God's purposes, reached out in a special way to the Jewish insiders so that the old ancestral promises would come true for them. As a result, the non-Jewish outsiders have been able to experience mercy and to show appreciation to God. Just think of all the Scriptures that will come true in what we do!

Then I'll join outsiders in a hymn-sing;
I'll sing to your name!
Outsiders and insiders, rejoice together!
People of all nations, celebrate God!
All colors and races, give hearty praise!

There's the root of our ancestor Jesse, breaking through the earth and growing tree tall, tall enough for everyone everywhere to see and take hope! Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!

Weekend Getaway

2009-10-13T11:18:00.003-04:00

This past weekend we had a wonderful southern Virginia getaway with our dear friends, Jeremy and Leah Heise. Jeremy's aunt and uncle have a lake house and allowed us to come crash it! The claim to fame for this lake is that it's where "What About Bob" was filmed. So, in honor of it and to have a good night of laughing, we watched it! If you haven't seen this film, it's a classic comedy and I highly, highly recommend it.

Saturday we had gorgeous weather and there just so happened to be a family owned winery down the street from us (convenient!) so off we went to enjoy sunshine and wine. The boys also got to fish and Leah and I spent some time just chatting on the lake and catching up. We love these guys! Oh, and they've also just welcomed a new addition to their family. Sweet Aspen is a Swiss Mountain Dog puppy and full of so much spunk and love! I'm now lovingly referred to as "Aspen's auntie Jenny!" Love it! Here's a few photos for your viewing pleasure.

Jeremy and Leah at the winery

Aaron and I at the winery

Sweet Aspen girl!! Check out those paws. She's gonna be a huge dog!

Lake view

Our getaway house

Good Eats!

2009-10-09T16:35:00.003-04:00

I was just thinking the other day that I need to start posting about the different foods I've been cooking. Ever since my awesome colon issues were diagnosed (no shame, no shame...), I've become accustomed to eating completely different. As Aaron says, "If we weren't already eating healthy before..." and I suppose he's right. But it's interesting how "healthy" doesn't always mean it's what your body wants for its fuel. I've discovered that certain foods that seem healthy, just simply don't agree with my body. But the fiber deal is the big issue - For me and for everyone! I am such a believer!! If I could offer any advice for a healthier body (and i'm talking internally) it would be to EAT MORE FIBER. The body really needs it! And especially to fight off colon cancer, fiber does the trick. Here's a run down of a few key things i've changed:

-No boxed food. Maybe occasionally, but it's expensive and is packed with things your body shouldn't have to digest.
-Bye bye, Candy. This was tough at first for me. I love candy, but I eat it VERY sparingly now.
-Less pasta, more bulgur, couscous and quinoa. Bulgur, especially, is much higher in fiber, but all 3 of these have much higher nutritional value.
-Less cheese from cows. I generally just use Feta these days. It's soooo yummy and goes great with a variety of dishes.
-Olive Oil. It's the only oil I keep on hand, even for baking. I don't notice an olive taste when I use it for baking, but some might so light olive oil is best for that. It's good to buy the right kind of olive oil, so it should say"first cold pressed" on the bottle.
-Less red meat. It's fun to eat now and then when eating out or something, but I simply don't cook with it anymore. Ground turkey and chicken is what I cook most. Sometimes pork loins. Beef is hard to digest and can do a number on the colon (in case you were concerned. Haha)
-FISH, FISH AND MORE FISH! Salmon is the best and definitely fresh caught. Farm raised salmon is horrible for your health. Basically it's been raised in a small body of water with a lot of other salmon. It inhibits their growth and causes them to be fattier and feed on their own feces. Also, be wary of "Atlantic Salmon." There are so few in the Atlantic that it's illegal to commercial fish them. So stores only sell farm raised Atlantic and might be fooling us on the label if it says "fresh."
-Green tea. I prefer it iced with a lemon. Good for health and just GOOD.
-Soy milk. Easier to digest than regular milk. Packed with good protein. BUT, I do take a calcium suppliment 2-3 times a day now. Some studies have shown soy may cause problems in women with their thyroid, but nothing has been proven and its been eaten without problems for centuries.
-Less Coffee. This one has been really hard for me, but my tummy loves me for it. I treat myself here and there :)
-Focusing on breakfast. It's such an important meal. Anyone who skips breakfast is making a huge mistake. Just google why breakfast is so important and you'll get a list of a million reasons. I start my day off with a bowl of Kashi Go Lean fiber cereal. I admit, it isn't the most pleasing to the palate, but it does it's job. Enough said. Adding sliced strawberries or raspberries gives it an exciting flair. Thank goodness!!
-I must have chocolate, but it's pretty much dark chocolate only for me. These days you can get it with nuts and mint, hazelnut, etc. I look for at least 70%.

I know there are many more things, but that’s all I can think of right now. Aaron has been very supportive. Most of the time, he’s happy to eat what I cook…unless it has tomatoes! Strange boy!

If you want a really good recipe idea, try this one. Sorry my picture stinks. My camera didn't do a very good job.

2 cups quinoa
Half yellow pepper (seeds removed) chopped
Half red pepper (seeds removed) chopped
Half cucumber, cut into small pieces
2 parts of a shallot, chopped
5-6 basil leaves, chopped
3 fresh tomatoes, diced
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Greek seasoning
Salt

Let the quinoa cool after being cooked. Add approx. ½ C. olive oil. Mix in. Then mix veggie ingredients in. Add balsamic vinegar, greek seasoning and salt (to taste). Serve with Feta cheese on top.

And thank you, Gramma G for the wonderful cook book! So far the spinach stuffed chicken is my favorite. :)

Sweet Surrender

2009-09-13T13:51:00.008-04:00

Just got back from church and thought I'd take a few minutes to type out some thoughts whirling around in my head. Boy, thank goodness for pastor Marty Baker. Let me rephrase that - Thank goodness for an amazing God who speaks through pastor Marty Baker. We've been traveling so much lately that today was the first time in almost two months i've been back for service at our beloved church in Burke, VA. God has such a way of speaking to me through our pastor's preaching of the word. Today we studied how God called Paul to some of the craziest places, such as Corinth. And in those times, Corinth was to the Roman Empire what Las Vegas is to the U.S....the kind of "sin city." So God called Paul to places that most people wouldn't have any desire to live, let alone preach the gospel. Places where there didn't seem to be a single believing Christian in sight. Yet, God called Paul to those places and he went....willingly....and didn't complain about it.

It got me thinking about the time we've spent here in the DC/VA area. Pastor Marty asked our congregation how many of us had moved to the area within the past 10 years. I'd say about 325 out of 450 people raised their hands (we're quite the military crowd at our church-which we love of course!) Then he asked how many of us were excited to move to this area when the opportunity presented itself. Sadly, only about 25 raised their hand! Needless to say, I was not one of those 25 people. And the truth is that when I moved here, I was just excited to be with the man I love! The idea of DC sounds great - and in some ways, it is - but it's one of those places that's easier to visit than live. But don't worry, I won't spend any more time complaining in this blog (there is a point to all of this.) One thing that our pastor really drove home was that God doesn't make mistakes. He sends us to a place and allows us to walk through certain experiences in life for a great purpose. Every person we meet....every friend we make....every job we have....there is an eternal purpose.

