Pinterest...

::courtesy "tobifarley.com" pinterest logo::

Perhaps it's because I don't have that much time to just sit around and scroll through it. Perhaps it's b/c it just makes me hungry. Pinterest just doesn't peak my interest that much.

I mean, out of my 8 or 9 boards (not knowing how many pin boards I have should tell you that I don't spend that much time on it), the only one that really gets any action is my Food board.

Really, this just deceives people in two ways: 1) the follower who really doesn't know me must imagine that I am completely overweight... though I am slightly! (Hello! I just had a baby... And yes it was almost 7 months ago... and yes, I will continue to use that excuse until she's at least in high school!). 2) People probably think I cook... ALL THE TIME! And anyone whose even met me for a second, knows that isn't true. Alan holds down the kitchen most of the time. The other times, Hamburger Helper pitches in. I just LOVE recipes! I love reading them and dreaming of the future when I might want to try them.

It's not that I don't like to cook, b/c I do. I especially like baking, but not cookies, b/c those take too long! It's just that between working full-time and being short on time with my little family, there are other things I'd rather do than run home and stay in the kitchen all night!

Anyway, about pinterest... I will say that I see some really cute DIY ideas. And since I will eternally be on a budget (and that's not a bad thing! We just need to be good stewards of the what the Lord gives us!) the DIYs are essential. But since I feel the same way about those as I do recipes, it's not looking as if we will get very far in them!

So basically, in my opinion, pinterest is like a closet full of shoes: it has great, interesting, fun, and sexy pairs for me to wear, but let's be honest... i am just going to put on my comfy flats or flip flops, and say OOOH and AHHH and MAYBE SOMEDAY to those beautiful stilettos... just sitting there, collecting dust!

Oh, and just one more thing about pinterest: If you are married, please get rid of your "Wedding Ideas" board... or maybe change it to "Marriage Renewal in 50 years"... you're really starting to make me wonder...

My New Favorite Picture

::Evie Grace heading towards the tree::

I mean, how you can not just LOVE this picture! Alan took this on Saturday night after we had put up the tree. That's the only time she's headed towards it... so far. :)

Four Wonderful Days

Wednesday, as I left work to go eat with Alan at his work Thanksgiving lunch, I couldn't have been happier! I might have even skipped to my car, and if I did, I would certainly admit to it! Nothing could have been better than the thought of spending the next 4 WHOLE DAYS with my husband and daughter!

Sunday night, as I was lying in bed, tears streamed down my face. I couldn't have been sadder. I am sure that I left mascara lines on my pillow (you got me... i didn't wash my face!). Nothing could have been sadder than the thought that Monday morning, I would be saying goodbye to my sweet baby, after 4 wonderful days!

Alan assured me that he would have to have me committed when Evie Grace started to kindergarten... there wouldn't be enough lexapro in the world to help me! Then he said that heaven forbid she went to another town for college! Oh dear me, what will I do with myself?!

::SIGH:: Anyway, I have some time to deal with those irrationalities! But for now, let's recap our FOUR WONDERFUL DAYS!

Thanksgiving with filled with food, food, and more food! Isn't it always?! We also went to Fantasy of Trees later that evening. Evie Grace LOVED the lights. She was the best baby ever all day, even though she barely had a nap.

Friday I actually ventured out. THAT is something I NEVER do! Being caught with all the crazies at the mall isn't at the top my to-do list. I actually wanted to leave around 7am; however, even though our Thanksgiving had been incredibly busy, my sweet baby still woke up a couple of times and wouldn't go back to sleep without eating. We ventured out about 10am, and I am happy to say that I still found great deals and got several presents bought! Whew! A head start, and that never happens!

Saturday was the best day ever! It was the stay-in-the-pajamas, no shower, brush-your-teeth-only-before-bed (you know you have days like that!) kind of a day! Alan and I decorated our little house for Christmas, and it looks lovely!  Evie Grace kept herself busy playing all day. She went from little station to station, just as content as could be! Loved it!

Sunday, we had church and then a dear friend's birthday lunch. Evie Grace got a nap late that afternoon, but I just laid on the couch. Two cups of coffee and a sweet tea will ruin any naptime plans!

It was a wonderful weekend, with busy times and restful times! I can't wait until my Christmas break when I get about 2 weeks of time with my little family. I just love it!

Thank you, LORD, for a great weekend!

My Favorite Holiday... and a Sweet Memory

No, I am not singing "Jingle Bells" yet! (Soon though!)

Today, I am thankful for my most favorite holiday: Thanksgiving! Yes, yes, I know. There aren't pretty lights, fun little tunes, big jolly fellas in red suits, or nativity scenes.

But, there is this wonderful time of thanksgiving! Though we should remind ourselves of what we have to be thankful for each day, this is the day of the year that we can truly celebrate this time! It's a time of peace, a time of gathering with friends and family for a nice meal, and a time of rest. It's a time that we can say, Thank You, LORD, for you have been faithful, yet again, as You promised!

This is my most favorite holiday b/c it doesn't have a superficiality about it... it is what it is. No presents, no music, no outrageous decorations. It just IS! And, I LOVE IT!

Though all Thanksgivings have been wonderful in my life, there was one where God just hit it out of the park!

