And Nicholas and baby Zooey and I will be moving. Our lease begins June 1, and we will be moving shortly before, as long as we get approval to put things in the apartment a few days early. Today I am recovering from a nasty illness and packing up books. The boxes are all lined up like little soldiers underneath our tall countertop separating kitchen from living room, and as I look around, I think I might just miss this place a little. We have some very fond and ridiculous memories stored here, in these counters and walls and windows.
But I think our new apartment will hold just as many nice memories for us--more, even. We will have little Zooey Michaela there, and she will come home to that apartment, not this one, and that will be our home for a year. Even more time than we will have spent here at this place. My heart does still ache a little for this place, though. It was our first home, where we learned so much about each other, and have had so many disastrous dinners and mistakes...many of them mine...and where Nicholas set up our very first Christmas tree, and learned that we are living on love.
Enough sappy stuff. (: Time to pack the boxes! And have some chicken minestrone soup. (:
21.4.10
The Play.
It feels like hot candle wax is pent up inside my face. That's about how this head-cold feels. Uncomfortable. But it will be over soon enough.
We finished our closing show last night. I hadn't realized how much of a creative outlet it had become for me until today, when I corrected my thoughts, reminding myself that I didn't have play practice tonight or tomorrow night, either, for that matter.
Instead, I am gearing up for a whole new life. Motherhood. Continuing in the role of wife. Living in a small town, rather than a big city. Having a car again? I'm not sure I know how to drive anymore! Staying home with our little girl, Zooey, and cooking dinner for my husband when he gets home from work. A lot less out-and-about...just as busy? Maybe. Probably. I can't imagine being mother to a newborn and not being just as busy, if not more so, than I am now. But I don't think I will dislike my time off from school, either. I am already dreading the spring semester when I will return. And I haven't even experienced the break yet. I don't want to leave my little girl home with someone else. I want to be a mom, a stay-at-home mom, and already have my degree, and have already done my internship, and not have to think about whether she is being taken care of according to my specifications, or be sure to make my train.
But this will come in time. I will need to finish, to persevere, to have strength until the end. It is very daunting.
I'd like to start painting more again. Today is not the day for it, because I'm quite sure I would come out with a brown mess on a ruined canvas, simply because my brain is far too fuzzy. I can't quite tell if my fever is going up again...I would really rather not take more tylenol. I'm biased against the stuff. But soon, I will paint again. Very soon. I can't stand to not paint. It makes me crazy.
Maybe someday I could sell a painting or two. It's doubtful. But I've always dreamt of selling an art-form of some kind. Maybe someday.
Waiting for Nicholas to get off work, I tried to study for a little. Yeah, right. Because I'm lucid enough for that. Everything I tried came out wrong. Even the homework I did for Dr. V today was so messed up. I hope that he remembers my inability to focus today. He probably will. What a great professor. He always asks how I'm doing. Always asks about little Zooey. Always tells me to rest. It is nice to have a professor say that, as opposed to, "You're late!" or "You've over-cut!" or "Why do you need so many prenatal checkups?" or my all-time favourite, "I can't do anything to help you." Truthfully, though, I think I need to experience all this. So that someday, when I may be a professor, I can be strong in my convictions, and yet understanding enough to recognize when a student just plain out needs a break. You'd think that being a pregnant wife who attends school full-time would be a pretty good reason for that, just like someone who breaks their leg or gets pneumonia.
This post is going to be way to honest, I'm sure. It's the fever talking. I had better go find a thermometer.
We finished our closing show last night. I hadn't realized how much of a creative outlet it had become for me until today, when I corrected my thoughts, reminding myself that I didn't have play practice tonight or tomorrow night, either, for that matter.
Instead, I am gearing up for a whole new life. Motherhood. Continuing in the role of wife. Living in a small town, rather than a big city. Having a car again? I'm not sure I know how to drive anymore! Staying home with our little girl, Zooey, and cooking dinner for my husband when he gets home from work. A lot less out-and-about...just as busy? Maybe. Probably. I can't imagine being mother to a newborn and not being just as busy, if not more so, than I am now. But I don't think I will dislike my time off from school, either. I am already dreading the spring semester when I will return. And I haven't even experienced the break yet. I don't want to leave my little girl home with someone else. I want to be a mom, a stay-at-home mom, and already have my degree, and have already done my internship, and not have to think about whether she is being taken care of according to my specifications, or be sure to make my train.
But this will come in time. I will need to finish, to persevere, to have strength until the end. It is very daunting.
I'd like to start painting more again. Today is not the day for it, because I'm quite sure I would come out with a brown mess on a ruined canvas, simply because my brain is far too fuzzy. I can't quite tell if my fever is going up again...I would really rather not take more tylenol. I'm biased against the stuff. But soon, I will paint again. Very soon. I can't stand to not paint. It makes me crazy.
