I think this move was a good idea.
God is doing a lot in our families and lives so far, and we're barely even scratching the surface of what's to come. I am THRILLED. Nick and I arrived in Kent two days ago and it's been a busy 48 hours of unpacking, moving, hugs and chatting. Every hour I grow more and more excited to be back and close to where I grew up. There's just so much to look forward to around here!
It's hard to put all of my feelings into words right now - especially because half the time I think I'm really excited for no understandable reason - but I will say that I am happy. Peacefully, wonderfully happy. After we left for California, the Northwest was never in my list of places I wanted to live but I'm glad God has softened my heart and brought me back.
Today my mom said that it's been difficult for her to process all of my "change of minds" in the last few years and I don't blame her one bit. I have thrown a lot of surprises at her, as far as future plans go. Yes, I am a completely different person than I was in tenth grade (can you believe that was only five years ago??? Wait... now five years feels like a long time. Either way, ahh!!) but that doesn't mean I am flighty or that I make rash decisions based on the moment. I truly believe that I have been changed from the inside out and am continuing to grow in ways I never thought I could. How encouraging is that? It just goes to show that no matter how "lost" or "confused" or even "confident" we are about how we approach life, there is always room for change. If we open our hearts up to God's direction, He can take us any way He wants. And speaking from personal experience, He always figures out a much better solution than we ever can!
For now, here is where Nick and I need to be... and where we are needed to be. And that feels really good.
2.12.2010
Packing up!
We are moving in 4 days! Wow! That came fast!
Today I spent the morning and early afternoon getting my car prepared for the trip up. I got a major maintenance done - but then on the drive home I got a flat tire. Figures. That's what I get for having the tires rotated. The mechanic told me I would need to get a couple of new tires pretty soon. Turns out I ran over a screw and a nail. After I got home we called AAA. I was grouchy about a month ago about having to send in $40 that we didn't have - but it sure paid off today. I could have changed my own tire, but it would have been a pretty big hassle. Once the spare tire was on, off I went to the tire shop to get an alignment and a couple of new tires. Turned out to be an expensive day.
I was hoping to offset most of the cost of maintaining my car by selling my exercise bike. I was able to sell it for $200 this morning, which was great! ...I didn't realize I was going to have to spend nearly $500 on my car.
Oh well...
We also need to get Rachel's car fixed, but I think we will wait until we are in WA. I hope my dad doesn't have any problems driving it up.
I'm pretty excited to move to WA. As it turns out, it can get kind of lonely here. Most of my friends in the area are extremely busy or have kids (or both). Most of my friends in WA aren't quite at that stage (even though we will be). I'm excited to start working again, too, wherever that might be. It will be really great to be around my family, too. I hope I can be an encouragement to them.
It is going to be a busy couple of days, but I think I'm up to it!
2.11.2010
Getting Used to Stretch Pants
Nick and I walked into a maternity store for the first time today. We just so happened to be at the mall waiting for my car's oil change to be completed when we saw Motherhood Maternity, shrugged our shoulders, and walked in. I have never even been in one of these stores before so it was all new to me. Most of the clothes aren't really that different than most of today's styles (which makes me glad to be pregnant at this day and age of the fashion industry) except for the one clothing item that will forever need to be drastically different to fit a pregnant woman versus a non-pregnant one: jeans. So I tried a pair on, just for kicks.
I think they feel really weird...at least at first. I'm not going to be buying a pair anytime soon because, thank goodness, most of my jeans still fit (especially those ones that require a belt anyway) but it was good for me to get familiar with what's coming down the pike. There's this cool other pants accessory that I tried called a belly band (I think??) that is basically a round, seamless section of stretchy material that you can put over your regular jeans - unzipped for comfort - to keep your pants up but give you support. It's an interesting idea, and much cheaper than purchasing several pairs of maternity jeans. Once I know I really need some assistance in the pantalones region, I'll go back and purchase one. But for now, I think I'll stick with leggings, skirts, sweats and the occasional loose pair of jeans.
I think they feel really weird...at least at first. I'm not going to be buying a pair anytime soon because, thank goodness, most of my jeans still fit (especially those ones that require a belt anyway) but it was good for me to get familiar with what's coming down the pike. There's this cool other pants accessory that I tried called a belly band (I think??) that is basically a round, seamless section of stretchy material that you can put over your regular jeans - unzipped for comfort - to keep your pants up but give you support. It's an interesting idea, and much cheaper than purchasing several pairs of maternity jeans. Once I know I really need some assistance in the pantalones region, I'll go back and purchase one. But for now, I think I'll stick with leggings, skirts, sweats and the occasional loose pair of jeans.
