we are doing good.
we're in week 36 of the pregnancy - so hopefully less than 4 weeks left until we meet this little person face to face.
trying to get back in blogging is rough. my english skills are lacking.
got a new toy yesterday. looking forward to learning how it all works. got it for $60 - new!!
might be getting a new (used) car.
had fun last weekend. first we celebrated a baby shower with great friends in jasper. we scored some wonderful gifts for which we are grateful. then had a good time at the auto show with our boys and the boys from the ranch.
loving the weather today!
To SoDak and Back
Troy and I had a blustery cold trip to s. dakota. the actually temperature when we were up there was -30°. It was a record the state on that date. Isn't that nice? We were so cold! Troy and I both had on layer after layer of clothes, gloves and scarves. Fun times! Other than the weather being so brutally cold, we had a wonderful time. It's always good to re-connect with family and friends.
Partly the reason for our visit was to celebrate my parents' 40th wedding anniversary. We had a great get-together at the Nazarene church in Madison, having a taco bar. Normally we have soup on New Year's Eve, but this year they opted for tacos. Troy and I gave Granny her gift - a pair of cheetah print pajama bottoms, socks, and a bright red shirt. My family put her up to modeling the PJ's, and then sitting on Troy's lap. It was too funny. I love the craziness of my family. We always have a good laugh every time we are there. For being 86 (just about 87 this Saturday), my granny is in great health.
Laura and her family threw a wonderful baby shower for us on Saturday. We had a great time sharing stories and memories. My granny said that she's proud of who I married. (think I've been ousted from the family and Troy and nestled his way in!) There were many stories of my childhood. We came out wonderful with all the loot - tons of baby clothes, blankets, toys, and cash. So glad my friends and family can celebrate with Troy and me through this pregnancy. I have some wonderful friends from all around the US who flew into s. dakota on the coldest day of the year to share in our journey of child bearing. Kimberly came from Las Vegas, Laura and Paul from Alaska, and other from all over eastern s. dakota.
We got back to Georgia very early on Monday morning. We had a baby doctor's appointment at 9 am. That was a little rough, but we made it through. Everything is going well with Baby Brown. Here's a photo of the little tyke:
Partly the reason for our visit was to celebrate my parents' 40th wedding anniversary. We had a great get-together at the Nazarene church in Madison, having a taco bar. Normally we have soup on New Year's Eve, but this year they opted for tacos. Troy and I gave Granny her gift - a pair of cheetah print pajama bottoms, socks, and a bright red shirt. My family put her up to modeling the PJ's, and then sitting on Troy's lap. It was too funny. I love the craziness of my family. We always have a good laugh every time we are there. For being 86 (just about 87 this Saturday), my granny is in great health.
Laura and her family threw a wonderful baby shower for us on Saturday. We had a great time sharing stories and memories. My granny said that she's proud of who I married. (think I've been ousted from the family and Troy and nestled his way in!) There were many stories of my childhood. We came out wonderful with all the loot - tons of baby clothes, blankets, toys, and cash. So glad my friends and family can celebrate with Troy and me through this pregnancy. I have some wonderful friends from all around the US who flew into s. dakota on the coldest day of the year to share in our journey of child bearing. Kimberly came from Las Vegas, Laura and Paul from Alaska, and other from all over eastern s. dakota.
We got back to Georgia very early on Monday morning. We had a baby doctor's appointment at 9 am. That was a little rough, but we made it through. Everything is going well with Baby Brown. Here's a photo of the little tyke:
Merry Christmas!
So we've gotten through another Christmas.
Things I would like to accomplish today:
*Put together my new desk
*Organize our shop area in the basement
*Clean up the house/Do some more laundry
*Take the Christmas lights down from our outside tree
*Find Andy - he's been lost for some time
*Return and exchange some gifts
Things i enjoy about Vesty:
*The fireplace
*Our wooden banister
*Our curtains
3 favorite gifts i got for Christmas:
*Mandolin for cutting fruits
*Electronic weather center
*Family photos
Hope your Christmas was fantastic. We still need to get our Christmas letters in the mail.
Things I would like to accomplish today:
*Put together my new desk
*Organize our shop area in the basement
*Clean up the house/Do some more laundry
*Take the Christmas lights down from our outside tree
*Find Andy - he's been lost for some time
*Return and exchange some gifts
Things i enjoy about Vesty:
*The fireplace
*Our wooden banister
*Our curtains
3 favorite gifts i got for Christmas:
*Mandolin for cutting fruits
*Electronic weather center
*Family photos
Hope your Christmas was fantastic. We still need to get our Christmas letters in the mail.
