A Sofa and the Spirit
I haven’t written in a quite a few days, but my usual free time was unavailable this past week. Let me tell you why…
I’ll try to make this short because it rather upsets me, and it’s most likely boring to passers-by. It seems like ever since Gabriel and I have been together, my futon has been a source of discomfort in the apartment. There is no sofa. Actually, the only “nice” piece of furniture in the place is the over-sized chair I’ve had for more than 10 years. So, I decided that I was going to buy a sofa for Gabriel as a Christmas present. Last Wednesday, feeling incredibly empowered by a delay of morning sickness, and after a few days of online price comparison, I made the journey through the Kansas countryside to Nebraska Furniture Mart — my new favorite store. I sat on every single sofa that was under $600, multiple times on a few. After an hour I found “the one”. It was green and oh so comfy. Elated, I paid for it and found out that I made the deadline for next day delivery. Here’s where the story becomes tragic. The next day was spent with making the living room ready for a major transition, all the while trying not to make Gabriel suspicious. Then I waited. Finally, there was a knock at the door and my heart jumped. My sofa!! Okay… I’ll skip the details of what happened next because they sent me into a pit of despair, but long story short: it didn’t fit through the door.
I was crestfallen.
The sofa was loaded back onto the truck by the angry delivery men, and I was left bawling on my pathetic futon.
We remain sofa-less, and it’ll probably stay that way now. But Gabriel was so gentle and kind, even though I cried and carried on like the overly emotional, hormone-wrecked pregnant woman that I am. Now I’m back to the drawing board for fantastic and surprising Christmas present ideas. At least we’ll have a tree this year, so all is not lost… even though, we won’t be with our families for the holidays. :’(
Also worthy of note (more so than the sofa story), is that there has been a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit here at the House of Prayer. We’re talking nightly meetings of worship, prayer, salvations, and miraculous healings. It’s the biggest move of God I’ve seen here since I moved to Kansas City, and it’s something that we have needed and longed for. I haven’t been able to actually attend the meetings because of work and then baby-related sickness, but Gabriel has, and there’s a free webstream each night from 6pm to midnight on ihop.org You should definitely check it out. We’re going tonight along with a friend of mine I used to work with named Julee.
In pregnancy news, I’m 2 months along. I still haven’t seen a doctor but I’ve talked to an awesome midwife over the phone who really helped me and put my mind at ease. I’ve had quite a bit of fear associated with the labor/delivery concept, and whether I am capable of going through it naturally despite my history of severe reactions to pain. Debbie Perry, the midwife, is incredible, and I really feel good about going forward with this under her direction. Also, in preggo news, I may have conquered the evil sting of morning sickness thanks to Jennifer James, who gave me a B6 supplement. That, in combination with a few other tips I’ve discovered, has been my lifesaver. Work is still hard for me, but God’s grace is sustaining me.
Well, my husband just got home with yet another early Christmas present (the first was a collection of Bob Dylan DVD’s — hallelujah), an air humidifier, so I must go now and admire it!!
Say No to Morning Sickness
Today, I feel magically okay. Almost normal. Wow. I hope everything is alright in there. Perhaps it’s because I overloaded on protein last night before bed. It seemed like I simply could not satisfy my urgent hunger. Oh wait… not to worry, I’m beginning to feel the fatigue creep in. Maybe I’ll be spared the usual miserable feeling of all-day morning sickness, especially since I miraculously was not repulsed by Grape Nuts today.
I’m 7 1/2 weeks pregnant now, and I’ve had ALL the symptoms. It’s almost like having the flu all the freaking time. First trimester lost its romance for me quite a while ago. In fact, the discomforts have done well to distract me from what’s really happening: there is a person being knit together inside my womb. This is profoundly humbling, but I just feel lousy at the moment. I’m so glad that the “fearfully & wonderfully” made part is not entirely up to me. “Fearfully”, maybe, because I’m being somewhat obsessive about health and nutrition, but I don’t think that’s the same “fearfully” as in Psalm 139. A couple days ago, I was reading that Psalm (which has been one of my favorites since childhood), and for the first time I read it from the perspective of a mother with a child being created inside me. Selah.
With that revelation, I am rendered speechless.
June Bug
Disclaimer: this post is much longer than it needs to be. Get over it. I’m pregnant.
