Trip to Texas...

We got back on Saturday from a week long trip to Texas. We had such a great time! Here are a few pictures, but you can see LOTS more on Emma's blog.

OR

About this time last year, I was in the OR. I had to get two spinals for some reason. The first one didn't work. At 10:18pm our little Emma girl was born... What a blessing!

Arrived...

We arrived at the hospital about this time last year. We had NO idea what we were doing, even though we had been to child birth class. We went up to the Labor and Delivery floor, where they took us to a room. I changed into a hospital gown and the nurse finished our intake...

More to come...

Getting ready to leave for the hospital...

I look like a deer in the headlights, don't I? I think that's pretty much what I felt like as we were about to walk out the door to drive to the hospital...at this EXACT time last year...

More to come...

This time last year...

This almost EXACT time last year, I was standing at the stove boiling water to cook spaghetti for our sauce that had been simmering all day when my water broke. I wasn't sure at the time that it was my water, but after a few phone calls, I was pretty sure. I called the doctor who told me to wait 30 minutes and if I was still "leaking" I should come to the ER. Well, I took a shower and shaved my legs while Jonathan got everything ready for the hospital.

More later...

Weekend...

We had such a good time this weekend with Jonathan's family! His parents and brother came for the holiday weekend and to celebrate Emma's birthday. We were so glad they could all be here together. We realized this is the first time we have all been together at our house. :-) Thanks everyone for the wonderful gifts, fellowship and just plain 'ole time we were able to sepnd with you!

International friends...

Our friend Choon How ( a student at UNCC from Singapore) came for dinner last week. He had just returned to the states from a trip home. He brought Emma a present! We can't wait until she is big enough to wear it. Isn't is beautiful. After dinner, Jonathan and Choon How played guitar for Emma and I. What a treat! Emma danced while I watched! :-)

 

Saying goodbye...

Our good friends from church left for Florida for a month. After their time there, they go back to Bolivia for 3 years to help plant a church. What a blessing it was for us to have them among us at DGCC for a year while they were on furlow. Almost 2 weeks ago, our small group and their care group said goodbye in the best way we know how...with food! We'll miss you Scotty and Lisa, but know that God will use you greatly in Bolivia and among the peoples there. We are thankful for things such as blogs to stay connected with them. We pray God will somehow allow us to go visit them through a short term missions trip in the next 3 years.

 

My beer personality

Ok, so some of you know that on occasion I have had an adult beverage. My wife's post of her 'city personality' (mine was Dublin as well) prompted me to take other quizzes. For those of you who know me well, this will not surprise you at all.

No, this wasn't rigged. My superhero personality is Electra!?!?! That isn't making the Blog!

Cheers!

Super Jono

You Are Guinness

You know beer well, and you'll only drink the best beers in the world. Watered down beers disgust you, as do the people who drink them. When you drink, you tend to become a bit of a know it all - especially about subjects you don't know well. But your friends tolerate your drunken ways, because you introduce them to the best beers around.

What's Your Beer Personality?

Friends...

Our friends, Kristin and Jobey, spend 10 months out of the year in Italy. Jobey plays basketball there. He left to go back last week and Kristin and their daughter, Isabella, will go back soon. Some of us got together on Saturday for breakfast. It was a WONDERFUL time of fellowship. I'm so thankful for this group of women in my life. Each one is so special to me.

from left to right: Lisa, Kristin, me, Kelly, Susan and her daughter, Hayley (not pictured is Julie - sorry, you were gone when I remembered I wanted to take some pictures!)

THANK YOU!

Barbara, Jonathan's mom and Emma's Grammie, came to see us last week. She drove down from Virginia on Friday morning and left on Saturday morning. She came to bring us quite a lot of things she had picked up at Sam's. Thank you Barbara! They were/are much appreciated! Emma especially likes the mac and cheese and the raisins. :-) I especially like the Pampers and the brownies! :-)

She also sent Jonathan and I on a much needed date. We went to eat and saw World Trade Center. I wasn't sure that I wanted to see it in the theater, because I knew I would be emotional. There was nothing else showing that we really wanted to see, so we went to see it. I felt it was a very well done film. It told the story of two port authority officers and their families. I was glad that the film focused on those characters and did not mention any of the survivors who happened to not go to work that day or were running late that day. It was all about those that were there. It reminds me why we are in this fight against terror. It reminds me of the sacrifice soldiers have made and are making for my freedom and security. For this I am thankful! I'm glad we saw the movie. Although, I hope others who do see it, don't get desensitized to what really happened. It's not fictional. It's real. It happened. Let us not forget the loss and the realness of it.

Go to Emma's blog to see pictures of Emma and Grammie.

So, at 11months, 1 week and 2 days...