My first year away from my family while I lived in Russia was a tough one. It had been a rough 6 months, learning to live in another country, learning a new language, getting lost on transportation, etc. As the holidays approached, naturally Sarah and I yearned to be with our own families... with familiarity. But, of course, the LORD always shows up in a big way when you least expect it!

Because we were like family on the field, we were going to gather as a team and celebrate. There would be the 5 of us adults in Ivanovo and a child (who is now a most handsome young teenager. YIKES!)  and the couple from Yaroslavl and their two precious kids. We made up Team Golden Ring. :)

Sarah and I had gone to Moscow a couple weeks before to visit our Journey-friends. While chit-chatting, Sarah and I told the three guys, "Why don't you all just come up and celebrate with us?!". So, they decided to come with their team leader, who was really good friends with the husband of the Yaroslavl couple. Then there was another Journey guy in the city, so we invited him, too!  PERFECT! Later, while out with the two Journey girls with whom we always stayed while in Moscow, they mentioned that there wasn't much going on for them, so WHY NOT?! We just invited them up, too!

We decided to let Jill (our team leader's wife) know what we had done. We knew we could do this b/c with Team Golden Ring, the more the better! We LOVED getting together and having fun! And so did Kristie, the wife of the Yaroslavl couple. This Thanksgiving weekend was going to be PERFECT!!!

Sarah and I contacted our moms to get recipes. We had agreed to help put together a good portion of the meal, including the rolls ( from scratch! Russians don't just eat yeast rolls, but of course they are a Thanksgiving staple!), green beans, pumpkin and pecan pies (pie crust from scratch!), dressing, and much more! We started cooking 2 or 3 days before, in order to get it all together. We made the rolls throughout the previous week to ensure that they turned out wonderfully. The first time, we made crackers, since the yeast didn't work. The second time, we had hotdog buns b/c I kneaded it too long, and for Thanksgiving, they were PERFECTLY delish!

Everyone arrived at Dom Willeke on Thanksgiving day, and we ate early that afternoon.

::Surveying our table to make sure we had all the settings::

We had the most wonderful meal! This was honestly a time where I saw God take what we had and literally multiply it! We ate the main meal on Thursday, snacked that night while we played games, at more on Saturday before everyone left, and then we fed it to our Russian students Saturday night for our Taste of Thanksgiving with them!!! WHEW! Wow, did He show up or WHAT?!

::One end of the table, as we all chitchatted and laughed until we cried!::



We spent the rest of the day watching movies and playing Team Golden Rings favorite game, President Scum. LOVE!

The next day, we didn't hit the stores since it wasn't "BLACK FRIDAY" in Russia. Instead, we got taxis and headed to our dacha (country home). There we spent the day sledding, playing cards (again), and eating.

::Team Golden Ring::

That Saturday, everyone left... EXHAUSTED! We had had the most wonderful weekend on the planet! Even though we were away from our families, the LORD had truly blessed us with sweet time together. He showed us that He hadn't only given us blood families, He gives those who are called by His Name and who serve and love Him a family with His Blood. He. Is. GOOD.

To this day, I can honestly say that this Thanksgiving still remains my favorite, and most likely the favorite of those who shared it with me. Despite any of the paths the LORD has chosen for us today, what a sweet and precious memory we have of this time together. It was for but a season. And today, I am STILL thankful for it.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! May you be thankful for all the ways He has blessed you now and in the past!

Everlasting Love

"...the LORD appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you." ~Jeremiah 31:3

I found this sweet verse the other night when I was studying for our Life Group. If you don't already know, I help teach (with two other wonderful Godly women) the junior/senior girls. We are studying Paul and his life, and this verse was in the workbook. When I read it, I honestly worshipped. I mean, WOW! HE, the LORD OF LORDS, KING OF KINGS, loves ME with an EVERLASTING LOVE. And THAT'S why He's FAITHFUL! Notice that the verse says nothing about what I did to deserve this love... HE loves ME... That's why when I drift off, He's still right here. He may feel far away, but that's b/c I've drawn away.

And that, my friends, is a sweet reminder.

Especially today. Today should be Monday b/c it certainly has a Monday attitude. It's rainy, like inches of rain raining. The type of rain where you have to go 10 mph. I woke up tired b/c I hadn't slept well. I had to visit a community college, and I certainly wasn't looking forward to swimming to the front door with all of my stuff. On top of that, let's just say it wasn't my most successful visit.

To top it all off, on the way to the office, approximately 12 noon, I hit a vehicle at a stop sign. I have never hit anyone. Never wrecked. PRAISE THE LORD! (Again, not me. He gets the glory!) Thankfully, there was no damage since I simply tapped the vehicle, but still, really?! Thankfully, the man was quite nice. We exchanged information in case there was some damage unseen, but really praying that nothing happens!

At any rate, despite my less-than-cheery attitude today, He loves me with an everlasting love. What a bright reminder on this dreary day!

11/11/11

Well, I thought since everyone else was making 11/11/11 a big deal, so would I! Or not... b/c, honestly, I don't really care. But at least I titled my blog with it :)

Anyway, I can't tell you how happy I am that it is FRIDAY! Did you know that this time last year, this VERY week, I was 14 weeks pregnant? Well, that's true. But that's not really that important either.