This has been the worst day so far in my pregnancy. I only left my bed long enough for lunch with Gabriel and my daily walk. I feel like I have the flu. But I know it’s just the June Bug in my belly. I have gotten almost nothing done today except for a couple necessary phone calls. The apartment is cluttered and my laundry dirty (something I suppose I’ll be more accustomed to after the baby is born). I haven’t even felt like blogging today. I just wanted to share a little of our lives with you.
Lately, I’ve had somewhat of a heightened anxiety regarding contagious illnesses, especially the flu. I get nervous when I’m at work, repeatedly in contact with the general public. I even put up a sign in my treatment room that says that clients are required to tell me if they’re sick. Yesterday, a lady told me she was sick. Okay. So what good does the sign do if I still have to work with her? I disinfect everything in the room, but that doesn’t do much for the air in a room that’s closed up the whole day with potentially sick people and me in it. Medical masks are the only solution I can think of. I’ve had to cast aside some of my immune boost methods, seeing as how the labels discourage pregnant women from taking them. The flu shot became remarkably appealing after hearing that one of my coworkers recently had a client who later claimed she was getting over the swine flu. Really, people? Who does that? There was overwhelming feedback on Facebook when I mentioned I was considering the shot, but really all that it accomplished was two things: fear of the shot, and fear of sickness. Either way, I’m fearful. This is not okay. The only other thing I can think of to do is stay at home all day everyday. But we can’t afford that right now, AND I would most likely go insane. As the passing weeks bring me closer to the day when I will be a non-working stay-at-home mom, I am trying to soak up and appreciate the world of employment as best as I can. Honestly, I just like my job. I know I’ll LOVE being a mother, and I seriously can’t wait. But not working and not mothering at the same time are incredibly unappealing to me.
So that’s a window into my troubled thoughts.
Speaking of troubled thoughts. The possibilities of healthcare coverage (even aid from the government) are swiftly slamming the doors. I’m somewhat at a loss. It looks like I almost should quit working, just so we qualify for help. This is silly, in my opinion. However, I really don’t know what else to do. My current course of action: sit tight and just wait. I’m only just now getting into my 7th week. I’ve got time to figure this out. In the mean time, I’ve been doing a ton of research to ensure I’m making the healthiest decisions for my Bun, and that I know what to expect. What is totally reassuring is that I’m surrounded by awesome moms and moms-to-be that are full of valid advice and support. I don’t know what I’d do without them. [Thanks, ladies! I love you!] If something feels like it’s going wrong, I will bite the bullet and pay a visit out-of-pocket.
I really enjoy having a good reason to watch my diet and exercise. This is actually fun. I’ve always liked keeping track of things, but if I don’t have a goal or a good reason, it usually falls by the wayside. This time, with the genius of my hubby, I’ve created a spreadsheet for my nutritional intake. It’s fascinating to see what all I actually eat now (much more than I’m used to, but very healthy, nonetheless). I’m proud of myself for how nutritionally rich my food choices have been. I would say that my choices have been based on what my body says it needs, but my cravings have majorly waned in the last couple days. I think the main reason is I’ll think of something I want (today it’s french fries and pepperoni… not very healthy), and then immediately feel like I would just puke it up. I haven’t thrown up yet, but the nausea is still there. Food is not as appealing, though I still eat plenty because I know I should. Amazingly, the acupressure points I learned about recently in my prenatal massage course (which I took before I even knew I was prego) have actually worked very well at alleviating my nausea. Too bad I can’t massage clients with my thumb digging into my opposite wrist. I might invest in some acupressure bracelets. I’m hoping that the sick feelings don’t get any worse and I can just sail right through the next few weeks to my second trimester. I hear trimester #2 is the ultimate happy prego time with fewer woes. That’s when I’m technically allowed to start “showing”. However, my belly is already swollen, either from water weight or because it just hurts to hold my tummy in now. My feet are already swollen– hence the new $15 running shoes I recently invested in– so maybe my belly’s just retaining water too. I haven’t really gained any weight yet, but Gabe says maybe it’s just redistributing itself. I wouldn’t mind just sticking my tummy out and telling everyone I’m prego, but when I say I’m still in my first trimester, they might just look at me funny. My primary concern is that I don’t swell so much that I can’t fit into the bridesmaid dress I just picked up a couple days ago (it’s beautiful, by the way, nice choice Maggie!)