And then he talked about how God works in such amazing ways. He asked us if we could think of one person or one couple who we just knew God had miraculously brought into our lives. I immediately thought of our good friends, Jeremy and Leah. Leah and I met when we both attended a volunteer seminar for the pregnancy centers. I like to say that I knew as soon as I saw the cute shoes she was wearing that we'd be friends for life! But I know it was more that God ordained our time and place of meeting. And thanks to today's sermon, I now know that God has a plan in bringing such incredible people into your life just when you think there isn't anyone there. And the purpose of this is to help encourage each other to serve God and His people for the glory of the kingdom. I couldn't possibly write into words just what friendships like these mean. And in Paul's case, God brought him Titius Justus, who "just so happened" to live next door to a synagogue that Paul had been kicked out of after trying to preach the gospel there. God had such an eternal purpose in bringing Paul and Titius together! He still made a way.

And like I said, I really started to think about our time here in VA. At times i've been on the edge of bitter by how certain things have turned out since moving here two years ago (time FLIES.) But God is slowly working in my heart and i'm actually feeling the change. I was convicted today to remind myself that we are in this town for a purpose. I am already singing in my head,

"Greater things have yet to come, greater things are still to be done in this city." And the truth is, I really believe it! And i'm falling more and more in love with where we're at because of it. If you've never heard the song, listen to it here.

There is NO ONE like our GOD. HE is God alone, and I am not. And I stand in the belief that for as prepared as we were to move - Selling our house, saying goodbye to friends, etc. - He alone must have a wonderful purpose for Aaron and I in this place. It's actually pretty exciting. I don't know it yet, but I just know in my heart that God's plan is marvelous.

I'm in what feels like a "desert" in my job search. I can accept the fact that I may just need to take what's available to me, but my heart can't shake the desire to do something more with my gifts. What an incredible year 2009 has been since beginning my volunteer work at the Alexandria Pregnancy Center. How I wish I could work there, but i'm honored none-the-less that I clould be freed up enough to volunteer my time. I have such a heart for people, but definitely for women who are faced with challenging circumstances. It may not be God's timing to do something like this as a full-time job, but I know God had me do this for a reason! Hopefully all my millions of readers out there (ha!) are seeing a common theme here: PURPOSE.

In the mean-time, I can honestly say that if it isn't God's will for me right now, i'm ready to work hard in a different capacity. So as I search, I know that God already knows. That's where I seek and then wait. I've thought to myself, "maybe it's because we will only be here until next summer." But i'm done making those types of assumptions. Life changes so fast and drastically! We can't live in a state of "on-hold." Do you know what I mean??

I remember when Aaron was deployed, he used to write to me and tell me that the song "Blessed Be Your Name" had such a new meaning to him. It's an easy song to sing when your life reflects the first verse: "Blessed be your name, in the land that is plentiful, when your streams of abundance flow, blessed be your name." But then we get to the moments in life when our song is finding us in the desert place, in the wilderness and when darkness seems to be closing in. Aaron can recount the many times that he sang that song in church in the states and it rolled off his tongue. But in that real desert place, he was learning what it meant to bless the name of God there, too.

Aaron and I both know that our story is nothing new. This is not a call for Pity. Many have come before us with the same fears, questions, confusion, uncertainty and frustration. But I know that the story didn't end there for them. God was faithful to them...back then....and we trust that He will be faithful to us now.

Of course, we would ask that fellow christ-followers would be in prayer to God on our behalf. I ask for prayer for Aaron as he settles into a brand new job (that currently has him traveling quite a bit...but only for the time being.) And pray for his sanity during my emotional tears - haha! I know he is under pressure, yet excited about this amazing new opportunity. Aaron is a man of such incredible character. I love that he is truly a gentle spirit. He may not be the first to share his struggles, but I know he would appreciate your prayers.

Please be in prayer for me as I continue a job search and tackle the task of moving all of our things into our new place while Aaron is traveling. The biggest thing is that I would find/make time to be alone with God. I've had bouts of loneliness lately. Don't worry...Aaron isn't necessarily neglecting me! I'm discovering that my need for time with God (when i'm lacking) seems to manifest itself in a feeling of loneliness. It's such a terrible feeling! Makes sense though, right? So I know I need that time. Sometimes I'm just too stubborn to slow down.

And on a final note, I just wanted to share a praise. My dear friend, Mari, whome I had various classes with at Azusa, has just welcomed home her husband Gabe after spending 15 long challenging months in Iraq. Though Mari and I were not particularly close when we attended Azusa, we've created an internet/email bond over the past year and a half that has been truly special (God had such a purpose in that, too!) Aaron and I have spent much time in prayer for Gabe and for her as she was home to be a mommy to two beautiful little girls. Mari has been such an inspiration to me and I treasure the fact that she gifted so many people with the example of her commitment to Gabe and her girls. I know it was one of the most difficult experiences they've had in their life up to this point, but they made it through....praise God! So just a little shout out to her: Mari, girl! You're amazing! Words never seem good enough, but I just have to say that i'm so, so proud of you! And we are forever grateful to Gabe for the huge sacrafice he made during the past 15 months. Please come visit us in VA so we can be real face friends...not just facebook! Haha :)

Alright, until next time!

All Around the World in...a Few Months!

2009-09-04T01:04:00.005-04:00

Seriously folks - Here's the run-down. We've now successfully visited all of these places in the past few months:

West Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, Georgia, South Carolina (my fav!), North Carolina, California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Alaska (I had to write that again since we went there twice this summer!), Texas, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and France.

Wow!! I'm surprising myself just by typing that! We’ve traveled a whopping amount in the past few months and let me tell you, it's been a BLAST! But realty is starting to hit - Mostly for Aaron really. He just started his new job and we've been in San Antonio for his training at Randolph AFB. I say WE because I decided to fly out here with him just two days after returning from our time out in Washington and Alaska. We found out last week that he'd have about 3 weeks of training and we found out just as last minute that our condo is not ready for us to move in. The former tenant of our place decided not to clean ANYTHING, so we asked our landlord to have a professional cleaning crew come in and do it. Ugh. Yuck! I had a free ticket on Southwest air, so I booked the flight and off we were! Thankfully, our friends Brian and Megan live here. We met them when we were stationed at Andrews AFB together. He also separated from the military and is now working for a big engineering firm here in San Antonio.