Maybe someday I could sell a painting or two. It's doubtful. But I've always dreamt of selling an art-form of some kind. Maybe someday.
Waiting for Nicholas to get off work, I tried to study for a little. Yeah, right. Because I'm lucid enough for that. Everything I tried came out wrong. Even the homework I did for Dr. V today was so messed up. I hope that he remembers my inability to focus today. He probably will. What a great professor. He always asks how I'm doing. Always asks about little Zooey. Always tells me to rest. It is nice to have a professor say that, as opposed to, "You're late!" or "You've over-cut!" or "Why do you need so many prenatal checkups?" or my all-time favourite, "I can't do anything to help you." Truthfully, though, I think I need to experience all this. So that someday, when I may be a professor, I can be strong in my convictions, and yet understanding enough to recognize when a student just plain out needs a break. You'd think that being a pregnant wife who attends school full-time would be a pretty good reason for that, just like someone who breaks their leg or gets pneumonia.
This post is going to be way to honest, I'm sure. It's the fever talking. I had better go find a thermometer.
18.4.10
Zooey Michaela.
We are having a girl. A little girl. (: She is beautiful, we can already tell. Oh, the Lord has wrought us wonderfully!
21.3.10
Praying For Houses...
To me, praying for a house seemed so impossible and above what we deserve, considering we have been married so little time and we don't really have all the resources to buy a home, it would seem. A friend reminded me (thanks, Anna :) the other night that God won't be upset if I pray and ask Him for a house. What's the worst He could say? No? Ok. I would live. So, yesterday, I started asking God for a house.
Now. Let me tell you why we would like to have a house of our own rather than rent for another year first.
We don't really have the money to keep renting. Sounds crazy, but buying a house turns out to be cheaper not only in the long run but also a lot of times in the short run, than renting. I would also love to have some space for the baby's playthings and our ridiculous amount of books. Nick and I would love to have something to call our own, a home that we can take care of and fix up, in which we don't have to rely on someone else to recognize and then fix a problem, like one does in a rental situation. We'd love to have a yard for the baby, so that s/he can sit outside with Mommy while she gardens. Children with yards seem so much happier to me than children without yards. We spend so much on rent right now that it's difficult to not be discouraged and overwhelmed with it all.
We are looking for a home with two bedrooms, more is ok, but not necessary. We are ok if it's a fixer-upper, but we don't want to have to replace the roof, and problems with the foundation are out of the question. Nicholas knows how to do quite a few handy-man things around the house, as do his father and mine. We would have plenty of help, and we know that we could do it. All that we desire is that it be in livable condition upon purchase, which would be a stipulation of the bank as well.
Our budget is low. We are still asking God for a house, though! Please pray with us for a house so that we can settle somewhere at least semi-permanently and provide as much stability as possible for our baby on the way.
Speaking of the baby, here is a quick little update: metabolic panel on me came back good, had our first ultrasound not long ago (so amazing to see the baby moving around!), our next ultrasound is coming up soon (we will find out if baby is a boy or a girl!), and s/he is moving around and kicking quite a lot these days! Nick got to feel the baby kick for the first time the other night, and his face was priceless; I couldn't help laughing. Baby loves movement, and if I sit down for even a five or ten minute break, jabs and kicks, elbows across my belly, those are the kinds of things I get haha! Baby also loves music, and we are convinced will be a fantastic dancer. We are loving it, and can't wait for the adventures that come! But we are savoring this one that is happening right now, as well.
Please thank God with us that our baby is healthy so far, and that all things are continuing as normal with my pregnancy. Please pray with us for a house. God knows His will, and He will make it plain when the time is right.
Godspeed.
Now. Let me tell you why we would like to have a house of our own rather than rent for another year first.
We don't really have the money to keep renting. Sounds crazy, but buying a house turns out to be cheaper not only in the long run but also a lot of times in the short run, than renting. I would also love to have some space for the baby's playthings and our ridiculous amount of books. Nick and I would love to have something to call our own, a home that we can take care of and fix up, in which we don't have to rely on someone else to recognize and then fix a problem, like one does in a rental situation. We'd love to have a yard for the baby, so that s/he can sit outside with Mommy while she gardens. Children with yards seem so much happier to me than children without yards. We spend so much on rent right now that it's difficult to not be discouraged and overwhelmed with it all.