On a not-so-woeful note, let me tell you about my hero.
Gabriel is my angel, no pun intended. He is the absolute most patient and loving husband. He doesn’t complain when I don’t clean the apartment like I say I’m going to, or when I don’t feel well enough to go to the grocery store, or I’m forgetful or emotional or mean (dang hormones)… and I really don’t know how he puts up with me moping around and groaning about how miserable I feel. This can’t be the funnest time for him, but he never shows it. He’s just the same loving, funny, compassionate guy I’ve waited for my whole life. Lately we’ve been watching movies or shows online while we crochet together, since I rarely feel like going out and doing anything anymore. I’m always laughing at his jokes and attempts to lighten the mood. He’s more than I ever thought to ask for. All the time, I’m learning new things about him that makes me love him even more. The beauty of who he is fascinates me.
The parents.
Pop & Dawn were planning on coming to visit us on Thanksgiving this year, but plans have changed. Since the news of the baby, they’ve decided to save their visit until he actually arrives. We are very thrilled that they will be here for the dawn of our parenting days, but I have to say that I’m sad that they won’t be here for Thanksgiving. It will be hard enough for me to be away from “home”, as it will be my first holiday apart from my family. But I know this is something I need to be gracious about, especially since it will be better now that I’m a wife and we have our own little family. We’ll have plenty more holidays with the ‘rents.
As for a visit from my folks, Poppa & Mom are planning on coming here at the end of December, and we are extremely excited about this! They’ll be here for the conference, but they’ll be here a couple of extra days just to spend time with us. We’re really looking forward to it.
“The Power of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin…
…and Other Lovely Stories”
I had my first taste of morning sickness yesterday. But it was more like bedtime sickness. I was actually able to hold my stomach contents down, but only with great will power. My wonderful husband volunteered to search out and purchase some ginger ale, which was lovely. I hope his miraculous patience endures the coming weeks. Ha! Last night he made me some dinner, the exact dinner I had requested, but as soon as I saw it I decided I would probably just puke it back up.
The most intense, irritating symptoms I’ve had were just an unrelenting headache and fatigue. Additionally, I’ve been waking up much earlier than usual against my will, unable to go back to sleep despite how exhausted I feel. I pee all the freaking time, making work quite interesting. Another thing that at first kind of sucks but is actually cool too is that my feet are growing already. Weird. Especially so early. By the time I’m ready to give birth, they’ll probably look like boats. The cool part is I have to go buy new running shoes! Cheap ones, of course, and with room to grow, but it’s still exciting!
Current smells I cannot endure: cherry licorice bites (sorry, honey), pomegranate scented germ-X, and tuna. Bread smells like vinegar.
My craving for the last 3 weeks: Buffalo Wild Wings, particularly parmesan garlic and teriyaki. An interesting side note: I’ve noticed that I can handle foods that are slightly spicier than I used to abide. My husband will enjoy this, I think.
I’ve really been “wasting” my time reading pregnancy books and looking up stuff online. I’ve yet to go to the doctor, but for some reason I don’t feel too rushed about it, considering I’m just now getting into my 6th week (which is when the heartbeat starts. yay!). I’m currently trying to figure out how to get on Medicaid, seeing as we won’t qualify based on our combined incomes of the last few months (due to my dramatic increase in work hours in preparation for the house purchase that hasn’t happened). We’ll qualify as soon as I decrease my workload, but I doubt the government would take that into consideration. Until I figure this out, I’m just gonna let my little pea keep growing so that I’ll hear a nice heartbeat when I do finally go in for an ultrasound.
I just want to let the world know that I have the best husband any girl could ever ask for. He is so very patient, self-sacrificing, and gentle with me. I’m totally in awe of how he loves me and demonstrates it everyday. Today he made me lunch on his lunch hour, not just cooking what I whimsically thought I wanted, but he anticipated what I would want 5 minutes later too (which was actually very accurate). As a side note, my serving of turkey bacon doubled today, which was a little humorous.