Truth Comes a Little at a Time
there's a country song on the radio these days which has the lyrics:'truth comes a little at a time'.
when i was young, i devoured the bible for truth. i wanted to be holy, righteous, live in accordance with all of God's word, and memorize any verse which may have meaning to me. at the time i had friends who dove into the Bible head first - expecting God to truly move mountains. and we saw some amazing transformations. God moved in our little group of people. it's interesting looking back at those people who have scattered across our nation.
but each of us have gone our own ways. some are still involved in small groups. some are having affairs. some drink too much. some cuss too much. some are parents. some are married. some remain single. some of those who are married wish to be single. it's very interesting how life changing people.
but thru it all, truth remains. i believe that each of us remember those days in our youth when we sought after the Living God. we deeply desired the Living Water. We needed each other to drink from the fountain of life. We tested each other. We sinned together. Other times we kept each other from sinning. We played and worked together. We traveled together down life's crazy road. Even when things get crazy in my life now, those are the people i look to for comfort and truth.
and truth comes from them. they are brutally honest. they have my best interest in mind. they desire to see me grow and thrive during this life on earth. we trust each other's advice.
i miss that group of people. i miss the community of sharing what God is teaching. i miss being challenged to dig into God's word. i miss having a great fear of not doing what the God desires of me. miss getting up early in the morning and writing out my prayers. miss praying with fervor for those whom i feared were not traveling in God's favor. i miss the accountability of people asking what God has been trying to get me to do. that's where God's truth sinks into my soul.
it's the advent season, and i'm missing being part of a church which recognizes advent. here's some advent devotionals.
yet i see God moving in different areas of my life. i see it in my relationship with my husband. it's been nearly exactly 2 years since i met Troy for the first time at his church. we definitely had some ups and downs, yet we've both grown to trust each other. it has been an interesting second year, to say the least. some truths have some out, and some of them hurt, yet they've made us stronger as a couple. Troy is an amazing husband who is caring, kind, generous, humorous, adventurous, and devoted.
i saw truth in the eyes of the Kenyan children, dancing and singing to their Savior. that one is a double-edged sword for me. i left my heart in tanzania, so when i see anything which resembles the dream of living there, i feel a great burden for afrikans who are the lost, the needy, the broken, the bitter and the soft. one day i hope to return to visit, but i'm waiting on God's timing for that one.
been having some wonderful conversations with a friend of mine whose in her twenties. those were some challenging years for me. being single and wishing i was somewhere other than i was. my heart wanted to be africa. i was in georgia, usa. i desired to be married, without having all that commitment of marriage. head full of dreams and no means of accomplishing them. somewhat had the feeling of hopelessness. somewhat of uselessness. somewhat of oddness. yet my friends pulled me along. they didn't allow me to relish in that pity party too long. they had me traveling all around the country. i love traveling. i got out of debt during that time, too.
and here's a run down of my thirties:
30 - moved to africa
31 - got married/became a step-mom
32 - got pregnant
33 - having a baby
so we'll see what truth comes out of the coming year.
when i was young, i devoured the bible for truth. i wanted to be holy, righteous, live in accordance with all of God's word, and memorize any verse which may have meaning to me. at the time i had friends who dove into the Bible head first - expecting God to truly move mountains. and we saw some amazing transformations. God moved in our little group of people. it's interesting looking back at those people who have scattered across our nation.
but each of us have gone our own ways. some are still involved in small groups. some are having affairs. some drink too much. some cuss too much. some are parents. some are married. some remain single. some of those who are married wish to be single. it's very interesting how life changing people.
but thru it all, truth remains. i believe that each of us remember those days in our youth when we sought after the Living God. we deeply desired the Living Water. We needed each other to drink from the fountain of life. We tested each other. We sinned together. Other times we kept each other from sinning. We played and worked together. We traveled together down life's crazy road. Even when things get crazy in my life now, those are the people i look to for comfort and truth.
and truth comes from them. they are brutally honest. they have my best interest in mind. they desire to see me grow and thrive during this life on earth. we trust each other's advice.
i miss that group of people. i miss the community of sharing what God is teaching. i miss being challenged to dig into God's word. i miss having a great fear of not doing what the God desires of me. miss getting up early in the morning and writing out my prayers. miss praying with fervor for those whom i feared were not traveling in God's favor. i miss the accountability of people asking what God has been trying to get me to do. that's where God's truth sinks into my soul.
it's the advent season, and i'm missing being part of a church which recognizes advent. here's some advent devotionals.
yet i see God moving in different areas of my life. i see it in my relationship with my husband. it's been nearly exactly 2 years since i met Troy for the first time at his church. we definitely had some ups and downs, yet we've both grown to trust each other. it has been an interesting second year, to say the least. some truths have some out, and some of them hurt, yet they've made us stronger as a couple. Troy is an amazing husband who is caring, kind, generous, humorous, adventurous, and devoted.
i saw truth in the eyes of the Kenyan children, dancing and singing to their Savior. that one is a double-edged sword for me. i left my heart in tanzania, so when i see anything which resembles the dream of living there, i feel a great burden for afrikans who are the lost, the needy, the broken, the bitter and the soft. one day i hope to return to visit, but i'm waiting on God's timing for that one.