We are looking for a home with two bedrooms, more is ok, but not necessary. We are ok if it's a fixer-upper, but we don't want to have to replace the roof, and problems with the foundation are out of the question. Nicholas knows how to do quite a few handy-man things around the house, as do his father and mine. We would have plenty of help, and we know that we could do it. All that we desire is that it be in livable condition upon purchase, which would be a stipulation of the bank as well.
Our budget is low. We are still asking God for a house, though! Please pray with us for a house so that we can settle somewhere at least semi-permanently and provide as much stability as possible for our baby on the way.
Speaking of the baby, here is a quick little update: metabolic panel on me came back good, had our first ultrasound not long ago (so amazing to see the baby moving around!), our next ultrasound is coming up soon (we will find out if baby is a boy or a girl!), and s/he is moving around and kicking quite a lot these days! Nick got to feel the baby kick for the first time the other night, and his face was priceless; I couldn't help laughing. Baby loves movement, and if I sit down for even a five or ten minute break, jabs and kicks, elbows across my belly, those are the kinds of things I get haha! Baby also loves music, and we are convinced will be a fantastic dancer. We are loving it, and can't wait for the adventures that come! But we are savoring this one that is happening right now, as well.
Please thank God with us that our baby is healthy so far, and that all things are continuing as normal with my pregnancy. Please pray with us for a house. God knows His will, and He will make it plain when the time is right.
Godspeed.
25.2.10
Dinner? Dress? Beach?
I am slowly getting over the flu, and Nicholas is getting over what we think is his first kidney stone...ouch!
Listening to David Gray singing, "This ain't no love that's guiding me..." and reminding myself that he is wrong, dead wrong. That God's love is guiding Nicholas and me, and we can trust His hand.
The baby is growing, and God's Spirit is within me shaping this baby, turning him/her into the person He has planned.
Nicholas and I are looking for a place to move, nearby. Planning on renting for another year or so, then we can take our time in buying. If we attempted it now, it would be so rushed.
I am trying so hard to trust in God for all this. It is so hard. I have my next prenatal check-up on Wednesday, March 3. I have been having eye trouble and getting lots of headaches and low-grade fevers. Please pray that we find some answers, and that everything is really alright.
My summer class that I needed was closed before I could register, due to website hiccups. Trying to get in now, past the "limit." Pray for that as well.
Pray for patience. I need an extra measure of it.
That's all for now.
Listening to David Gray singing, "This ain't no love that's guiding me..." and reminding myself that he is wrong, dead wrong. That God's love is guiding Nicholas and me, and we can trust His hand.
The baby is growing, and God's Spirit is within me shaping this baby, turning him/her into the person He has planned.
Nicholas and I are looking for a place to move, nearby. Planning on renting for another year or so, then we can take our time in buying. If we attempted it now, it would be so rushed.
I am trying so hard to trust in God for all this. It is so hard. I have my next prenatal check-up on Wednesday, March 3. I have been having eye trouble and getting lots of headaches and low-grade fevers. Please pray that we find some answers, and that everything is really alright.
My summer class that I needed was closed before I could register, due to website hiccups. Trying to get in now, past the "limit." Pray for that as well.
Pray for patience. I need an extra measure of it.
That's all for now.
21.2.10
Stuck In Bed.
Yesterday and today have been bad days. I have to be truthful. I hate the stomach flu more than anything else. I'd also like to know why no one has cured it yet.
I am stuck in bed with it, and am so sadly weak from not being able to keep anything down that when I walk across my tiny apartment, I feel like I've run the length of a football field.
This too shall pass.
Waiting to see if I will make it to school tomorrow. Can't take too many cuts, but this pregnancy business is really starting to take its toll. Trying to keep up with school and play practices while a baby's growing inside me is turning out to be much harder than I thought it would be.
Nicholas is working hard, working full time now at Best Buy, and has a review in about a month and a half, at which point he will hopefully get a raise! Pray for that.
Time for me to go.
Maybe tomorrow I will be better.
I am stuck in bed with it, and am so sadly weak from not being able to keep anything down that when I walk across my tiny apartment, I feel like I've run the length of a football field.
This too shall pass.
Waiting to see if I will make it to school tomorrow. Can't take too many cuts, but this pregnancy business is really starting to take its toll. Trying to keep up with school and play practices while a baby's growing inside me is turning out to be much harder than I thought it would be.
Nicholas is working hard, working full time now at Best Buy, and has a review in about a month and a half, at which point he will hopefully get a raise! Pray for that.
Time for me to go.
Maybe tomorrow I will be better.
24.1.10
Big Little Changes...
In case any of you are wondering how our preparations for missions are going, well, this is your answer! They're not, haha!
Our missions trip has been temporarily put on hold. We found out about a month ago that we are expecting our first child! We are so thrilled to be so blessed by God, even though it wasn't in our plan!