So we've been having a great time with friends and enjoying all that San A has to offer. We visited the River Walk last night and loved it. It's actually quite lovely here. Aaron's company is based here since they have a huge contract working on the bases in this area, so it's likely we would be relocated to Texas next summer when Aaron's DC contract is up. But, of course, all of that is up in the air still! We're just along for the ride, shall we say ;)

To back up a bit, we had a wonderful time on our WA/AK trip! Time with family is always so precious. Our niece, Addison is growing more everyday and learning new things. She just started rolling over! Big girl! She's almost 6 months old and full of chubby-love! We just adore her.

Out in Alaska we joined in the excitement as Aaron's brother Jesse and his new wife Jen got married. The wedding was incredible! We danced the night away at the Alpenglow ski lodge and had the most incredible scenery all around us. I also got to reunite with some old friends from college. So fun!

Now we're getting back to reality and definitely ready to settle into our new place for the next year. Hopefully it won't take me very long to find a new job!

I find it unreal that it's already September! Hope everyone had an enjoyable summer!

Fun night out at the River Walk, San Antonio with Brian and Megan

We celebrated grandma and grandpa Dupar's 60th wedding anniversary the day after Jesse and Jen's wedding. These two are so cute!

Toasting our steins at Jesse and Jen's reception. Jesse is getting his PhD in German history AND who doesn't love German beer? We love their creativity!

Finally....another girl in the Meredith family!

Addie in her "yellow polka-dot bikini" and SO CUTE!

First Anniversary! And leaving the Military....

2009-07-31T15:53:00.005-04:00

What a year it's been! With all that has happened in the past year, it sometimes feels as though things have gone pretty slow. But when one of the best memories of your life was your wedding day, you look back on all of the wonderful things and it feels like just yesterday. Through all of the crazy ups and downs of 2008 and 2009 (so far) I can honestly and whole-heartedly say that I couldn't imagine spending my life with anyone other than Aaron. He is my best friend and I always, always love him (even when i'm super mad! haha). What a gift the Lord has given us in one another. I love you, honey!

We had a beautiful, low-key anniversary this past Sunday. It wasn't anything fancy....but it was perfect. We bbq'd dinner at home and Aaron surprised me with roses! So pretty! Neither of us are into cards and all of that mooshy stuff; we'd rather just say how we feel :) Aaron has this amazing shish-kabob recipe and it's to die for! So he cooked that up for us on the grill. Such a special day!

In other news, Aaron's final day in the military was yesterday (Thursday.) The guys who work for him threw him a party/bbq for his going away. It was bitter-sweet that day. Bitter because being in the military can be pretty frustrating at times. You can feel thrown around a lot. Plus the deployments are really difficult. But I don't want to sound all negative. It was a sweet day, too. Sweet because the men and women Aaron has been blessed to serve this wonderful country with have been some of the best in the military without a doubt! As Aaron said in his "going-away speech,"....."I've had the chance to work with the best group of CGO's in the United States Military." Boy, Aaron is right! The other officers in the civil engineering squadron are just the greatest guys. They always keep me laughing and they're all like brothers to us! Aaron will miss his office.....the funny jokes, the hard work and seeing so much of that work come to fruition. Sturctures on bases all around the world are safer because of guys like these! I'm so proud of them. We will miss the "military family" the most. That kind of comradery isn't found everywhere you go.

So, thank you, honey, for working so hard and serving your country proud. It's been an honor to support you and the USA as a proud military wife!

Aaron's Colonel saying so many wonderful things about Aaron! I almost wanted to cry!

These guys are the best CGO's (officers) in the military that Aaron was referring to!

Aaron, Shane, Jack and Marcus

Can we say Southern BBQ?!? Declicious!!

Other than that, not a whole lot else is going on with us. Oh, my procedure on Tuesday went well. They did find more evidence of pre-cancer, so they removed it and its being biopsied. As my doctor report says, i'm officially "high-risk for colon cancer." Yippeee! But as I said before, thank God that we caught this early. I'm reading two books right now by Dr. Perricone that were suggested to me by a great friend of our's, Andrea (who has been SO HELPFUL through this process so far) and i'm planning to completely alter my life to follow his dietary suggestions as closely as possible. Lots of fish, veggies, fruit and other things. Dr. Perricone is actually a leading dermotologist, but he has done many, many studies on internal inflamation and how the diet we eat either prolongs our life, or promotes the growth of cancer cells and various other fatal problems. I'm thankful for the opportunity to become educated in all of these things. It's amazing how seemingly "random" things that happen can seem (in my case, weird skin issues, etc.) but that they are not random at all!! Everything is connected. So i'll also be seeking out an internal specialist in the DC area as my primary care doctor (they look at the human body more holistically).

Lastly, we leave this Sunday to spend the month of August in Washington and Alaska to visit our families and be part of Jesse (Aaron's brother) and Jen's wedding August 28! We are very excited!

Europe trip and other updates!

2009-07-23T12:45:00.006-04:00

A view of the Swiss Alps

Wow! Again, it's been a while since I last updated! Aaron and I have had such a crazy fun travel schedule lately. We're finally back in the US again after an incredible trip to Europe that I can hardly describe (but i'll do my best in this post!) We had a BLAST, yet it's nice to be back "home" in a familiar place. I wish I could write word for word every single busy adventure we had while over there, but since that would make for the world's longest blog post i'm always open to coffee dates with anyone! :)

Before I go into the trip, i'll start with some general life updates first. Aaron is officially out of the military as of next Thursday, 30 July. It's a bit surreal since life is about to change quite a bit! Though we are excited to have the opportunity to make more decisions on our own (i.e. jobs, moves, etc.) We are sad to leave the Air Force family as we've known it and venture into such changes such as paying for our own medical insurance, full priced groceries (bummer!) and the loss of various military discounts. Huge bummer! Regardless, we're ready for the change.

With Aaron accepting a position working with the Air Force Air Staff, we decided to tour various apartments in the Pentagon City/Alexandria area since we'll be renting something for the next year. Kind of a bummer that we sold the house, but it's nice to not have strings attached since we're most likely only here another year. After many options and weighing out the pros and cons, we decided on a beautiful place right in the heart of Old Town Alexandria (which we LOVE). It's a condo with a private parking space, updated kitchen (granite, tile, etc.) and here's the real kicker....right above a Whole Foods market that overlooks a beautiful courtyard. I can't decide if this is super dangreous or really convenient! Probably a bit of both. Unfortunately, the place is only a one bedroom (don't worry, Mari, we'll give up our room for visitors!) but the price was right and the location is unbeatable - Right across the street from the King St. metro which Aaron will become familiar with to ride 3 stops to work. As far as my employment plans go, I hope to work in Alexandria to eliminate the crazy DC commute I've already experienced since living here. This has been a great time of "employment rest" for me and I trust that God has something just right planned for me over the next year. We look forward to all the wonderful things that will come our way as a result of staying here, and we are excited to have at least another year with some wonderful friends that we would have been so sad to leave! Life is full of twists and turns, but God is GOOD. He is good, all the time! Isn't he??