What IS important is that this weekend is our church's World Missions Celebration. And that's exciting!!!! The Deans have a sweet couple and their children staying with them, and I can't wait to chat with them! They live in London, and I hope we know some of the same people. It's so fun that we are all connected, you know, the Body of Christ.

Other than that, Evie Grace is getting her 6 mos pics. Yes, that is correct. SIX MONTHS! She will 6 mos old on Sunday. I think I will cry :( She is getting too big! She is army crawling, sitting up almost, and just hilarious. She brings SO much joy to Alan and I. I simply can't believe it.

Well, I pray that your weekend is grand, and that all of the visiting missionaries are blessed. I pray they don't  freak out when they get applauded like I did at my first conference (true story. I was wild-eyed and thinking, what the heck are they doing?!). I pray that they know that people are simply thankful they are serving in the hard places, b/c that's why they applaud. I pray they feel loved and know that we DESIRE to hear what HE is doing in their parts of the world.

Mmmm... Good times, good times. I <3 missionaries. and the Magnificent, Holy, and Sovereign God they serve!

A Slow Resurgence

resurgence- n. a rising again into life, activity, or prominence

(Websters Dictionary)





Have you ever left something and then went on a journey to get it back? Me too, except this time it doesn't include purse that I left under the table at the Captain Ds when I was 5 (true story!).The good news is that "what" I left can be easily found... to some extent.

Notice that I said "left", not "lose".To say that my spiritual life, my daily walk with the Lord, is the best it's ever been would be quite the exaggeration! Is my relationship with Christ intact? Of course it is because Christ has given me something that I cannot ever lose. But is it in the best condition possible? No.

The summer after I returned from Russia was one of the hardest times in my life. Though I had led a busy and full life in Russia, it seemed as if life in the US had stood still... or at least it was supposed to, wasn't it? The truth is that when I returned, it was as if the Lord had taken my life and unraveled it.

My family dynamics had changed quite a bit due to various circumstances. I had taken a new assignment in Knoxville, where I knew no one. I had moved in with a family who I had never met. My soul-sister was still across the pond, dealing with the loss of our entire team (we had all left within a week due to various reasons). Life was HARD.

But, even through those things, the LORD was beyond good! That new assignment turned out to be wonderful. I am still superclose with that family. My family dynamics remain changed, but we've all adjusted. My soul-sister is just 4-hours away, but really just a text or call.

Obviously, the LORD wove a beautiful story in how my husband and I met and came to be married. And of course, now, we have a precious and beautiful daughter.

So, why the distance from the LORD? What caused me to stray so far? I have asked myself those questions a million times over. And when I say distance, I mean, I haven't been disciplined to have quiet times. I don't pray  as often as I should. I do, however, still feel the Holy Spirit beckoning me to be still and know that He is God. I didn't fret for Alan to get a job, b/c I knew that God is Sovereign and Perfect with His timing. So see, it's not as if I stopped believing, or that I denied God.

It's more that He's a friend who I've really not spent a lot of time with lately. I've let the other things in life get in the way. I've stopped and said Hi in the hallway and waved across the parking lot. We've talked in the aisle at the grocery store. But we've not just SAT and DRANK a cup of coffee together... we haven't taken long strolls, just sharing our deepest thoughts and dreams...

The answer is because I have neglected His Word... His beautiful letter to us... instructions, encouragement, warnings. And how can you know someone if you don't KNOW His voice? You can't, dear friend.

Where was the disciplined missionary who would spend HOURS in His word daily?

So, there is a small resurgence in my life... a resurging of Love of my Maker. My Surety. My Guarantor.

"Their heart is as fat as grease, but I delight in Your law" ~Ps 119:70

This has become a verse in the past few days that I keep praying. I keep praying that God would MELT that grease from around my heart, and that His Word and Holy Spirit would penetrate my heart, that I would DELIGHT in His Law. A Godly woman in our church is teaching a Bible Study on Thursday nights, and I have committed to go. I am trying to find TIME in the Word daily. Even if it's just 10 min, I'll take it!

That's where I am. It's a journey.

You know what I just LOVE about the definition at the top? It says a "rising again into life"... He came that we might have life and have it abundantly! (John 10:10)

May each of you be on the journey of loving and knowing Him more!

Friday, Biscuits, and Strangers

Yes, thank the Lord, it is Friday.

The week has been long, and it began that way. Evie Grace decided that sleep really wasn't on her agenda on Sunday night, thus she was awake from 12am-4am. Thankfully, the Lord has been good, blessing us with much rest this week.

This weekend holds some excitement for us. One of our dear couple friends is having a baby, and tomorrow night is the gender reveal party. They had the ultrasound yesterday, had the technician place the gender in a sealed envelope, that was later handed to the mom's mother and then off to the baker. We are excited to see if this cake is BLUE or PINK. Will it be glitter and bows or footballs and bats? YAY! We are so excited for these sweet friends!

Hope your weekend is simply fantastic, restful, and wonderful! If you are watching the LSU v. Alabama game, who will you root for? I think we will stick to ROLL TIDE b/c we REALLY dislike the Tigers!