2.06.2010
Greetings from the Womb
On Wednesday, we were finally able to meet our baby. Finally!! We got to see many different angles of our beautiful little nugget. It was amazing to look at little details like the heart, spine and brain. It's absolutely incredible to be able to see two defined hemispheres of the brain and each little vertebrae of the spine! Modern ultrasounds amaze me.
Here's a profile picture of our little baby:
In this photo, you can see the baby's right hand just on top of it's nose, as well as it's heart in the center of the torso. The left leg is curled up so you can just see the knee on the left edge of the picture. It's just so cool!!
One of the things I loved to see during the exam was the fact that our baby was moving around like crazy during it all. I couldn't feel it at all because of how hard the technician was pressing the ultrasound camera thing into my stomach, but it was fun to see the baby on it's back one minute, and upside down at the next! Now I know I'm not just really sensitive to the movement, but we do have a very active baby. It's so fun to feel it move now that I've seen what it's doing down there. Every kick and roll makes it feel more like a real person in there!
It's been a big week, as far as pregnancy goes. The same day as our ultrasound, I went for a morning walk with Shanna. We walked about two miles and then stopped to talk before we separated. After ten minutes of talking, I began to feel nauseous and headache-y. I leaned against a pole for support and tried to breathe, but it just got worse. My vision became spotty and darkened and a cold sweat ran through my body. Then, my vision went totally dark and apparently I fainted for a few seconds. Next thing I knew (which I thought was seamless...I didn't realize I had fainted), I sat down on the pavement and there was a woman I didn't know at my left side. Shanna was calling Nick to come pick me up and there were ten people staring down at me, wondering if they should call 911. Thankfully, after sitting on the pavement for ten minutes and drinking some water I was totally fine. Shanna and I walked back home together and when I got back, I ate some food and had more to drink. When I asked the doctor what happened to me, he said it was most likely a drop in blood pressure combined with a lack of food and fluids. I just need to be more careful now that baby is taking all of my nutrition and energy! I was glad to know that nothing was seriously wrong with me, but it was still scary!
So no more skipping breakfast for me. I need more consistency in meals and calories than normal. So if you see me skipping out of a snack or not finishing my lunch, encourage me to eat more! It's good for the both of us :)
Here's a profile picture of our little baby:
In this photo, you can see the baby's right hand just on top of it's nose, as well as it's heart in the center of the torso. The left leg is curled up so you can just see the knee on the left edge of the picture. It's just so cool!!
One of the things I loved to see during the exam was the fact that our baby was moving around like crazy during it all. I couldn't feel it at all because of how hard the technician was pressing the ultrasound camera thing into my stomach, but it was fun to see the baby on it's back one minute, and upside down at the next! Now I know I'm not just really sensitive to the movement, but we do have a very active baby. It's so fun to feel it move now that I've seen what it's doing down there. Every kick and roll makes it feel more like a real person in there!
It's been a big week, as far as pregnancy goes. The same day as our ultrasound, I went for a morning walk with Shanna. We walked about two miles and then stopped to talk before we separated. After ten minutes of talking, I began to feel nauseous and headache-y. I leaned against a pole for support and tried to breathe, but it just got worse. My vision became spotty and darkened and a cold sweat ran through my body. Then, my vision went totally dark and apparently I fainted for a few seconds. Next thing I knew (which I thought was seamless...I didn't realize I had fainted), I sat down on the pavement and there was a woman I didn't know at my left side. Shanna was calling Nick to come pick me up and there were ten people staring down at me, wondering if they should call 911. Thankfully, after sitting on the pavement for ten minutes and drinking some water I was totally fine. Shanna and I walked back home together and when I got back, I ate some food and had more to drink. When I asked the doctor what happened to me, he said it was most likely a drop in blood pressure combined with a lack of food and fluids. I just need to be more careful now that baby is taking all of my nutrition and energy! I was glad to know that nothing was seriously wrong with me, but it was still scary!
So no more skipping breakfast for me. I need more consistency in meals and calories than normal. So if you see me skipping out of a snack or not finishing my lunch, encourage me to eat more! It's good for the both of us :)
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