The biggest news in my life right now is that I received some disheartening results the night we arrived home from Europe. I had gone to see a GI specialist because of my acid reflux and a few other not-so-fun symptoms i've been having (I won't go into detail here) and I had two procedures performed. I apologize in advance if this is TMI (I know it is) but basically the doctor performed an upper GI test (checking my esophagus and stomach lining) and a lower GI test (the crappy one...pun intended...) where he checked the "lower part" of my digestive system. Thank goodness I was out for these procedures! The initial result was that my esophagus and stomach lining were inflamed as well as my colon (sick, I know), so the doc decided to collect tissue for biopsies to make sure there wasn't something more serious causing it and he told me that it was important I watch my diet and add a fiber suppliment each day. He also took samples from the "lower area" to biopsy. The official results of the upper came back normal, so i'll continue to take my Nexium to control the reflux and hope that it just gets better on its own. The official result of the lower tests surprisingly came back as being what they call pre-cancerous. I was shocked (I think as was my doctor) about this because of my age and not really having any family history of cancer, let alone colon cancer. Fortunately, he removed what tested as pre-cancerous, so that's good. The bad news is that he could only see parts of what he needed to, so he needs me to have a full colonoscopy to check for more potential pre-cancerous tissue. Dang it! No kidding, I hate this stuff. Aren't old people the only ones who should be having colonoscopies?!? I've had terrible digestive problems most of my life, so I had this done when I was 18, too. Talk about poopy! (I love being able to make all of these puns...haha!)

Anyway, the difficult part in it all is that our military medical converage is coming to an end next week when Aaron is getting out, so i've been trying to get this thing scheduled before next Thursday. Chances seem slim, and i'm not hearing back from the office, so i'm just waiting it out. It's all a bit complicated, but I won't go into much more detail than that. All of that to say, i'll need to have yearly or bi-yearly colonoscopies probably for the rest of my life. I've been shedding a few tears over the frustration of this, but it's better safe than sorry. All I can think about it how I don't want to let this thing go because life is so precious. I dream of having a family with Aaron and enjoying a happy, healthy life together and there's no way i'm going to slack off on keeping this thing in check.

I praise God for how he works these things out. If I hadn't gone in for tests because of seeminly unrelated symptoms, it may have never been discovered that I had pre-cancerous cell tissue growing in my body. Isn't that crazy?? I'm a bit stressed out over this, but i'm doing my best to trust that God will work out the medical coverage details as well as the continued dr. visits i'll need over the years. He sees everything in the big picture, so I know I can trust Him to go before me and pave the way through all of this. Additionally, I am thankful for all the prayers I can get and WE are thankful for prayers as we continue to transition to a new way of life.

UPDATE: Just heard from Bethesda Naval Hospital. They squeezed me in for a full procedure next Tuesday. Praise God!

Now, onto Europe! Here's the rundown. And again, i'm lame for posting these pictures out of order! Also, be sure to check mine or Aaron's facebook for the full gammet of pictures :)

*July 9-10: We were able to hop a space-A flight out of Dover AFB on our first try! We slept the entire flight and also experienced the worst turbulance of our life so far about halfway through. It was a wild ride! We arrived at Spangdahlem AFB, Germany, rented a car and took off for Nuremberg, Germany. We only had one day, but we loved the food, beer and all the historic sites!

*July 10-12: We spent two days in Praha (Prague), Czech Republic which turned out to be my most favorite place! It's so beautiful and charming and the history is quite amazing (because of their communist past). We toured the Prague castle and had the best spot to catch the changing of the guard at the gate. Incredible! Aaron got a ticket driving there...had to pay the police officer on the spot. HA! Hilarious. It was bound to happen at some point!

*July 12-14: Drove to Vienna, Austria. We loved Vienna for all the places it has to offer which seemed less touristy than the other places we visited. They have amazing wine and beer gardens on the outskirts of the city. We also toured the Leopold museum and stopped to get lunch at an open-air market. FYI, the salami, bread and cheese (mainly because cheese doesn't have to be pasturized as it does in the states) are to die for in Europe! It's also a lot cheaper to buy food from markets than eating out, of course.

*July 14-15: Started driving to Italy with the plan of making it to Rome. Whoa, that was a bad assumption! It was too far, so we stopped in Bologna (pronounced Boloynia) for the night and experienced true Italian culture. No one spoke english! It appeared to be somewhat toursity, but mostly for Italians, not for Americans. So it was a challenge communicating with people (most like a game of charades) but we had our first experience eating real Italian pizza and it was GOOD! We slept at a small pensione and the owner was so nice to us. Again, he didn't speak english, but it was good for us to experience that!

*July 15-17: We parked our car at a train station about 1.5 hours outside of Rome and hopped the train into the city. We DO NOT recommend driving in Rome. Italy is a crazy place to drive in general (Germany is much more efficient. You can research this to find out why!) but Rome is by far the scariest place to drive, i'm convinced, in the world. We stayed at a B&B type place right in the city and it was beautiful, though, it did not have air conditioning. Rome was 110 degrees the entire time we were there. Yes, I just said 110 degrees. It was HOT but we had a nice fan in our room :) Another side-note with Rome: Pick-pockets are awful here and very skilled. Watch your things like a hawk! Especially at the train station. In general, Rome was my absolute favorite place as far as history goes. I was completely taken by the wonders of the Forum, Coliseum, and the Vatican...just to name a few. It's absolutely, hands down, INCREDIBLE! We're talking some of the oldest original structures in the entire world...thousands of years. Also, Rome has the best Gelato known to man. Just thought I'd add that!

*July 17-20: Drove up to Venice and stayed at a fun Art B&B with a wonderful breakfast each morning and saw the amazing wonders of Venice, Mirano and Burano. We took pictures on the Rialto bridge and toured St. Mark's Basilica. It is stunningly beautiful! We also happened to be there at the same time as our wedding photographer, Aaron Watson, and his assistant Thomas, so the 4 of us went on one of those famous gondola rides and Aaron did a photo shoot with us! We can't wait to see how the pictures turned out! We were also in Venice for a huge festival called the "Feast of the Redeemer" which is symbolic of the end to the black plague. We bought 3 bottles of wine and sat by the edge of the water to watch a 45 minute fire works show. Probably the best i've ever seen! We had such a fabulous time!

*July 20-21: Drove back up to Germany via the Swiss Alps and also made our way through parts of France (no Paris...oh well, next time!) The Swiss Alps are by far the most beautiful things i've ever seen. We stopped in a small Swiss town to eat a late lunch and were surrounded by a lake and the mountains. I was speechless at the sight. The Northwest and Alaska are beautiful, but this had them beat. I took many pictures, of course, but after looking back at them, they just play the sight down so much that it really must be seen in person. We then made it back to Spangdahlem AFB, stayed the night, then drove 1 hour to Ramstein AFB the next morning and thankfully made it on the first flight out to Baltimore Int'l Airport. We flew back on a huge air craft filled with troops coming back from all over the middle east. It was such a neat experience visiting with them and joining in their excitement to return home to their families. We talked with one guy who has a mutual friend with Aaron. Gotta love the military. So big, yet always like a family! When we landed at BWI, we were all greeted by the USO who are AMAZING. They just love the military and they had food and water waiting for everyone who got off the plane. It's wonderful to experience first-hand just how much they appreciate the troops and families.

