Driving home from an errand last night I heard the sounds of a wholed muffler and gas-eating engine passing my car. I turned and looked out the window, giving the other driver the attention they desired when they “altered” their car. And I found great enjoyment as a 4 door sedan with glowing track light under the car and new barrel exhaust pipe passed me filled with four teenage boys. I mean come on man, almost 8 months pregnant, Chevy Cavalier with Celine Dion blaring me was more of a sports car than them.

=)

People entertain me. Especially as the child wasted half the gas tank by revving the engine at the stoplight. Clearly if the child had paid for his own gas for more than the last two weeks conservation would have quieted that engine a little. =)

I love it.

Wanna know something cool?
9 weeks to go. And looking at the calender this afternoon I realized the following things are happening before the baby comes:

1. This weekend (Nov 14-16) youth retreat – Discipleship Now
2. Following weekend (Nov 22) – hang out with mom and jes and make Christmas decorations
3. Nov 23 – church baby shower
4. Nov 25 – childbirth classes begin
5. Then – Thanksgiving in Michigan and NFL hall of fame
6. Next weekend (Dec 6) – celebrate Mom’s b-day and Cinci baby shower
7. Wednesday Dec 10 – welcome our nephew to the world.
8. Next weekend (Dec 12-13) – live nativity scene
9. Dec 16 – Childbirth classes end
10. Next weekend (Dec 20) – FREE!
11. Dec 21 – last dog training class.
12. Next weekend – Christmas
13. New Years – no work (we probably won’t even stay up til midnight on the Eve)
14. Next weekend (Jan 3) – FREE!
15. Next weekend (Jan 9-11) – my due date.

That’s right, friends, totally cool! And just think how quickly that all will fly and yet how much joy and laughter will be had over the next 9 weeks prior to the start of parenthood for Matt and me. Granted, baby could pop up any time to add to the festivities, but we’re hoping to make it to January (or at least I’m hoping because Matt thought it’d be cool to have a Christmas baby). But for once, little one, don’t listen to your father.

Alrighty, back to what I do best…

eating a snack.

Well, dear friends, this morning is another fabulous Friday. And why are Fridays fabulous? Because they seem to come quicker and quicker lately. It’s been surprising to me how quickly these past few weeks and months have flown. And I must be honest here… I’m really enjoying that aspect. See, when you’re waiting in excitement and anticipation for a baby (just ask Matt, he can testify), the waiting can be fun, but so can be the receiving. As the days pass and I pass by the nursery I wonder about baby. Will she be a she or he be a he? What color eyes and hair? Will baby have Matt’s nose, my nose or a combo of both? Cone head? (Hey, our niece pulled it off and she’s a cutie now). Will baby be a smiler? A clinger? As active as baby has been inside?

Obedience training is going well with Dakota. Sometimes she is a selective learner, but she is trying and I’m sure she’s enjoying the fruit of her labor. (Do you want a treat?) We’ve gotten a greater distinction between speak, sit and lay down. Though sometimes she decides to sit and lay down with vocals (which is not atypical for a husky). I think the biggest improvement is the consistency and intentionality of training her from Matt and I. She’s a good girl and I’m looking forward to obedience class on Sunday.

Tonight Robin and I get to hang out. I’m looking forward to trashing our kitchen tonight as we attempt to make an edible-looking birthday cake for Jes‘ birthday celebration tomorrow. I told Robin to be prepared to get dirty because I’m a messy baker. “I know,” came her instant I’ve-lived-with-you-for-a-year-and-know-all-too-well-your-baking-habits response. “We only have one apron so you’re going to be out of luck,” I told her. “What are you talking about? You should be the one who’s afraid.” So apparently she is already planning her tactics to acquire my apron. Hehe. This should be quite fun!

Matt’s 10-page “short” paper is due Monday for his class. This is the first and last of his semester papers here in the first semester of his seminary degree. Matt is really looking forward to the semester’s end as we both count down tests, exams, and paper. That 6 week break will be well-deserved for Matt and highly enjoyed by all. (Let alone the normal joy of the holidays and the new joy of our soon-arriving baby).