It’s incredible how fast these changes are happening in my body. Maybe I’m just extra sensitive to the hormones. But everything I’ve experienced is outlined as normal in all the literature I’ve read. I’m slightly anxious about how dramatically these changes might increase in the coming weeks, and also if I’ll still be able to fit into my bridesmaid dress for my brother’s wedding as I launch into my second trimester (supposedly, I’ll have gained at least 5 pounds by then, so I guess it depends on where that weight goes). I’m very excited. VERY excited about being pregnant. Even as I say this through my persistent, nauseating headache. Oh and thanks to all of you who have been offering advice. I appreciate and welcome it all!
When Life Loves Me Back
This afternoon is what it’s all about…
Let me tell you.
After a slow start to the morning, I began cooking lunch for Gabriel’s lunch hour. What a pleasant hour it was, filled with French toast, scrambled eggs, frozen blueberries, French press coffee, and an episode of Heroes. After this, I embarked on an adventure that was quite ambitious for me: my first Pumpkin Cheesecake. With a twist on three different recipes, I created my own with a gingersnap crust, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger; it promises to be tasty even if the presentation flops. I attempted to make a pumpkin pie smoothie the other day (one of my greatest joys in life, no exaggeration), and it was a miserable failure… more like pumpkin-soymilk-and-spices juice. Nasty, to say the least, but I drank it ALL so as not to waste. Pumpkin Cheesecake, take my heart, but please don’t break it.
My hair got moody and suddenly decided to lie flat yesterday, after sticking straight up for a good 5 weeks or so. I can’t even try to make it look like it did before yesterday. Now it really looks like a boy hair style. I don’t mind, but Gabe asks that I please do SOMETHING to change it since right now it looks just like his. Ha ha! I find this whole situation very humorous. I still love my short hair, although yesterday I very nearly almost for a split second missed my long hair because I saw a picture of when I wore it straight and blonde in the front. Even when it’s long again, I’m going to try to resist the urge to bleach it again.
My long work streak is over and now I’m back to my normal schedule, which is refreshing though not as financially productive. I got to go to church on Sunday and totally chill for the rest of the day with Gabriel. It was absolutely glorious. Tonight is small group. And tomorrow I might hang out with a friend or two if I get all my errands done. Today my goal is to get the apartment clean, though motivation is slow in coming.
October has not failed me yet. So far it has brought nothing but joy, including the wedding of my friend and boss Rachel Cornwell, a reunion with my college friend Jessica Tracy, the birth of a friend’s baby (or actually, a few of them), the revival of pumpkiny goodness in all of my favorite seasonal recipes, and the list goes on. Unfortunately, something October may NOT bring is our new house. Our original plan was to try to purchase a house this month, but employment has become a more difficult issue than expected, so it may be a few months before this dream comes to fruition. That’s okay. The tax credit would’ve been nice, but I’d rather act wisely in every step of this big decision, than move quickly and dramatically increase my stress level. Still, there’s still a possibility of us going forward with this soon, but only if all factors involved are quick to fall into place. In the mean time, I’m having fun playing around with color schemes in my head, imagining my kids running around and growing up in our future home.
This has always been an emotional and almost nostalgic season for me. I can’t help but remember where I was this time last year. I was insanely happy, making trips to the library to study astronomy and Japanese art, looking for shapes in the stars at night, planning my trip to buy my wedding dress, drinking pumpkin pie smoothies, hanging out with some very dear friends… I was very happy, but very anxious that it would somehow end because I hadn’t ever felt that happy before in my life. It did end for a time, so I was right to guard my heart. I had some heartbreaking things happen to me the following month. But God used every cut and tear to reconstruct my heart to trust Him. I cry even now thinking about His tenderness toward me. Even before God has ever allowed my heart to break, He always prepares me in some way, either through a dream, a word from a friend, or a Scripture verse. He has always been so faithful to me. It is only through Him that sorrow and loss become healing and restoration. And now, here, in October 2009, I am the most blessed girl on the planet. I have a faithful friend as a husband, my beautiful family loves me, and my joy has been redefined in so many ways that I never could have imagined.
Things I love today:
*My loving best friend Gabriel
*Beirut
*Sufjan Stevens
*Jose Gonzalez, particularly “Heartbeats”
*Autumn air
*Helping people (work)
*Crochet
*Football (Gabe even made a fantasy football team for me)
*Wings & beer
*Long-sleeved t-shirts
*Books on CD
*Our little apartment
I could say more, but I really need to get to my chores. Much love to all of you on this beautiful day!