We walked a ton, ate a ton, drank a ton, laughed a ton and enjoyed our time, A TON. But again, it's great to be home and we continue to relive the memories of our trip in our minds. We feel so blessed to have had this experience! If any of you find yourselves planning a Europe trip, be sure to let us know so we can give you pointers based on things we learned over there from travel tips, to food, lodging, etc. Ask away! Viva la Europe!

The view of the alps from our restaurant

St. Mark's Basilica - Venezia (Venice)

Famous Rialto Bridge!

A statue at the Spanish Steps (a gift to Rome from Spain) - Roma (Rome)

At the Forum in Rome...with a view of the Coliseum in the background. Two of my favorite places!

Trevi Fountain - Rome. Sorry the lighting is a bit bad.

View of the Vatican. LOVED it!

Vatican again

So many people have touched St. Peter's foot that it's almost flat!

The flat tire we got driving in Italy. Good thing we had a spare!

Bier (beer) garden in Vienna. We loved European beers! I was just a little excited ;)

Part of the Praha (Prague) Castle

Aaron with his beer in the Prague square

One of MANY amazing views in Prague

What we thought we wanted, and what we got instead...

2009-07-06T11:37:00.003-04:00

I don't have much time to blog but I wanted to get this out in the open before we leave tomorrow for Europe (yay!)

So....remember my post titled, "While we're waiting"?? God does some interesting things. I wrote in that blog that even if things didn't work out the way we thought it would, He would still be praised. Well, this, of course, is ringing true and now we are TRUSTING and PRAISING God for his faithfulness and that he will lead us in the year ahead.

The job situation out west has just not gone as smoothly as we'd hoped, so Aaron was offered a position working with the Air Force air staff (Pentagon) on a 1-year contract. And just to clear up a few things: this is a civilian job for Aaron and it's ONE YEAR. I feel the need right now to emphasis this one year thing for my own sanity at the moment as I had thought all long that my heart was ready to leave this place. God has a way of doing these things, doesn't he?!?

So Aaron and I are preparing to live the city life, in a condo, and something walkable to most things....metro, office, shopping, etc. I'm actually looking forward to being a true city girl for the next year!

Please please PLEASE pray for Aaron as he makes this huge transition. It was an offer we just couldn't pass up....though there were some tears shed and many prayers in the decision-making process. We wish we weren't so far away from family :( Also, please pray for our housing situation and for me to find a wonderful job. Actually, how about we just start with praying for my motivation to look for a job - Ha! I've enjoyed the past 7 months as somewhat of a "stay at home wife" and keeping myself busy with volunteer work and watching babies for friends. I've loved every minute. Not to mention all of the fun travel we've been so blessed to experience!

So, needless to say, more and MORE life changes. Is there ever a dull moment in our lives??

The Adventures of Aaron and Jenny: Alaska Edition!

2009-06-17T16:18:00.005-04:00

I have a little bit of time to write an update, so I thought i'd loop everyone in! Aaron and I have been in Eagle River, Alaska (which is just outside of Anchorage) for about a week now. I hadn't mentioned anything about this trip before because it was a surprise for Aaron's mom :)

We flew military space available and it was quite the experience. You really learn to be flexible. We made it to Travis AFB in Sacramento, but it took us 5 days to finally get a flight from there to Elmendorf here in AK! We can't complain too much, though. Flying this way is FREE. But, it wasn't easy because it was a bit of a let-down each time we showed up for a flight and discovered that we couldn't get on. Fortunately, my very best friend in the world, Bre, lives in Sac so we got to spend time with her! Aaron's best friend, Matt, is also in the area. He flies c-17's out of Travis, so he kindly carted us back and fourth multimple times to the terminal and then picked us up again when we couldn't make the flight. Thanks to Matt for giving us a place to shower and lay our heads!

We did end up sleeping in the terminal at Travis for one night. Thankfully the military flight terminals have showers!

Finally, we caught a kc-35 (refueler jet) to Eilson AFB in Fairbanks (6 hours from where we needed to be) but we were just happy to finally be in Alaska! Our flight there was really exciting because we got to go down in the belly of the plane to watch them refuel two Navy f-18 jets (very similar to AF fighter jets.) It was amazing to see all of the ground below and it felt like we were hanging off a cliff with the big windows in front of us! Refueling from this type of jet is done maunually, so we could see every move they made and it was strange that we could look at the face of the other jet pilots. So fun!!

Once we arrived, we thought we would rent a car and drive down, but we discovered that it would cost us $1200. Are you kidding me?!? That was out of the question. So shortly after we arrived at Eilson, we heard that Fort Wainwright, the army base just down the road, had a small leer jet leaving for Elmendorf later that day. Praise the Lord!! So we hopped in a taxi with a retiree who was on our first flight and trying to get back home to Anchorage and the 3 of us hopped a plane at 4 p.m. It was just a small 6 passenger and a really exciting experience! The flight was only 45 minutes and we got to see all the beauty of Alaska from the air. We like to think of it as our personal rock-star jet. It kinda felt like that! Ha!

So our time in Alaska has been wonderful and almost indescribable! I've seen moose, a bear down on the Kenai, TONS of bald eagles, dall sheep, Alaskan husky puppies (used for the iditarod) and I caught my first Sockeye salmon! Actually, I caught 4 and they are huge! Let me just tell you all, God really took his time working on Alaska. It is breath-taking! Aaron and I climbed Mt. Baldy which is basically in his parent's backyard. It was a humbling hike. Just when you think you're in shape, you trek a hike like this one! Once up at the top, we could see over Anchorage. Aaron also took me float-tube fishing (the link gives you an idea of what it looks like)! All of these experiences I won't soon forget!

We are loving our time with Aaron's parents and his brother Sam. We also finally got to meet Sam's lovely girlfriend, Marilyn! Our conversations together as a family are a gift to us. Time spent with family is so precious!

It's soon time for us to head back and we hope to be back in VA this Sunday. I'll be sure to post pictures of our many adventures when we return! Please pray for our safe travels and a speedy return - at least speedier than our trip out as I have a really important Dr. appointment I need to be back for on Monday. More updates soon!

Hello, New England Adventure!