So yeah, things are humming along with life and all. Work helps me look all the more forward to a 2 month break devoted solely to family. Church is going well. I’m still looking for my spot to serve and grow at church, but I’m confident that some day I’ll find it. Until then, I keep popping around the church and being involved in various ministries. i was thinking how quickly this past year flew by in reference to Matt and my first year of marriage. Odd to think of celebrating 2 years of marriage in 10 months from now. Odd in a cool way, not in a “I didn’t think we’d make it this far” way. Looking forward to the arrival of our nephew in 33 days. Really looking forward to Thanksgiving in Michigan and going to the NFL Hall of Fame around Cleveland-ish with Matt “on the way back” after Michigan. Looking forward to finding out if our fireplace can burn wood, Saturday afternoon with the family, seeing Iowa at church on Sunday, tonight with Robin, snuggling with Dakota (when she’s cooperative), and that feeling of freedom as one leaves the Friday parking lot in pursuit of the weekend.

So g’mornin‘ ya’ll and I hope things are going well with you. Hopefully you have found life’s little joys to enjoy. Have a good one!

Well, this should make things very interesting, very fast. We should expect to see some change… yes friends, change like we never saw it before. But I have a feeling we’re going to miss the America that was which has been exchanged for an American in which such a small portion of the liberal population believes. I certainly will confess that I am not desiring of such changes that have been declared as “good” from our soon-to-be President and I wonder how many others, beyond the Christians I have spoken to recently, will be added to that same category. It is quite disappointing that so many claiming “Christians” could ever vote for things that are so far from the Truth. It’ll be very interesting over the next four years to find out just what slice of something has been elected. But I’m not thinking it’s the slice of heaven that the media portrays. (Then again why should we expect a media who has continually lied in the past to be telling the truth now?)

Guess Christ-followers are going to learn a big lesson in respecting authority while politely and devoutly disagreeing with each decision. Wonder where that’ll put true Christians in this country?

On the bright side… Christianity has always grown in oppression. So when we all have prayed for growth of the Christian church and the true believers of the Lord, God’s answer was through an increasingly struggling country. So be it… all for the Glory of God.

Good morning all. It’s so nice to wake up in the “fall back” as opposed to the “spring forward.” Yeah, one more hour of sleep is quite nice. It’s given me a bit of extra time this morning to come to a couple of realizations and looking forward to a couple of things today.

1. We’re starting obedience training class with Dakota today at 2pm. I’m looking forward to spending some time investing in our dog’s character and also helping her to be less psycho on the lead. This is an 8-week training class teaching the basics with some other beginner and non-puppy dogs. I’m actually looking forward most to spending time with Matt in working with our doggie that he loves so much (not to imply that I don’t love her, but just that she’ totally Matt’s dog due to the way she has adopted him).

2. I was looking through my calender today and realized that today marks week 30 of pregnancy (as you can see from the baby ticker above) but in other terms that marks 10 weeks until the baby’s due date. That blew my mind. 10 weeks out, friends! Wow. That’s coming quite fast. Not a bad fast. Just whew! Fast! I remember counting down the wedding. And now my planner has the baby countdown going. It’s crazy to see the things we plan for and have planned for come and go with such speed. Before you know it the youth weekend will be here and then the baby shower and then Thanksgiving and then child birthing classes start and then the baby shower with mom and then Christmas and then baby’s right around the corner. It absolutely blows my mind. And crammed into all that we get to welcome our nephew into the world on December 10th (Ellen’s being induced). And there’s the live nativity scene. And so much more to look forward to as the days go by.

Yesterday as Matt and i walked through the mall I said, “You know hunny, it’s kind of crazy to think that in just a couple of months we’re going to be carting a baby around.” “Yeah,” Matt said, “Only we probably won’t be at the mall.” (Typical rational thinker.)