MEMORY LANE: When I think about Fridays and Fall in Russia, I get giddy inside. This time of year, it's already quite chilly. Not just at night like it is here, but pretty much the entire day. The days are getting quite shorter. The sun is beginning to not come up until close to 9 and it is setting closer to 4 (and this only gets worse until Dec 22nd, the darkest day of the year). The leaves are on the ground, and usually, the ground is wet. It always rains in the fall a lot. And, if it's Friday in my Russia memory, that means that I don't have language school on Saturday, and that is always a reason to be giddy!

This one particular Friday, Sarah didn't have language school, so I was by myself. I had gotten off the bus on the corner, as I always did, and I was walking home. As I was walking, I looked at my nice watch my sister had given me before I moved there. Apparently, that caught the eyes of some men who were sitting outside. Immediately, the two were by my side, one on either side, trying to talk to me. I got nervous, but tried to remain calm. I listened intently as they were tryign to get to know me. They asked me what time it was, where I was from, etc.

All I remember is that as I neared my building entrance, I kept thinking, "Oh my, they will know where I am living." I don't remember if I said bye to them, or if I simply took off running, but I quickly pressed the buttons into my building (I don't know why... the door was ALWAYS  broken) and ran up the one flight of steps to my door. I knocked frantically, just KNOWING, that they were behind me and ready to kidnap me and sell me to traffikers. As I beat on the door and begged Sarah to open the door, she was saying, "Hold on, the dough is on my hands, and I can't the door open."

Finally, she got the door open, laughed at me for being hysterical, and put amazing homemade biscuits in the oven. I felt ridiculous as I told her my story.

Have I watched too many episodes of crime shows, or WHAT?!

Memory Lane

For a long time, I've wanted to try to write down stories from when I was overseas. If not just for my own trip down memory lane, but for my husband, my daughter, my friends, my family, etc. Are those stories important? Not to you, maybe, but for me? Absolutely! Much of that time is what made me who I am today. Is that good? Not always, sure, but it is what it is. God used that time to mold me, to hold the mirror up to my face so that I could see WHAT I am really made of (dirt, if you're wondering...).

So, I think that each time I write, I will try to think of something that happened in Russia that is similar to what I am writing for that particular day. It may not always happen, but hopefully, as time goes on, I will have a collection of the good, the bad, and the ugly, from my time as a missionary. One thing remained constant, for sure: He was always Faithful. He never forsook me then, nor is He is or will He now. :) There's a new link to the side for my blog I kept while in Russia... go ahead and take a look. It's but a mere glimpse inside that story.

Next Up: Thanksgiving...

...not CHRISTMAS!

While I am certainly NO SCROOGE, I do wish people would hold on and let us have our THANKFUL season before we start focusing on the "GIMME" season. Now, of course, most people simply want to jump ahead due to the pretty lights, fun decorations, and of course, Bing Crosby, NSYNC, and the others who make our drive into work and workdays supersweet with their melodious Christmas tunes. (And, I, for one, cannot WAIT to sing, "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas"! Love that little jingle!)

::Side note: My wonderful old college roommate, Kala, used to begin Christmas music every October!::

But really people, pretty soon, I fear that we are going to all-together skip Thanksgiving and celebrate Christmas for two months. I mean, what if the govt and our employers decide to skip the Thanksgiving 4-day weekend since no one seems excited anymore?!? I mean, if THAT'S not an incentive, I don't know what is!

So while many of you are visiting the attic for the old tree and lights and getting your Christmas singing on, I've got a turkey & dressing and all things pumpkin to look forward to... and then I will celebrate the Yuletide season. (I mean, hey, I have two holidays, still!)

::Even though, I CANNOT wait to see my sweet baby girl in awe of the beautiful lights! Oh, how I DO love Christmas! And we are decorating the day after that yummy turkey and all things pumpkin Thankful day!::

Halloween!

::I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee::

Cuteness (focus on baby, not mommy!). Enough said.

To Cursive, or not to Cursive? ... Why is this even a question?

Come on into the time machine with me. Come on. I know it's scary, but it's just back to 1992. (Go ahead, take a look at your hair and clothes.)

Back to my 3rd grade class. Mrs. Petty's classroom at Charlotte Elementary. I was in the front row (of course I was... I strived to be the teacher's pet!). The overhead projector was projecting on the white pull-down shade, the lights out, and our tiny hands were trying to copy the swoopy letters Mrs. Petty so elegantly wrote on the projector glass with her marker. Cursive. It was as foreign as algebra at the time, and each letter learned gave each of us great deal of satisfaction. We were so cool; we finally knew what this swoopy chart meant:

::notice the swooping instructions::

[Trust me when I say that I had flashbacks of this quite often when my Russian teacher, Galina Vichoslavovna, kept saying to me, "Ne krasiva, Alis, Ne krasiva," (not beautiful, Alys, not beauiful), referring to my russian cursive Ms, and then instructing me to do write-offs in order to improve. Write-offs? Really? Yes, yes, it's true. And Sarah was laughing the entire time. Here's a Russian chart, just for kicks, and yes, after much prayer, we did finally master this too:

::notice the "M", 4th down, 2nd row. How could I not make this beautiful? I don't know!::]

Now, hop into my time machine to my 6th grade year. Kings Lane Middle School. Ms. Gardner's class. Again, front row. Again, teacher's pet. Again, learning cursive. Ms. Gardner was a strange bird, who had quite the affinity for beautiful penmanship. After weeks of reading our work in our less-than-perfect cursive writing, she made us relearn it all over again. Afterwards, I was told on numerous occasions how beautiful my handwriting was. She really drilled it in!