2009-06-05T09:12:00.005-04:00

I just realized after uploading photos that they are up backwards! So the beginning of our trip actually starts with the pictures at the bottom. But don't be fooled, you're only seeing about half of our trip in pictures! We did SO MUCH. We experienced so much history that my brain was exhausted by the end of our trip. Really and truly, if I post everything we did, i'd have to publish a large book, so i'm just going with bullet-points in this one. I'm sure y'all understand :)

Starting from the beginning:

drove up to CT and stayed the night with the Nonz, aunt, uncle and cousins. The kids are big goofs! We will miss spending Turkey day with them in beautiful Old Greenwich!
found our way up to Rhode Island and saw the mansions and coast and then had my birthday dinner in town.
Finished in Rhode Island and drove up to Boston, checked in at Hanscom AFB and went out to Cambridge to celebrate over a nice birthday dessert - Aaron's buddies ditched us...i'm not bitter! ;)
Spent the sabbath with the Lord at Fenway Park! GO SOX! (only because we just can't possibly be NY fans.) It POURED when the game first started. I mean POURED! We, along with everyone else, were drenched. See pictures below! The sox ended up killing the Mets. It was a great game.
Saw Park Street church which was a dream come true for me. My grandparents were married there about 60 years ago, and we're all so thankful they did! There was a church service going on, so we worshiped with them for a little bit and then headed out to walk to Freedom trail; saw Paul Revere's house and ate lunch at the Green Dragon pub. They have so many great pubs out there!!
Next day, climbed the tower at Bunker Hill and got an amazing view of Boston
Drove out to see Ticonderoga...also met a bull dog puppy there. She was cute! (just had to mention that.)
Had a tour in Portsmouth at the Red Hook brewery. I'm not much of a beer fan...plus my gluten-free diet doesn't support it either! But the boys loved it and it was a fun time!
Drove out to Maine and had fresh lobster. AMAZING. Enough said. And Maine is gorgeous! Stayed the night at a camp ground at lake...something....started with an S. There's so much to remember!
We also hiked in the White Mountains (New Hampshire) hence the pictures of the enormous waterfall. It was such a true taste of New England!
Next stop was the BEN AND JERRY'S ICE CREAM FACTORY!!! Heaven. YES.
Then the most peaceful stay at a campground in Vermont. We were one of two groups there and had pretty much the entire place to ourselves! We went for a long run, made a camp fire, enjoyed the beauty of silence and slept like babies - Until it rained early the next morning! Oh well.
Left that morning and drove out to Cooperstown, NY to see the Baseball Hall of Fame. Aaron and Jesse were in heaven! It's definitely worth making a specific trip to see.
Later that day, tried to find another national park campground, but couldn't. Had to stay at a DIVE motel. Seriously....New York dive hotel. We slept in our sleeping bags on top of the bed. HA!!
Drove back to NY City to stay at Jesse's place and Aaron took me to see South Pacific on Broadway!! I AM IN LOVE!
Left the next day and stopped in Philly to see Sarah Wiele, had really great conversation with her about her life in the inner-city (I love Sarah!) and visited the Liberty Bell
Then drove out to Lancaster PA. to Amish town (neat history there) and stayed with Julie and Jeremy. Julie and I lived together our last semester at Azusa and I adore her! I wish we took pictures with them because we had such a blast. Slept under the stars in her parent's backyard - after having a camp fire, woke up and spent most of the day on the river with Julie, Jeremy and Julie's parents. The two boys wakeboarded...Julie and I tanned in the front of the boat. SO MUCH FUN!
Visted Gettysburg on our way home.
Lastly, I had to add a picture of Aaron's promotion to Captain ceremony. My camera died right after this picture, so it's all I have :( It was the day after we returnded from our trip. I am SO PROUD of him!

Aaron's Colonel swearing he and Jon in as Captains

Gettysburg

Liberty Bell with Sarah in Philly!

The "Flavor Graveyard" at Ben and Jerry's. RIP, Vermonty Python. Cry, cry, cry.

MMMMMMmmm hmmmmm!

White Mt. hike in New Hampshire - Probably my most favorite scenery in New England

White Mts. with the boys. No, Jesse and I aren't really twins. We're in-laws, actually.

View of Boston from Bunker Hill

Birthday shots. The boys got me to drink Whisky!

Paul Revere's house

Our new digs in Rhode Island ;)

Aaron and I at Park Street Church. If it wasn't for that man, this would look professional!

Getting SOAKED!

We love Fenway!

The fam in Old Greenwich! Silly kids

While We're Waiting

2009-05-20T07:48:00.004-04:00

The events of the first year of our marriage have been pretty crazy. From getting married to preparing for a deployment and then having that canceled (praise God!); to going through a very painful work experience and being unemployed for the past few months, to working day and night all week just to finish the updates on our house by March, and finally putting it on the market and selling so quickly (praise God, again!). And now with Aaron looking for a civilian career in Civil Engineering. Talk about life changes!! Did anyone know that selling a home is considered to be one of the top 3 most stressful events in someone's lifetime? I had NO CLUE! But now I understand why. And for us military families, the deployment of a spouse is up there, too. All in all, we have been blessed. And even if things hadn't turned out the way they did with Aaron's deployment, we would STILL be blessed and praising the Lord. And even if our plans with this move don't work out how we planned, the LORD will be praised!

I was visiting with a Young Life leader named Kevin who works out of the basement of the home we'll be crashing for the next few months until we're officially out of the military. As I was pulling clothes out of one suitcase and putting them into a smaller one in preparation for our trip to Boston this week, we were chatting about the craziness of life, but how we can see in the midst and as we look back just how God took the trust and hope we gave him and guided us each step of the way.

As I sat there looking at all I have for the next 4 months, I thought, "Lord, what am I to learn in this time?" And then Kevin said, "You know, I think sometimes God just wants us to lighten our load for awhile." I am so happy that he said that! As challenging as it will be to live out of two suitcases, I realized in that moment that I have everything I need. The Lord going before me, clothes on my back, and the love of my life, Aaron.

As I drove home, I heard this song come on the radio and I love every single lyric. My favorite part is about how even in a time of waiting, not only do we need to worship the Lord, but we need to serve him by ministering to the people of this world wherever we are at - Even in a time of transition. Becauase as Aaron and I are well aware, this transition has been and could continue to take a long time!

I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait
I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience

While I’m waiting
I will serve You
While I’m waiting
I will worship
While I’m waiting
I will not faint
I’ll be running the race
Even while I wait

I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it’s not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait

I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting on You, Lord

Lyrics by John Waller

In the army now!

2009-05-18T14:27:00.007-04:00

Well, not really in the army, of course. But, we did experience the most amazing army simulator at the Andrews AFB air show! We were lucky that we went on the "DoD only" day because i'm sure it wasn't nearly as crowded as Saturday and Sunday. We had a front-row view for everything! In the simulator we got to ride on real-life black hawks and convoys. They even gave us ID cards and had us "briefed" by an army sergeant on how we did. All I gotta say is that this is probably their best recruiting tool. I didn't sign up, though! I think I make a much better "supportive air force wife."

We toured through the two cargo planes we'll be flying in the next few months....a c-5 and a c-17. It's amazing how huge these planes are. I'm still trying to prepare myself for flying backwards and sideways...hmmmm....