Matt’s getting excited and it comes in his tone of voice, his eyes and his incorporation of baby in his sermons. Baby is on his mind. And he’s excited. And it’s really neat to see and hear.

3. Iowa’s coming to Ohio next weekend. I’m so thrilled! It feels like years ago that Renee moved to Iowa, when it’s only been months, but I look forward to giving her a hug and seeing her with my own two eyes next weekend. it’s an absolutely wonderful joy to have ended our last conversation with, “Welp, see ya next weekend.” We should totally end more conversations like that. =) It’s funny how much Renee has become a normal part of my thoughts that passing her old house randomly on a short-cut brings back memories of going for a walk about the neighborhood with Ivan, Emmett and Renee. We were talking about life as it was handed to us. And it’s just so fun to think of what life has handed to us since that day. – Look forward to seeing my friend.

Well, Matt’s up and I’d like to make him breakfast when he gets out of the shower so I better go. I hope this post finds you all doing well.
Thanks for caring to read my rambles and I look forward to reading yours. =)

Take care.

“Are we going to have a huge kid?” I asked my husband as we were out walking and I suddenly missed being able to see my imaginary pants button.

I would like to first explain that I am not an insecure person when it comes to my weight. I don’t believe people have to fit in the anorexia brackets that doctors so frequently describe as your “average weight bracket for your height” but I do know that there is a different between a healthy weight and one contingent upon an over-loaded doughnut intake. I believe there is a happy balance between enjoying that ice cream and enjoying the brussel sprouts (yes, world, I like brussel sprouts).

And it would be purely foolish of me to pretend like I have any idea what my personal pregnancy weight tolerance may be or how easily i will or will not be able to lose the excess weight. It would be like me using the phrase, “usually…” in starting a description of my pregnancy symptoms. Beyond the usually that this week has brought, consistency and certainly experience during this pregnancy have fallen to the lacking side of the scale.

Tolerance I speak of, yes, in regards to weight gain not because I have a hidden obsession about my weight, but because my body is a temple and I want to control the flesh as much as I possibly can. This has fueled my past love/hate relationship with running which resulted in a 3rd place triathlon happening. And I am sure that my desire to dominate my lazy “I want ice cream” selfishness will also fuel further running sessions after the arrival of baby and the disappearance of ice.

But, despite some opinions, pregnancy is not the platform of “free for all” binge eating. I don’t feel that it is my excuse to bomb-rush the nearest fast food urge or throw myself at passing ice cream trucks. I am well aware that the weight I carry, good and bad weight, will have it’s affects beyond delivery day.

So in light of my thinking, I have broken through my comfortable realm of pride to ask for Matt’s help in a round-about prideful way of course. But none the less, he has graciously offered to walk with me on a more regular basis and help with packing healthier choices for my daily in-order-to-avoid-feeling-ill moments at work. (Yes, friends, while I haven’t puked at work since 5.5 months into this pregnancy, feeling ill if i don’t eat within a 1/2 hour to hour bracket of my first feeling of hunger is an unfortunate side-affect.) Matt has even gone to the extremities of offering to avoid chips and cookies within our household all to aid his bride and child make better choices.
I could never ask him to do so, but his willingness is to be honored.

Either way, I type all this not to notify you cyber and breathing world of my personal woes regarding weight gain (for I really don’t think they are woes at all), but because sometimes we need to make more intention to live more healthy lives. And I find that “sometimes” in the last sentence is not situational, but intentional. (If of course there is such thing as an intentional intent.) Therefore, in this daze of feeling completely out of control of this body while this little one dictates my level of acid reflux, sleep, energy, and intake demand, I am taking more delight in the idea of a few lifestyle changes that might just help throttle on these last few months of healthier weight gain.

I haven’t done horrible thus far (in fact I’m still in the “normals”- whatever that means), but I certainly can always do better… and should be striving for such endeavors.

So, (raises plate) here’s to a night of green beans… and just one slice of what Matt’s having – hot wanna-be-healthy pizza – after an evening walk (choking session) with our poochie.

=)