So, we can now step out of the time machine, to a time where the unheard of is happening. I read the following article today, "Has Cursive Seen the Writing on the Wall?" .  Forty-four states in the United States no longer mandate that cursive be taught. What?! Two states, Indiana and Hawaii, no longer teach it all! Granted, we didn't always love learning cursive, but neither did we love to learn how to add and subtract, but you don't see that taken away with the invention of calculators (at least not completely!). This literally made me quite sad. Have we really thought about what this means? This means that in about 20 years, a large population won't have a signature, won't be able to read the Declaration of Independence or a letter written years ago. (The good news is that your journals are safe from being decoded...).

I think I am just sad, because, yet again, we are taking out a piece of culture, and replacing it with technology. I suppose it's the same disappointment music, art, theatre, and band teachers have been experiencing for years. Countries across the globe take pride in the arts displayed and performed by their people, hence why it was so important to Galina Vichoslavovna that I wrote Russian well. Why is it that in America, we want to do away from everything and replace it with technology? I am telling you, there will come a day when something happens and we will be helpless to respond because we no longer know how to write. And, that, my friends, is quite sad.

Never fear, Evie Grace and future siblings, you WILL be taught cursive! Now I am the one that gets to assign write-offs and say, "Not beautiful, not beautiful." But just as I survived it, you will, too. :)

Go Team!

Alan and I were talking one day about how, as babies, you can make them fans of whichever team you want! They don't have a choice! So, until she can say otherwise:

:: VOL Baby!::

Evie Grace's Arrival

I was 39 weeks and 5 days. Everyone kept saying, "Oh, you'll be late. First babies always are." So I worked up until the Wednesday before I was due on Sunday, May 15th. I thought, Well, I will take some time off and rest a bit.
Thursday I had a drs appt at 1:45, so Alan went with me. We were excited to see how I had progressed. We knew at my appt the week before, I was about 75-80% effaced and 2 cm dilated. The doctor had told me the week before that if I had progressed, that I could go ahead and schedule an induction at my next appt, just in case she didn't come on time.
When he checked me on May 12th, I was about the same amount effaced, but I was almost 3 cm! (I knew she'd been working to get out. At times, I honestly had this vision that she prying open my cervix with her sweet little hands. I had some definite pain!) He said we could schedule the induction if we wanted, but I didn't really want to. There was something about naturally going into labor that I wanted to experience. So we left, called our moms, and anticipated when our sweet girl would get here.
That evening, we ate with Adam and Stephanie, Alan's brother and s-i-law, at the Chop House. Afterwards, Alan and I went to Walmart to walk around and get a few things. He says that I went to bed saying my stomach felt upset, but I don't really remember that.
What I do remember was waking up at 3:30 and honestly feeling as if I had a stomach ache. I thought I had diarrhea (sorry! but that's what it felt like!). I laid there and tried to go back to sleep, but couldn't. It was several stomach-back cramps later that I figured out what was going on: I was in labor! So I laid there, excited, for the next 2 hours until finally at 5:30, Alan woke up.

ME: Honey, please don't panic, but I think I am in labor.
ALAN: Really? Since when? Let me get my iTouch and count the contractions.

Sure enough, they were coming every 6-8 min. It was Friday, May 13th, and it was Kari's graduation. We were supposed to go with the Deans, but obviously, that would not be happening. Alan called and told Wes, and then we laid there for about 45 minutes longer. As the time went by, each contraction got stronger. I cried. I was amazed, though, at how great I felt between contractions! In my head I always though that labor was a constant pain which you simply had to breath through. I was thankful that God designed little breaks to catch my breath. :)

We decided to get up, take showers, and try to run some errands. The last thing we wanted was to get to the hospital, only to be told I wasn't really in labor, so by golly, we were going to wait until the last second! Or so we thought... I don't really have a high pain threshhold ;)

In the shower, I found it comfortable to place my hands flat against the wall under the shower head and let the warm water hit my lower back. I also rocked in that position. I remember that, even though I was in so much pain, I wanted to do whatever I could to help her get out. I would squat so that my pelvis would open, and that seemed to help, too.

We left for our "errands" and the first one on the list was Verizon. Yes, people, we live in a highly connected age, and my phone had broken. Adam and Steph had given me a loaner, so we had to have my contacts switched to the loaner phone before we went to the hospital. We drove up to the store front at 8:50ish. I could handle the contractions outside of the car, but sitting down with my seatbelt on, I felt so constricted. With each one, I yelled and tried not to cry. The pain was almost unbearable.

At 9:00, Alan ran to the front door. He was one of four.

STORE ASSOCIATE: Ok, Good morning, who's first?
ALAN: Um, my wife is in labor and we are on the way to the hospital.
STORE ASSOCIATE: OK! What can I help you with?