“And the leaves that are green…
…turn to brown.” – Paul Simon
“Put away the old September blues.” – My Morning Jacket
Praise Jesus it’s the last day of September. I absolutely LOVE October. In fact, it rivals April as my favorite month. I always wanted to get married in October, if for no other reason than the color palette. But we just couldn’t wait that long, and I’m glad, because then this October would have been wrecked with wedding planning stress. And I get to spend this entire month enjoying the already established wedded bliss. October is the most beautiful month to me, donning a variety of meanings with each season of my life… transition, harvest, melancholy loneliness, beautiful life begetting beautiful death (morbid, but true), and most importantly, the birth of my amazing brother in 1987.
Daniel Elias Crisler. I was only 3, but I remember. I remember the cool air outside and the orange leaves in our neighborhood. I remember staying the night at Sharon Taylor’s house and eating a granny smith apple. I remember being afraid for my mother. And I remember when Poppa finally came and got me and brought me to Mom, who gave me a baby doll I named Betsy Blue. The IV in Mom’s hand upset me, and I couldn’t understand why it didn’t hurt her. Her long red hair was down and she wore a cotton nightgown that she would sometimes let me sleep with. I remember when she showed me the “chocolate spot” birthmark on the back of my new brother’s leg, pointing out that it was because of all the chocolate milkshakes she and I had shared during her pregnancy. I remember the chocolate milkshakes at Trowbridges, and how special that time was for me. I remember sitting across from her in that little downtown ice cream shop, thinking how pretty my mommy was when she smiled with her blue eyes, the same blue eyes that I had and that we would soon see on my brother’s tiny face. Who would’ve thought that such an incredible young man could be born from such love and chocolate milkshakes?
October is beautiful to me. It always has been. I am so glad it’s only a few hours away.
This month has been so full and busy. I’ve been a little stressed. But now, the crisp air and pumpkin spice season is helping to melt that all away. All over again, I feel that feeling of “I’m exactly where I’ve always wanted to be”. I’m perfectly content. My aches and pains, my busy work schedule, money issues… it’s all irrelevant because of the simple things, which actually add up to be vital to my happiness. For instance, I like to swim and I went swimming today at the gym, I like my job and knowing that I have the ability to help people, I rest in the fact that everything is going to work out as it should… And to top it off, I’m in love. In love for good. He’s not ever gonna leave me. Which is the greatest gift anyone has ever given me.
That’s all I have to say now. But if you’re interested, here’s a sort of “ode to October” I wrote about 3 years ago (back when I thought I could write poetry). It’s a little emo, but that was the season I was in at the time, trying to come out of the fog:
October rains breathe fresh colors to my mind,
my story has been a canvas of grayer hues.
October streets lead me around this little maze.
only now i see what i used to have,
what i have now, and what i still need.
fears of the dark, i hope they die
because life without squinting, staring at the sun
is enough challenge for me and a wheezing soul.
Looking at these trees awakens my mind,
to think how colorful it is to die,
and how every tiny life
is its own rainbow, a passing glory before its end.
it’s a season. seasons come and go.
and this is the one where i feel most at home.
i’m lost in some dream, together or alone,
of color and of rain, and rainbows you can touch.
just be quiet and let me walk in it, rest in it
and breathe.
Old bad dreams are still calling from a distance,
and once again they’re like ships on shiny seas.
reminds me of what i want, if not what i need,
and that somewhere someone loves me
though i’ve begged hard to be free.
words and light are fighting for my life.
i can’t expect to be fully understood.
you know, it really doesn’t matter,
i mean, i don’t, or what i give.
still there’s something stuck inside me
that keeps screaming and won’t give.
i try to walk the streets of the norm,
and sing the songs that i’m given.
but it’s hard not to count the sins
i’m supposed to have forgiven.
From death comes life, or so i’ve heard,
and i’m still working on that one.
it’s hard to breathe in empty tombs,
but then again, they’re not for the living.
i guess that’s why i’m walking now,
or at least i’m trying to remember how,
and it’s these October streets that find my feet
and look up to see my face smile.
smile.
yeah. what a thought.
there’s life out there, you know?
you just gotta keep running
…and loving.
which takes learning
…and trusting.
God, this is so hard.
…but it’s living.