The doctor says, "No traveling to malaria-riddled countries!" So we will be waiting to go to PNG, but are still in good contact with PBT, and maintaining some wonderful friendships there, particularly with Nathan Davenport and his family. They have been and continue to be such an enormous blessing to us!
Nicholas is interviewing for a full-time position at his job at Best-Buy today. We are praying that God will choose to bless us in this way, as it would give us otherwise unobtainable insurance and family benefits, not to mention more hours for Nicholas! Please join us in prayer for God's breakthrough financially and especially with insurance.
Part of what this means is that the name of this blog will be changing! We will now be called "Unexpectedly Expecting." (: Thank you, Sarah Hoobyar.
Joy has her first ultrasound on Feb. 3, as the doctor has been unable to pin down a due date as of yet. We are guessing that Joy is ending her first trimester, beginning her second, based on the way she feels, the dissipation of morning sickness, and energy and tummy size increasing. :) It looks like we will be having a late July or early August baby! Please pray that this goes well, and that we have a healthy baby boy or girl!
Joy is planning to stretch her last full-time semester at school into two part-time semesters, as she would like to be able to be home with the baby as much as possible. A schedule that is as fast-paced as a full-time semester so quickly after delivery may be detrimental to her health, in addition.
We will be looking for a place to live this summer, shortly after school gets out, as the baby will clearly not fit where we live now. (If you've seen it, you'll understand.) We are praying for an affordable house to rent in the suburbs, so that we can commute to the city if we need to, and also have a real house and a yard.
As an additional prayer request, we ask that you would keep our friends Jess and Micah in your prayers. They are leaving for a week in Haiti, working, evangelizing, and providing medical attention after the terrible happenings there. They will be there during the first week of February. They are an amazing couple, on fire for the Lord, and full of zeal for His house! The most important thing in the world to them is others' salvation. They are in need of $400 each, and need to raise it all in the next week. Please pray that God provides for their needs!
Thank you all so much for partnering with us this far, and we pray that you will continue to partner with us as we embark on the adventure that is parenthood! We are still planning on going to PNG with PBT, but it will be a few years, now, before we are able. Please continue to pray for us, as we are new to all of this parenting business and are trying to do it in a way that is God-honoring.
Much love to you all, and may God bless you!
Our missions trip has been temporarily put on hold. We found out about a month ago that we are expecting our first child! We are so thrilled to be so blessed by God, even though it wasn't in our plan!
The doctor says, "No traveling to malaria-riddled countries!" So we will be waiting to go to PNG, but are still in good contact with PBT, and maintaining some wonderful friendships there, particularly with Nathan Davenport and his family. They have been and continue to be such an enormous blessing to us!
Nicholas is interviewing for a full-time position at his job at Best-Buy today. We are praying that God will choose to bless us in this way, as it would give us otherwise unobtainable insurance and family benefits, not to mention more hours for Nicholas! Please join us in prayer for God's breakthrough financially and especially with insurance.
Part of what this means is that the name of this blog will be changing! We will now be called "Unexpectedly Expecting." (: Thank you, Sarah Hoobyar.
Joy has her first ultrasound on Feb. 3, as the doctor has been unable to pin down a due date as of yet. We are guessing that Joy is ending her first trimester, beginning her second, based on the way she feels, the dissipation of morning sickness, and energy and tummy size increasing. :) It looks like we will be having a late July or early August baby! Please pray that this goes well, and that we have a healthy baby boy or girl!
Joy is planning to stretch her last full-time semester at school into two part-time semesters, as she would like to be able to be home with the baby as much as possible. A schedule that is as fast-paced as a full-time semester so quickly after delivery may be detrimental to her health, in addition.
We will be looking for a place to live this summer, shortly after school gets out, as the baby will clearly not fit where we live now. (If you've seen it, you'll understand.) We are praying for an affordable house to rent in the suburbs, so that we can commute to the city if we need to, and also have a real house and a yard.
As an additional prayer request, we ask that you would keep our friends Jess and Micah in your prayers. They are leaving for a week in Haiti, working, evangelizing, and providing medical attention after the terrible happenings there. They will be there during the first week of February. They are an amazing couple, on fire for the Lord, and full of zeal for His house! The most important thing in the world to them is others' salvation. They are in need of $400 each, and need to raise it all in the next week. Please pray that God provides for their needs!
Thank you all so much for partnering with us this far, and we pray that you will continue to partner with us as we embark on the adventure that is parenthood! We are still planning on going to PNG with PBT, but it will be a few years, now, before we are able. Please continue to pray for us, as we are new to all of this parenting business and are trying to do it in a way that is God-honoring.
Much love to you all, and may God bless you!
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