Alan was out in lickety split, and you better believe I told him to floor it! or rather, slow down b/c it HURT every bump and turn! We made just a few calls on the way. When we got there, we had to park a little ways from the L&D wing. I insisted that I wanted to walk. Of course, I overpacked, and here was my poor husband carrying pillows, bags, diaper bag, etc. When we got in the first building, I had to lean up against him b/c my contractions were coming so quickly and painfully. A lady saw me.

LADY: Honey, are you ok?
ME:  :: MOAN:: (and tears)
LADY: Quick, she's in labor!

People started staring and this man runs up with a wheel chair. Yes yes... I wanted to avoid scenes like this, but no, that's not what happened. He began flying through this building, headed towards the circle lot that is outside teh main building where L&D is. Alan is running behind with our entire life packed up (bless his heart), and I am sitting with my head in my left hand b/c I was about to die out of sheer embarrassment. Apparently the guy had radioed his pals b/c every door was held open and the elevator was waiting and opened for us to go up to L&D.  WHEW! I thought we'd never get there!

In Triage, the dr on call checked me, and yes, we were on our way to 6 cm! I could stay! It was 9:45am and she asked if I wanted my epidural. I said I really wanted to go as far as I could, but she said that by the time they gave me my fluids, I would probably be ready. And RIGHT she was! It was about another hour before we got moved to our room.

I wanted to walk, again, to simply encourage her on down. It was a good little walk, and when we got in there, anesthesia was on its way! Good thing, too, b/c those contractions were REALLY getting rough. The anesthesiologist came in, told me what was going to happen. Alan got to stay in. When he saw the needle, he opened his eyes real wide. I gently asked him to not make anymore facial expressions. Unfortunately, my epidural didn't take immediately, and my contractions kept coming. I was crying, and they called my dr back down. He gave me some more lidocain and a higher dose of the epidural. FINALLY, praise the LORD, it was working. Not perfectly, though, so I kept pushing the "Give me more" button, but working, nonetheless.

The Deans got there with Alan's food, followed by Alan's mom. All I got to have was a grape slushy, and I was ok with that ;) Finally, my mom, who had hit the road when I first called her earlier that morning, got there around 2:30. They had broken my water, by then, and at 3:00, was fully effaced and dilated. My dr told me that they would allow my body to push the baby down into the pelvis a little more before I worked, so that was fine by me.

Around 5, everyone left Alan and I alone to get this thing done. Oh my goodness, we were so ready to meet our sweet girl! I wasn't scared or anything... just ready! I was hurting, though.  By this time, my epidural wasn't really working anymore. My pushing nurse came in... and it was a guy. I was a little nervous but he was WONDERFUL! I began throwing up, and my husband kept holding the container for me. He was so encouraging, but I was in so much pain.

Zach, my nurse, coached me for 2 hours. I was doing the very best I could, and he could tell that I was doing exactly what he told me. Unfortunately, baby girl did not move at all during this whole time. The dr came in to tell me that we needed to go the "other way". Before labor, I was terrified at teh thought of a C-section; however, when she came in to tell me that we needed to do one, I was in so much pain and I was so exhausted, that my response was, "Ok. When can anestheisia be here?!"

They prepped Alan and I for surgery. The anesthesia felt oh-so-wonderful! Finally, after hours of pain, I was in a wonderland of happy thoughts! My baby would be here so soon! I hated leaving Alan in the waiting area as they prepped me inside of the OR. I threw up again, bless my heart, but my anesthesiologist held my container and wiped my mouth. Oh grape slushy, maybe I shouldn't have met your acquaintence!

::I was SO tired! The pain was over, and it was time :) ::

Finally Alan was by my side, and they began to retrieve our sweet girl. Lodged in, she was! Her shoulder was stuck, which is why she couldn't get out! My doctor exclaimed that she was delivering our toddler! :)

At 7:57pm, May 13th, 2011, our lives were changed forever! I heard her cry, and I asked for her to be brought to me! Alan kept saying, "There she is! There she is!" It was the sweetest moment EVER! It was over! It wasn't the way I had chosen, but it still ended perfectly! At 9lbs even, and 20.5 in, Genevieve Grace Grissom was here!

::"We're pulling out your toddler!"::

They brought her to me, and I kept thinking, she's ours! God gave her to us! I just wanted to hold her forever!

::First family photo. It doesn't get much sweeter than this!::

It's been a while...

Well, when I last left you, I was nesting. I am only reminded of this fact by the bottle of Clorox that is screaming from below. Mmmm... I do love the smell of a cloroxed house... it doesn't happen much these days. We are almost 5 months in since we last chatted. Let's catch up...

Nesting much?

People keep telling me that when I get the overwhelming urge to make sure that everything in my house is clean and organized, that Evie Grace could be on her way! Well, for the past several weeks, and probably couple of months, Alan and I have worked hard to get everything ready for her arrival. This has included a lot of reorganization in our house, as it is smaller so we must utilize every inch effectively. He has done a great job b/c he is much more organized than I am! Trust me! ;) When it's time to go through things to get rid of them, organize them, etc, I consider it a time of reminiscing, thus never getting the task accomplished!