“Don’t let me down…”
The last few days have been a real let-down. I’ll skip the major details because I know it would just make it worse. Tonight I’m left with a headache and the need to cry it all out. After thoroughly examining the current events in my life, I can’t really pinpoint what is causing this recent bout of emotional distress. When I feel the tears, fear, or anger well up for no apparent reason, I have to firmly tell myself “I am okay. We are okay. Everything is going to be okay.” It seems like everyone I talk to (or work with) is having a tough time lately, even the traffic accidents seem more frequent. One of my coworkers says this is all because Mercury is in retrograde. … umm….. yeah. Don’t really know what to say about that. But something is going on, and I don’t like it.
On a brighter note, the weather is starting to get a.m.a.z.i.n.g. for which I am so very very thankful. Unfortunately I will only have one day off work for the next couple weeks to enjoy it. I’ve picked up some extra work days to expedite the purchase-ability of our home. My schedule of clients has been unusually and confusingly fickle lately, so I really don’t know how long this will take… surely longer than we had originally anticipated. I’m shopping around for some good employment opportunities in our future town of residence with a forced optimism. It’s important to keep deliberately reminding myself that everything will work out exactly as it should. That said, I have a house picked out. But that’s the extent of the progress. It could be gone by the time we’re ready to make an offer.
[deep breath. sigh. regroup]
Gabriel made me a sandwich. His sandwiches are magical. This particular one was a version of his favorite sandwich: The Cuban. It’s exactly what I wanted (though I still can’t shake this yucky headache). I am so blessed to have a husband who is patient and gentle with me, especially when I’ve had a bad day. He courageously comes to my rescue, even in the face of my irritability. This afternoon he picked me up from work, and when I saw his handsome self walk through the door, the anxiety and frustrations of the day suddenly melted. Here was my biggest fan and peace of mind. Thank God. I again await him now, because he’s playing bass for one of the prayer room teams. I was going to go with him, but I feel really lousy with this headache and exhaustion. He’ll be home in a couple hours and all will be well again. All in all, I really do love the life God has given me. Even when the planets are out of balance. 
KC Royals game
To the South and Back
So… Sorry there was confusion about our road trip destination this past weekend. We literally changed our plans at the last minute. Our house-shopping process suddenly made leaps forward and we realized that this would be the last opportunity we would both be able to have time off work for a while. Yes, I am very disappointed that we had to skip our Mississippi trip, especially the wedding. It was with much deliberation that the change of plans was made. This was the best we could do.
Thursday was a very long work day for me, but enjoyable nonetheless, finishing up with a fun and successful work event at the Firefly Lounge. Gabriel picked me up from there around 9pm and we got on the road right away. The drive was not bad at all, I took the first half and Gabriel the last half, made interesting by the books on tape he’d picked out from the library. We arrived at our destination at exactly 7am, and took naps after greeting a mom who was all smiles. There was not much rest for the weary, though, because our house search began only three hours later. Tammy had taken the list we had compiled of houses we’d seen online and arranged for us to view them along with some she thought we might like. As it turns out, we liked the houses she picked out more than most of the ones we originally thought were cool. This was all exciting and fun. We were tuckered out by the end and took an afternoon nap. Daniel had an Elias Patriot show that night, so we wanted to be rested enough to go. This was Gabriel’s first time to hear him play live. We had a great time and, as usual, were very proud to have such a talented brother.
Saturday became progressively better with each hour, characterized by coffee and online house searching at Rivertown, neighborhood drives narrowing down our list, a UNA football game (which was incredibly comfortable and fun, as it was our first game with my husband present), wrapping up with another one of Daniel’s shows at Rivertown. We talked for a while after the show with Quinn Erwin from Nashville who also played. In addition to being a good song-writer, he had a lot of cool things in common with Gabriel and I, including having a heart for missions. The conversation was encouraging. Check this out: www.globalsupportmission.com.
Visiting my home church is always refreshing, and this time even more so because I felt like my family was more complete with my husband there. The smiling faces of our church family were once again faithful to bring joy to our hearts. They are beautiful people. After a brief though enriching visit after the meeting, my family including Sharon Taylor had lunch at Maggie’s house before our second round of house-hunting with Tammy. This hunt was longer, though it was a little rainy outside. I found one I super like and want to buy, but I’m trying to be reasonable. Afterwards, Tammy offered some very good insight and food for thought. We are once again in the thinking stage, this time with a little more understanding of the process. We could move forward now, but it seems like it would be easier and smarter to wait a few weeks or months. We’ll see… and we’ll keep you posted. There are a couple steps we need to take in order for things to progress in the most efficient way. With that said, does anyone know of some good job opportunities in the Shoals area, particularly for Gabriel?
