Time Well Spent
1/2 way thru the pregnancy now. crazy to think that 20 weeks has already flown by. looking forward to seeing if the little tike is gonna have green or blue eyes.
loving having Troy involved in this baby process. he might be WAY more excited than me. yet i know that his excitement helps me to see past how much this little person is costing us, what a challenge we have in front of us, etc. it's nearly killing Troy to not know what gender the kid is, but i love a good surprise! can't wait to hear the doctor say, 'it's boy' or 'it's a girl'. what a glorious moment that will be.
Thanksgiving Plans
i'm getting my life back together again. started using my planner again today. so far i've checking off several tasks, yet there are many more on the list. my life would feel much more accomplished if i would be more consistent about using my daily planner.
my heart is breaking for a certain young man. he's dealing with some serious family troubles, and he could use as many prayers as he could get.
this morning i was reading in the bible in Luke, chapter 2. there were 2 people who jumped out at me. one is an older guy named simeon, and the other is an old widow lady called anna. both of these two met the little Christ child before the died. they knew He was the Christ child. it had been revealed to them that this little child was very special and he would accomplish a great task. it amazes me that God is in divine wisdom would reveal such a marvelous revelation to this faithful people. there's a very Amos (3.7) which says, 'Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.' makes me wonder if i have my listening ears on, or if i'm too preoccupied with my own agenda to hear what God's revelation is. i can only imagine that He desires to share what's on his heart with me since he calls me his friend (john 15.15). i want to talk to my friends, so why would that be any different for a God who created people to share in a glorious relationship.
it's a beautiful season to figure out what the sweet little Jesus child desires to share with you. so starting today, i'm gonna try to take a few minutes every day to quiet my busy mind and find a hiding place where this Christ child can reveal what going on in His life. i want to be part of something bigger than my own agenda, which isn't that exciting, adventurous, or splendid.
It's Sunny and I'm Hopeful
my friend, lauracious, is coming into town this weekend and we are looking forward to her visit. laura always brings a ray of sunshine. she and i have been friends for a long time and we have some crazy memories together - like sleeping in her bed under the stars and driving on the golf course in south dakota. good times. should i be scared that she gets in on halloween - and that she might get off the plane in some wild costume? oh well, we've come to expect the best in each other!
Troy has been doing an amazing job on the house. he cleaned the closet doors and he did a great job! they had years of dirt and muck and spider webs embedded into them. they look so much better now. he's learned the secret is krud kutter. vesty is really beginning to take shape. can't wait to continue to see its transformation as the year progresses.
talked to my parents last night. they are both sicker than a dog. (not sure where that phrase came to be, but decided to use it!) mom has a terrible head cold with a horrible headache, and dad was barfing during our 5 minute phone conversation. nothing like being sick together. so far troy and i have been sick at different times which i think works out a whole lot better. by the way, he's feeling much better and is back to work now.
my dad got a new job on monday. he's working for wilson trailers. it sounds like a pretty decent company to work for, and he's glad to have left the last company. grateful for this new opportunity for change. my mom is still working for the the school system in sioux falls. they also help out at their church with a little custodial work during the nights.
a beautiful weekend
After finding out about his canceled trip, we decided to get out of the house. We took a little trip to a fabric store, then out to one of our favorite dinner locations: huddle house on cobb parkway. we got home in time to watch the 2nd half of the Florida football game. Go Gators - chalking up another win.
Bugs and a Party
We had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday. So glad Troy was able to go with me to see photos of the baby. The Lil' Tater wouldn't stop moving long enough to take the photos. Go figure! It's pretty cool to see the kid bouncing all over inside, even though it's only about 2.5" long. It's about the size of a matchbox car. Everything seems to be progressing very well. And some good news, I'm feeling so much better. Think the morning/evening sickness has finally moved on and I'm able to hold down my dinner. It makes a world of difference when I feel well. Now I can start to be excited about this Lil' Tater.
It's a rainy day today. Could go for some vanilla ice cream from DQ. That sounds tasty.
Feedback for Another Day
have to admit that sometimes it's great getting some feedback from my posts.
But then I'm reminded why I blog: to vent, rant, rave, express, or simply
journal what has been going on in my life. Sometimes blogging has helped me
stay on a good track with my spiritual discipline of digging into God's
Word. Sometimes it's provided a place to express my concerns. Sometimes it
has offered a place for others to connect with me. I specifically remember
those posts when I was living in Africa, and people were hanging on my next
post, waiting patiently for me to tell of my beautiful adventures.
So what beautiful adventures have I been trekking upon lately? I guess
buying a house and traveling down the road of pregnancy has been somewhat of
a beautiful adventure. Most though to be completely honest, those two
adventure haven't really brought me much bliss. I've been pretty sick with
the pregnancy so that has definitely caused some ill feelings regarding the
joy of carrying a baby. And you top that with the stress of buying a house,
cleaning the house, packing and moving into the house, living out of boxes
while the house gets painted. And that's where we still are: living out of
boxes while the house gets painted. I keep telling myself that maybe tonight
I'll feel like doing something with the house, but that just doesn't seem to
happen during the evenings. I get home from working all day and the last
thing I want to do is try to put down contact paper for the cabinets. This
pregnancy has caused me to be exceptionally tired, and my morning sickness
starts about 6 at night and last until I fall asleep. It's been an
interesting journey with Vesty and the kid.
Looking forward to this weekend.
testing
Updates on Vesty
Vesty is slowing becoming our home. We've nearly finished painting in the living room, dining room and master bedroom. After we're finished painting those room, we'll be one step closer to getting the boxes unpacked and the house becoming settled. As it is, we are sleeping on a mattress on the floor in the pink room. We're using the upstairs bathroom for the time being, until we can unpack our clothes in the master bedroom. It's been mostly like camping for 2 weeks.
We have a party coming up next weekend, so we'll be pushing hard to clear the house by then. It's a good thing to have some timelines.
Speaking of timelines, our church will be moving to a new location on the first of November. Hopefully that transition will go more smoothly than our house.
Work has been pretty slow lately. Hoping it picks up in the next couple of weeks. The temps are supposed to drop this weekend, so that should offer a few furnace calls. We're also pushing some advertising both on TV and the radio.
Beginning to pray for someone who I'm gearing up to ask to our church. Praying she's open to coming, and perhaps even her husband. Would be great for them to get involved. They're great people and I can see so much potential in their service.
So glad that Burke and Jamie are coming thru this operation with flying colors. Burke offered his kidney to Jamie because hers was faulty. Now it's a healing process for both of them.
One more thing I'm seriously praying about: Troy to find a job where he could be home every night. His schedule has been ridiculous the last couple of weeks. Would love for him to have a steady income, also.
Vesty is Ours!
if anyone is willing to swing a paintbrush, trim some bushes, or knows how to install garage door openers - we are welcome to some services!
Thanks for all the prayers, thoughts and kind words during this journey.
Oh yeah, and we are expecting a little mtoto, bambino, kiddo (baby) in about 7 months.
list
1.) glad i have enough money in my account to travel to a foreign country and not have to return for a very long time.
2.) that's all i can think of so far...