The one thing about our house, though, is that b/c it is older, it is so very dusty! So, I had resolved that closer to May I would Murphy all the furniture and Murphy all the hardwood floors, which is the whole house, excluding the kitchen and bathroom. Now floors take a long time for anyone to do b/c we all know you can't simply mop them... first, you have to vacuum or sweep them, however you get decide to get the dust and dirt off the floor. THEN, you can mop them! So on Saturday while Alan was at work, I did this large task (much more difficult and exhausting at 38 weeks pregnant!), and I bleached the bathrooms.

Last night (Tuesday), while cleaning the kitchen, I noticed that that floor was exceptionally disgusting (I mean, honestly, how does one keep white linoleum flooring clean?!!! I feel as if that's an oxymoron!). So, I first vacuumed it, and then began to Swiffer mop it... NOPE... that wasn't doing it for me! Time to break out my good friend, BLEACH (I mean, who doesn't LOVE that smell! So clean! and no I am NOT inhaling it, as I understand it can cause harm! I just use enough for cleaning.), grab a cleaning rag, and get on all floors! It was Cinderella time! :) Now the kitchen floor is super clean (I even did the baseboards while I was down there), and I am much happier!

At this point, I thought, Why stop now? The furniture needs to be Murphied! That's when Alan said, "Does this really have to be done right now?" "Yes, honey, it really does." So he began helping me by moving things off of furniture. I have to admit though... by the time I got to our bedroom, I just dusted around things... I was much too exhausted after Cinderella-time and Murphying the furniture in the dining and living room to move everything!

So now, really, I just want to catch up on laundry and maintain the sterilized house! :)

The house is ready for you, baby girl! :)

Pregnancy... and feet.

So, it's safe to say that I have had a completely blessed pregnancy! My first trimester brought the normal nausea, but I never had to throw up (except for that one time when I took Tylenol at 6:30am and my body said, What the heck! Where's my food?!... yeah.. that was fun! But my husband rocks, so I didn't have to worry about it!). The second trimester was great... non-eventful and I had plenty of energy! The third trimester has been equally as grand, as I have had those nesting moments when I get started on something and can't stop; however, I do have to say that, despite all the energy the Lord has given me to prepare for her arrival, I have been much more tired than I remember being in the first trimester!

Take yesterday, for example: We had those horrible storms heading our way, and I just KNEW they were going to begin hitting when I was getting off of work (btw... I was correct!). SO, I left about an hour early, which means that I got home around 4 to get hunkered down for stormy evening. And, honestly, what is a good thunderstorm without an equally great nap?! :) Let's just say, I slept for 3 hours... EASILY... never moved... never had to get up to use the bathroom (definitely a plus, at almost 38 weeks!)... AND, my sweet hubs had dinner ready when I woke up! Thanks, handsome! :) You would think I was up for the night, but no. By 11:00, our normal bedtime, I laid down and don't remember ever falling asleep! Before I knew it, the alarm was going off!

Now that we have established that I am a sleeper (in case you didn't already know that! ha!), my point to this whole blog: feet. My feet. MY BIG SWOLLEN FEET! I am so tired of the swelling. It really is my only gripe point consistently. I elevate them, watch my salt, drink plenty of water... it just doesn't matter. But, it could always be worse! The Lord has blessed me consistently with GREAT blood pressure, so at least I am not pre-eclamptic! :)

Sweet Lord, thank you for an easy pregnancy so far! I pray that it continues to be this easy, and that labor will go as smoothly as it possibly can! We sure can't wait to meet this sweet baby girl! What a blessing she already has been and will continue to be! Jesus, You truly are good! :)

How Great is Our God!

Last night at our Easter celebration service, we were standing and singing, "How Great is Our God." As I sang, I did what I usually do: sway (b/c my stomach is too heavy for me to simply just stand!) and rub my belly (b/c she is usually really excited when we are attending worship at church!). As I was singing, I started doing something else I usually do as I worship: I prayed the song we were singing over our baby girl.

Last night, as not only my voice, but my heart, sang "How Great is Our God", I began praying this over Evie Grace. My prayer became so much more than just how great our God truly is! I began praying that Evie Grace would KNOW and SERVE HIM, wholeheartedly; I prayed that through her life, others would see and sing about how great He is; and then, as I was praying all of this, I prayed that regardless of what her life held, that Alan and I would always say, How Great is Our God, because He is, and life's circumstances don't change that! I thought about how, graciously, He has given her to us for 37 weeks already, and what a precious and sweet gift that has been. I thought about how she has been given to us for this time, and that we aren't guaranteed another minute with her, but the Lord has graciously blessed us with yet, another day! My prayer became a focus time that regardless of the good times that we have with her, or the bad times, HE is WORTHY of ALL PRAISE, and I prayed that Alan and I would always, regardless of the situation, be faithful to PRAISE our GREAT God!

I pray that you take time to reflect on how truly great our God is, and also reflect on how precious life is, each and every day that it is given!

Evie Grace- 36 weeks!

Isn't this the sweet thing?! This 4-D ultrasound was taken at my 36 week appt (about 10 days ago). She is sucking her thumb!  We found out at this ultrasound that she is head down and getting ready! Oh sweet baby girl, we are so excited to meet you! :)

"For I know the plans I have for you..."