The Thunderbirds were pretty amazing. I had to laugh a little when the kids would scream as they flew over us. They are SO LOUD! It wasn't that it was funny, I was mostly laughing at the parents as they would try to console their crying children. I mean, they know what they're about to put their kids through before it even happens! Mean parents! haha

We really enjoyed the Golden Knights. I just think these people have got to have one of the most thrilling jobs in the military. I know it isn't really fun and games when it comes down to it, but they sure put on a great show for all of us!

We got pretty sun-burned. It was cloudy most of the day, but I realized just how deceiving that is! Thankfully, my farmers tan and racoon eyes are nearly gone. It was pretty cute. We're just glad that we could go and enjoy the air show this year since Aaron is usually working at it all weekend and especially since this is our last one at Andrews. We won't miss everything, but definitely a lot of things about this place!

The Army Golden Knights

Prop-plane tricks. I honestly have no idea if this is right-side up, sideways or upside-down!

Of COURSE the Thunderbirds kinda steal the show.

Cozy-ing up in the c-17 :)

The inside of the c-5. HUGE!

Positively the most handsome man i've ever seen! I sure do love this guy.

Travelin' Fools

2009-05-06T08:08:00.005-04:00

This is just a sneak preview to all the other pictures in this blog! Aaron and I have been happily using up his 45 days of leave and loving EVERY MINUTE! We just returned from a trip down to Savannah where I got to see one of my favorite people and college roommate from APU, Shelley. It was so much fun to see her! She took us around down town Savannah and it was adorable. Aaron loved all the spanish moss on the trees. She showed us the little upstairs apartment she used to rent from some people and I loved it because it has so much character!

After spending the night and one day in Savannah, Aaron and I were off to Charleston to see his cousin Haley and her boyfriend Bryant who attends the Citadel. They took us to an incredible true, southern-style restaurant where we got the most amazing grits and crab cakes and hush puppies that take the cake over any others that we've tried! Yum! I wish I had gotten a picture with Haley and Bryant, but somehow I forgot to do that :( We loved Charleston so much that we decided to stay for a second day. Not only is Charleston one of our new favorite places, but we stayed on Charleston Air Force Base and it was probably one of the nicest AF bases (according to Aaron.) We really enjoyed our stay, and it was close to town, 20 minutes from the beach, and 5 minutes from a really great outlet mall. Yes, Aaron let me splurge a little bit...so fun!

Honestly though, one of the best parts of our trip to Charleston was randomly running into Aaron's best friend who is a C-17 pilot stationed in California. Let me try and explain how all of this craziness unfolded! Aaron and I had just left the cutest wine bar (where I met a new furry friend! Hence the dog in the tu-tu at the top of this post. Bliss is her name and I LOVED her! She was the "mascot" at the wine bar!) and we were walking over to a hotel with a roof-top bar. All of a sudden, someone grabs Aaron from behind and says, "Give me your money!" We both jump and turn around and BOOM! There's MATT! It was the most amazing experience because Matt didn't know we would be in Charleston and we didn't know he would be either! It turns out that he and a few other pilots were spending the night re-fueling their aircraft. We joined all of them for a drink and had a great visit. He said they had never stopped in Charleston before, so it was truly meant to be. Isn't that so much fun?!? Our favorite spot in Charleston is now the Isle of Palms. It's a gorgeous beach town! Let me just admit right now that I even bought a t-shirt. I NEVER do that. I loved this place!

After spending an exra day in Charleston, we were off to Virginia Beach. We drove through Kitty Hawk, which was really fun. We had hoped to see the museum, but it was 5 p.m. when we drove though and they had just closed. So we went on our way to the beach and checked into our beach-front cabin at Fort Story, a small army base along the VA. Beach Atlantic coast. Even though we didn't love it as much as Charleston, we HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend this place to anyone. And we especially recommend Cape Henry Inn at Fort Story to any of our military friends (Mari :) hint hint) The boardwalk at VA. Beach was a little ghetto. Not because it's old and/or run-down, but because there are some weird-o people hangin out there. Seriously. Lets put some clothes on people!! As Aaron says, "It's just annoying to be around people who only want to draw attention to themselves." So true honey! All in all, it was a really great stay!

Finally, after two days in VA. Beach, we packed our stuff and hopped in the car to Williamsburg. I don't need to go into much detail on this one, because Jamestown and Williamsburg speak for themselves! It's amazing to walk around the oldest towns in the United States. The history just blows me away and I loved, loved, loved it!

Before we knew it, it was time to go home and 5 minutes from our house, our car started acting up. We thanked the Lord that this hadn't happened earlier in our trip when we were so far from home. I went to take the car into the shop yesterday and couldn't even get it into reverse. Nothing. Ugh! I had to call a tow truck and the mechanic thought the transmission might be shot. Thankfully, the filter just needed to be replaced and it was just that all of our trasmission fluid had spilled out causing it to not shift properly. I guess all of that driving really did it in. But it was a much easier fix than we had prepared ourselves for. We only have one car, so this would have been a huge blow. God is good and he provides. We give him thanks!

There's so much more I could blog, but i'll have to do that after our trip up to NY to see a broadway show for my birthday at the end of this month. We'll also be picking up Aaron's brother, Jesse, in Harlem to make our way up through some of the New England states. I can't wait to see Boston which is where my grandparents are from. I love traveling and these opportunities for us are not taken for granted!

We officially close on our house this Friday and then the movers come on May 20. Thanks to Joel and Maggie, our amazing "God-Parents" at our church here in Virginia who mentored us before we got married, they are providing us free housing at their gorgeous home until we move. AMEN!! We can't thank them enough and we feel so blessed.

I'll do my best to keep everyone posted on how things are going for us!

Uh oh. Public humiliation at the courthouse in Williamsburg!

I know, I look too happy!

The historic Williamsburg Capital

At lunch with Shelley in cute, cute Savannah Georgia!

Shelley's first apartment when she moved to Savannah. Isn't it amazing?!?

Sitting down to visit after running into Matt in Charleston. AMAZING!

The Gas Light wine bar, downtown Charleston

2.5 million dollar homes at the Isle of Palms. Whoa.

Beach lovin' - My man needs a tan ;)

Life is pretty rough...

Wild 'N Wonderful!

2009-04-07T11:31:00.003-04:00

Wow, I haven't blogged in a really long time! My sister who is a brand new mom is blogging more than I am - Unacceptable me!

I feel like I could write a million things (they're all going through my head) but i'll do my best to condense them:

*Aaron and I just got back from an amazing trip to Sugar Grove, West Virginia! If you didn't know, it's the "Wild and Wonderful" state according to their license plates. oh boy, is it ever! We were out in the middle of nowhere! When I say "nowhere", I REALLY mean it! We stayed on a Navy base in a cozy MWR cabin with a commissary the size of a 7-11. It's a neat place, but I honestly feel so bad for the personnel stationed there! Even more for the wives.....no jobs, BORING! I'm sure they're all really close. For us, it was just nice to get out of the city and see nothing but nature and each other. FABULOUS.