Today’s journey home was actually quite enjoyable, accompanied by “For Whom the Bell Tolls” on CD. We are sleepy but happy to be home together, and satisfied with the events of the weekend. Now we are watching episodes of the The Office and LOST online before calling it a day. Tomorrow brings us back to the norm. Time to earn more money.
Long story short
We’re in Alabama, not Mississippi. Long story that I’ll explain later.
Sorry for the confusion.
Pink Ribbons, Road Trips, House
I really should be at the gym swimming laps or running miles right now, but I still feel somewhat wiped out from a very successful fund-raising day at work yesterday. The company I work for hosted an event to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, seeking to raise $500,000 in one day. I don’t know if the goal was met, but we were as busy as could be. I even had the honor of working with another breast cancer survivor. For those of you who don’t know, cancer patients and survivors are very close to my heart, and I consider it a privilege every time I get to minister to one. That is one of the reasons I cut all my hair off twice in my life so far, to donate it to an orginization like Locks of Love who can use it to help patients find dignity in their appearance again. A few inches of hair or a donated dollar are such small sacrifices compared to the challenges and odds that these courageous individuals face. I was proud that my company has done what they could to help.
Today, though it is my day off, will most likely prove to be busy. We have a road trip coming up this weekend and this will be my last chance to get everything in order, as tomorrow will be crazy (I’m picking up more hours at work and also have a work event at a hip local restaurant called the Firefly that night). My apartment needs cleaning and bills need organizing…. my arms need ice, etc. My energy level needs to be kicked up a notch. I have been soooo tired lately. But no, I’m not pregnant yet –which is what EVERYONE around me says every time I mention I’m tired or hungry or emotional or have swollen feet or sneeze or blink an eye, come on people! (However, I just found out yesterday that my friends Ryan and Beka Rickman in Alabama are expecting their first baby!!! Congrats to them!! I’m very excited, if you can’t tell) When I’m pregnant, believe me, I’ll let you know. Anyway back to the energy level thing… oh, well, I’m done talking about that. I just need some coffee.
ROAD TRIP!! Friday morning, my handsome husband and I will load the car and embark on a journey to the South. Not my dixieland hometown, unfortunately, but that will come before to long. No, we are headed across the Great Mississipp’ down to the edges of the Delta. First stop will be to spend some time with Emily and Caleb in Starkville, as they have recently moved from Pennsylvania. The next day will bring us to Columbia, Mississippi to witness the re-marriage of my old friend Sonny’s dear parents — a joyous occasion indeed. There will also most likely be a great reunion of college friends that day to celebrate what God has done. I am really looking forward to it. That night, Gabriel and I will most likely campout at one of my favorite campsites on the Natchez Trace. Sunday is open right now, and we’re trying to keep it that way so we can just enjoy what comes along. We’ll probably drive into Jackson so I can show Gabriel my old stomping grounds from my college days. I have only a few good friends left in the area, so we may or may not be running into any of them. We’ll most likely camp again that night, to awaken the next morning for the long drive home (kind of makes me tired just thinking about it).
Some of you know that we have been looking into buying a house. By way of update, I am anxiously awaiting an email today that may determine if it’s possible. We were originally told that we should have absolutely no problem with getting pre-approved because of my credit, but now things are looking gray-ish on the income side of things. We’ll keep you updated. Just pray that God’s will is done in our lives concerning our relocation and house purchase. We are not worried, but if we are to buy a house in the near future, we would really like for it to be sooner than later. If all goes as planned, I’ll be going shopping in Alabama in less than a couple weeks.
There are a few things I have thought to include in this post, such as a recent wedding that we helped out with and other good times we’ve had lately, but in my opinion Gabriel has worded them best, so visit his blog if you’re interested. Speaking of Gabriel, I just want to say that I think I’m the most blessed girl in the world to have such a wonderful best friend and lover as a husband. I feel like I can be my real self and still be lovely.
It’s coffee time!!