Emma was completely weaned! (She's 11 months, 1 week and 5 days old today, but this happened on Monday - just now getting to posting it on our blog). As some of you know, for several months I have been more than ready to be finished with breastfeeding. But I have to say that I was a little sad. I even could have been finished a week earlier, but wasn't quite ready to give up that early morning feeding. It's my time to snuggle with Emma after she gets up. I'm not sure if I was more sad about not getting to cuddle as much or the fact that she didn't even seem to miss it at all! She's growing up. It's a fact of life that I need to get used to. She's taking close to 10 steps at a time now and pushing her walker like she's neck to neck for the gold! She's still so little, it's hard to see her walk! Or maybe I should say funny! She doesn't look big enough to walk! Our little baby is turning into a little girl *sniff, sniff* *tear falling*.

Birthday celebrations!

Thursday was Jonathan's birthday. It was also our friend, Nathan's who is in our small group. We had cupcakes for Jonathan and a Jello Cheesecake for Nathan( who happened to not even be there). Emma gave Jonathan some Boston baked beans and I gave him the 5th Season of Seinfeld. :) Happy birthday Jonathan!!

Great is Thy Faithfulness

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

Verse 1
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my father! There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not: As thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Chorus:
Great is Thy faithfulness, Great is Thy faithfulness, Morning by morning new mercies I see: All I have needed Thy hand hath provided Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

Verse 2
Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest, Sun, moon and stars in their courses above, Join with all nature in manifold witness To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Chorus: Great is Thy faithfulness, Great is Thy faithfulness, Morning by morning new mercies I see: All I have needed Thy hand hath provided Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

Verse 3
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth. Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide, Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Chorus: Great is Thy faithfulness, Great is Thy faithfulness, Morning by morning new mercies I see: All I have needed Thy hand hath provided Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

Lamentations 3:22-33, 38 (ESV)

22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. 26 It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. 27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. 28 Let him sit alone in silencewhen it is laid on him; 29 let him put his mouth in the dust—there may yet be hope; 30 let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults. 31 For the Lord will notcast off forever, 32 but, though he cause grief, he will have compassionaccording to the abundance of his steadfast love; 33 for he does not willingly afflictor grieve the children of men... 38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?

AMEN!

transparency...

so here's the real me tonight...

i want to turn off today and turn on tomorrow, for tomorrow must be better. tomorrow is filled with laughter, not thoughts of just getting by. it's filled with fresh peaches, watermelons and stawberries, not canned mandarin oranges. it has new clothes for little girls that i picked out. tomorrow has the dark tunnel behind it. it's not looking for the light at the end. yes, i want to turn off today and turn on tomorrow.

i know all the answers for waiting for tomorrow. i know where to turn to be encouraged. but today, let me long for tomorrow. let me cry, just for today.

EUREKA!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just realized that I am 32 years old and for the first time in my life I purchased a vacuum! How does one go 32 years without buying a vacuum exactly?? I've always had a vacuum. I've always had clean floors. I personally have just never gone to a store, picked out a vacuum and paid with my own money for it. In college, when I lived in the residence halls, I just used the office vacuum. Then when I got an apartment, my roommate had a vacuum. When I graduated from college and got my own place, I'm sure that mom and I found one at a garage sale (that I'm sure she paid for). And then when Jonathan and I got married, the sweet women who hosted my bridal shower spent a TON of money on a Phantom vacuum for us. At the time, I thought that was the best vacuum EVER! And I still thought that...even when it died a few weeks ago...until I used a friend's Eureka. Now I don't think it was necessarily the brand of vacuum that made me realize how horrible my Phantom is. I think it was the fact that it WORKED so well. That made me realize just how horrible my old vacuum has been. Anyway.......................enough of vacuums! I have a new one. I picked it out. I paid for it. I put the big box in my car. And I put it together! How exciting! (I know...it's funny what will excite me these days!) 

Beach vacation...

Jonathan and I went on our first real vacation since our honeymoon. All other trips have been to see family, and that's not to say that those trips weren't fun or that we didn't enjoy them! We just needed to go on a vacation with just us. It was Emma's first trip to the beach and I think she liked it! We will better be able to tell next year when she isn't still napping two times a day!! :) We didn't go with the biggest expectations, since she had never been before. We are used to going on the beach and staying out there all day, but we knew this trip would be diffierent. It was...in a lot of ways! We took way more out to the beach than we usually do. It takes more stuff to take a baby, that's for sure! :) We also only got to stay on the beach for an hour and half at a time. We realized that next time we go to the beach, we need to take reinforcements! Babies are a handful! We also need a bigger blanket and a bigger tent. All in all it was a good trip and we were able to relax a little. We also scoped out places we think we'd like to stay next time.
 

My DH (dear husband) will be happy...

You Belong in Dublin

Friendly and down to earth, you want to enjoy Europe without snobbery or pretensions. You're the perfect person to go wild on a pub crawl... or enjoy a quiet bike ride through the old part of town.

What European City Do You Belong In?

Me as coffee...

You Are an Iced Coffee

At your best, you are: hyper, modern, and athletic At your worst, you are: cheap and angsty You drink coffee when: you're out with friends Your caffeine addiction level: medium

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

Been a while...I Know...

So it's been awhile since I've blogged. I know. And bear (or is it bare) with me. It will be a few more days before I can update. We've been to the beach and my parents are coming tomorrow. BUT...look forward to several posts and updates when I do get the time! :)