We slept in every single day, watched two movies, hiked up to Seneca Rocks and watched the rock climbers. It was pretty amazing and looked incredibly dangerous!

We also hiked up in the Shenendoah Mountains again which was a completely different experience than our hike there last July. We hiked about 4 miles down to a river, Aaron fished for a little while (unfortunately didn't catch anything, though) and we ate lunch when we reached the bottom. On our way down we saw a female black bear with two cubs that appeared to be about 1-year old. Apparently the mother bear abandons her babies when they're about 14-15 months old. I thought this was sad! Aaron says, "It's just what they do..." Haha. After fishing for a little while, we decided to hike back up which was a tough hike and another 4 miles back and saw another bear! This time it was a HUGE female black bear with a baby that looked like it was about 1 month old!! It was AMAZING to see all of these bears! We were thankful to be far enough away, but it was still kinda weird. I realized I wasn't very smart for wearing a bright pink sweatshirt. Way to be so incognito, Jenny.

We're bummed that we didn't have a digital camera because our battery died, but we had purchased an old fashioned disposable one and took a few shots that we're hoping turn out pretty nice. Once we develop them, i'll scan them in and post them. It'll be an old-fashioned, modge-podge of fun!

We enjoyed seeing another beautiful state while living out here on the East Coast and had fun practicing our awesome southern-drawls - Ha! Oooh yeah, i'm feeling a little bit country!

*Our house went under contract 6 days on the market for almost our full asking price! Though, I won't mention how much we are paying in their closing costs...ugh. Now this whole experience has been a whirl-wind. There are so many "contingencies" that you have to pass on before the sale can actually become final. Thanks goodness, those contingencies are moving forward much faster since our buyer wants the closing date to be May 8. The appraiser came into our house today, which is the last HUGE hurdle. Anyone who has purchased and/or sold a house knows exactly what i'm talking about. Hold......breath......BREATHE.....hold breath again.......We should hear back on all of that within about two days. After May 8, we will rent back from the buyer for two weeks and then we are officially homeless as of 9 p.m. on May 22nd. SAD!! But thank goodness my wonderful husband is taking me to Europe for my 25th birthday which is May 23rd! I think we'll probably leave on my birthday or right after. We're hopping a military cargo plane over to Germany...for FREE. Should be exciting!! Our plan is to see Germany, Italy and Prague. Other than that, we haven't really decided yet! Aaron has about 40 days of leave he hasn't used yet so we will get every second out of those 40 days that we can!

*Still nothing set in stone with a job for Aaron, but we are confident in the potential options that have been presented to us. We trust that God is taking us down this journey to reveal His plan in His perfect timing.

*I leave this Friday to visit my family out in Washington and FINALLY get to see my sweet niece Addison in person! I can't wait! My mom and I are also speaking at a mother-daughter conference the weekend of the 18th. I get to be in glorious Washington State for 10 whole days! I was really hoping Aaron would come with me, but he has lots of work to do these days. Secretly, I think he just wants fishing adventures with the boys ;) Hey, i'm A-OK with that!

Last but not least, I am excited that it's finally Spring. Not only because of all of the beautiful flowers and weather, but because of Easter which is one of the best times of the year. When I realize just what sets my God apart from any other "God" it's incredible. No other God has sent his only son to die such a terrible death on a cross and give me access to eternal life in heaven. I couldn't be more grateful and have anything better to live for than the One who did that for ME.

Until next time, may you be BLESSED!

My Niece is Finally Here! Addison Marie :)

2009-03-13T08:48:00.006-04:00

Hello world! My name is Addison Marie Scheuffele and i'm finally here to see everyone! I am 8 lb 10 oz of love, 19 in long and I have lots of strawberry blond hair (along with a few little curls already, too! Thanks Daddy!!) I don't cry very much but I sure do sleep, eat and poop alot!

I was a bit stubborn and my mommy was in labor with me for 30 hours before everyone finally decided to get me out via c-section. Mommy says I'm completely worth it, though!

Everyone keeps kissing my cheeks...i'm not sure why. Maybe you can figure it out from my pictures?? Now that everyone has passed me around a million times, i'm just excited to finally see my Auntie Jenny on April 10th when she visits me for the first time!

"Home" Stretch

2009-02-26T09:17:00.002-05:00

Sorry I haven't been blogging much about the house! A bunch of you keep asking for more updates and pictures. Well, sorry, no pictures today (please don't hate me!) but they're coming soon! Our decorator came over yesterday to move a few things around the house and finalize plans. She's coming back on Tuesday to completely finish decorating the house. We have spent so much time and money on the remodel that we haven't purchased too many pieces of furniture. We did go out and get a really comfy loveseat and two armless chairs, but our decorator is bringing in some paintings for the walls, lamps and a number of other things.

I'm going to make a confession here....

Aaron has this huge painting that he LOVES of birds...or ducks...I dunno, I can't really tell! All I know is that i'm not the biggest fan of it. I tend to like more abstract pieces and landscape paintings. Anyway, this bird/duck painting that he has needed a new piece of glass because it had cracked down the middle a while back. Since we need things for the walls, I decided (a little against my will) to drive down to Michaels and I figured I'd just purchase a new frame. Come to find out that the frame isn't standard so they suggested that they could buff out the scuffs in the frame and put a new piece of glass over it. "Sure, that sounds good." But $89 later!! The things we do for love. I admit, the colors in it are beautiful, but it just isn't my style. I know Aaron really appreciates it and I love him, so i'm biting my tongue on this one! Our decorator loves the painting, too. So much that she is bringing two more from the same artist (Audubon) over and will be hanging one in our bedroom and two in our living room. I wonder if I might start ducking throughout the house in order to save myself from flying birds pooping on my head! Ok, that was a joke....

Well, the next week and a half will be a bit crazy. This is the final stretch of our house work! As I mentioned, our house will be decorated on Tuesday, our realtor is coming over to take pictures on Thursday and we have a window cleaner coming on the 13th. Basically, we'll be completely done with the inside on Monday! I can hardly believe i'm writing that.

We are hoping for an open house on March 15, but that will depend on when the work gets done on the outside. Though we've been able to do pretty much everything ourselves, we had to hire someone to replace the trim on the outside of our house because a lot of it was rotting. He'll then put a new coat of paint on all the trim as well. Tomorrow, our realtor and I are going shopping for plants and flowers to decorate the outside of the house. I think it'll look beautiful! We're really going to enjoy living in a completed house for a little while.

Good news is that a house that went on the market in our neighborhood two weeks ago is already under contract! I know they put it on the market for a pretty good price, too. Apparently there are still a ton of home buyers in our area. Yay! If we sell within the next month or two, we'll need to find a temporary place to live until we move in early June. Aaron will pin as Captain June 1 (sooo proud of him!) and then he has 44 days of leave, so we can actually leave town as early as about June 5.

We're hoping to take a hop over to Europe for two weeks sometime between May and June. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!