been having some wonderful conversations with a friend of mine whose in her twenties. those were some challenging years for me. being single and wishing i was somewhere other than i was. my heart wanted to be africa. i was in georgia, usa. i desired to be married, without having all that commitment of marriage. head full of dreams and no means of accomplishing them. somewhat had the feeling of hopelessness. somewhat of uselessness. somewhat of oddness. yet my friends pulled me along. they didn't allow me to relish in that pity party too long. they had me traveling all around the country. i love traveling. i got out of debt during that time, too.
and here's a run down of my thirties:
30 - moved to africa
31 - got married/became a step-mom
32 - got pregnant
33 - having a baby
so we'll see what truth comes out of the coming year.
Time Well Spent
I've had a great weekend. Gotta love the weekends where Troy is home all weekend. we had nothing planned except an one party with some friends, some singing African kids, small group, and a bunch of football. Friday night troy built a lovely fire. i really enjoy our fireplace. Woke up early on saturday morning and fixed some omelets. after finishing the omelets, it started snowing so we went back to bed. woke up about noon. drove down to kennesaw and registered with some store for our baby registry. it's crazy how much things costs for babies. (all i can say is, 'craigslist!!!'). watched the florida gators get smoked by alabama. sad. Troy fixed some awesome chicken fajitas. went to visit the Hotze's and watch some of the nebraska/texas game. sad... again. had church sunday morning with great entertainment from the Daraja Children's Choir from Kenya, Africa. i might've cried through the entire service. my heart was left there when i moved back to america. one day i would love to take our entire family to meet Flora and some other of my African friends. Mr. Brown created his fantastic chili for lunch. sat around most of the afternoon in front of the fireplace. started catching a cold. shopped for a 8" x 8" scrapbook for our Romania pictures. gonna try to get some of them finished by Christmas. that's the goal. enjoyed small group.
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.
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
my parents and uncle ron are coming in a few days. we are really looking forward to their georgian adventure. i'm making a list of projects which may or may not be accomplished when they come down, but it should be a good time. we're looking forward to sharing thanksgiving with them, our kids and some extended family. we're going to have a house full. can't wait!
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.
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
It's been raining here alot lately. today is sunny and i'm loving it, even if it is a bit chilly outside. the leaves are starting to change color and the drive in the mountains this weekend is going to be amazing!
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.
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
friday:
troy and i hosted a little get together with some our friends on friday night. it was a dress-up party. i'll have to post some pictures later because they are on troy's camera. let's just say that we had a good time with our friends. it was an informal meeting; just sat around the table. it was hard on my sides; we laughed so hard and so long. we were glad to enjoy some good laughter with friends. super excited Troy was around to enjoy the party also. the phrase that came out of the night is: 'That's cool. That's Kentucky.'
saturday:we had a lazy morning, loafing around the house. went on a date lunch to Chili's. Spent some time talking at the park. Between Troy's random schedule and moving to Vesty, we've not had a weekend to relax in about 6 or 7 weeks. on saturday, Troy was supposed to have a trip to Tampa, but before he left for atlanta, he called the freight company, only to find out they had canceled the trip. (that was pretty exciting for me.) I've missed having a full weekend for just Troy and I to hang out and re-connect. With him being gone 3-4 nights a week, one being the weekend night, it has put a strain on our relationship. Probably I need to be more specific; it has put a strain on my side of the relationship. When I'm the one sitting at home, it causes me to be not as thrilled regarding Troy's job. It's easy for me to get down on Troy because of our lack of communication since he's gone so much. There's something amazingly reassuring by having him fall asleep next to me, and to be able to wake up next to him.
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.
sunday: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.
we played the role as secret shoppers on sunday morning. liked the experience, much different than what we're used to. heated up left over chili for lunch, which hit the spot on nascar and dallas cowboys vs. atlanta falcons game day. took a long nap. woke up in time to see denny hamlin pull off a win. headed over to our pastor's house for a meal with some volunteers from our guest services members. had a good time discussing church stuff.
and that's about it for the weekend. i was awakened to having bad dreams last night. proceeded to wake troy up to pray with me, cuz i was pretty freaked from my dreams. it was the type of dream where you wake up scared, get calmed down, only to fall right back into the dream. it continued several times like that before i finally woke Troy up. think i've been watching too much news, seeing too many scary costume ads on tv, and hearing too much about kids being abused or killed. hopefully the dreams will not return any time soon.Bugs and a Party
Troy's been wrestling with a gnarly bug since last Saturday. He thought he was about over it, but this morning it has returned with a vengeance. We ate lunch together, but he's looking a little rough. Hopefully he's able to beat this thing soon.
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.
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
Since I've not blogged for awhile, I've lost most of my regular readers. I
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