This is a pic from the summer when Alan and I first met. He was on a 2-week mission trip to work with our team in Russia. Having only met there and interacted in the cultural exchange project, neither of us even thought or dreamed of what the future held! We were in completely different places (literally), with completely different lives, but God had a beautiful way of bringing us together for His purposes! Almost three years later, these two thumbs-uppers are married and going to have a baby! God's plans are so much higher and greater than those we have for ourselves!

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." ~Jeremiah 29:11, ESV

Dear Girl Scouts of America,

You have robbed us... ;)
Samoas, Alan can't wait to see you again...
Tag-Alongs and Thank You Berry Munch, Evie Grace can't wait to meet you...

Have a good weekend!

"Glory to God!"- from Sunday night

Alan and I are so blessed to be a part of a wonderful, Truth teaching church! I cannot tell you how much I have learned since I moved to here a little over two years ago. If you know me, you know that I love missions, and this Body does, too! Our Pastor is truly a TEACHER! He doesn't just stand at the pulpit, yelling condemnations or going the opposite, telling us how wonderful we are... he simply teaches TRUTH.

For the past 18 months or so, most Sunday nights have been devoted to going verse by verse through Romans. Last night we went through Romans 11:25-36. It has been neat to learn more about God's chosen people, the Israelites, and Paul's true desire for them to truly worship their Messiah. Pastor often includes in his notes for us quotes by other Bible scholars. Please don't neglect to read the scripture; it stands alone and is fully capable of teaching, but here are a few quotes that I just loved from last night:

"The older theology tended to produce character... By the end of the twentieth century, we have become God's demanding little brats. In church, we must be entertained. Our emotions must be charged... We must be offered amusing programs- we gave up a lot to become Christians and what little teaching we do get mucst cater to our pragmatic, self-centered interests. The preaching must be filled with clever anecdotes and colorful illustrations, with nothing more than passing references to doctrine: "I want to know what this means for me and my daily experience!" We have forgotten that God is a monarch. he is the King by whom and for whom all things were made, and by whose sovereign power they are sustained. We exist for His pleasure, not He for ours; we are on this earth to entertain Him, please Him, to adore Him, to bring Him satisfaction, excitement, and joy. Any gospel which seeks to answer the questions, "What's in it for me?" has it all backwards." ~Mike Horton

"Don't ask Him to cram His plan into your puny mind, because then God would be limited by your understanding." ~Adrian Rogers

"Almighty God, just because He is almighty, needs no support. The picture of a nervous, ingratiating God fawning over men to win their favor is not a pleasant one; yet if we look at the popular conception of God, that is precisely what we see. [Today's' Christianity has put God on charity. So lofty is our opinion of ourselves that we find it quite easy, not to say enjoyable, to believe that we are necessary to God. But the truth is that God is not greater for our being, nor would He be less if we did not exist. That we do exist is altogether of God's free determination, not by our [deserving] or divine necessity." ~ A.W. Tozer

These made me think... hope they make you, as well.

Dear Weekend,

Thank you for visiting us again. I know that it's only been 5 days since we last saw each other, but I am always grateful when you come back in town.

And this time, you've brought with you a friend: warm temperatures! Even though I do like cold weather, it's actually my favorite, I do enjoy a little fresh air once in a while. Alan will be painting, so it will be nice to have the house ventillating with this weather forecast:

Enjoy the sunshine!

Lately...

Well, it's been over a week since I have written, so I figured I would give an update on our lives. We've been quite busy, as we've been trying to get everything in order for Evie Grace's room.

The Saturday before last was a productive one! We got Evie Grace's room cleaned out, which meant we had lots to go through. I had mentioned before that I have had the urge to purge, and we did just that! We took a huge load of trash to dump and unwanted items to the local hand-me-down store. We cleaned and cleaned, AND on that Sunday while I was taking a nap, Alan hung curtains in our living and dining rooms! (It only took a year to get that done, but mostly my fault b/c I wouldn't pick out anything.) Her room is now ready for new paint!

This past Saturday, Alan and I got up early and headed to Babies-R-Us to register. If you know me at all, you know that I hate shopping and picking things out, but it actually went really well! (Flashback Moment: Before we got married, one of our biggest arguments took place in one of the kitchen aisles in Target while trying to decide on a coffee pot or something!) It took about 3 hours, and still when I look at the registry I think, "I know that we are missing something..." We still have our Target registry to do, so maybe we can figure out what we're missing then. :)

On another note about registering, I went to look at our registry and noticed that our pack-n-play wasn't on there. I called to have it added, but discovered that the brand was discontinuing the pattern and there were none left. Well, that put us on a mission! We wanted the stroller/car seat combo, pack-n-play, and hichair to all match, so I deleted the other two items from the registry. Now we are down to two options:

the Vega pattern

or the Miro-Yellow

We like both b/c they are more neutral, and let's face it, Evie Grace probably won't be our only child, and we don't know what the other (s) will be. The latter travel system actually goes up to 30lbs, so we will probably go with that one; although, we really do like the Vega (up to 22lbs).

We also picked out bedding. I made a quick, split second change when I was registering. That isn't really like me, and I am still not sure how I feel about it:

It's pink, and I never thought I would do pink; however, the quilt is just so sweet. I don't LOVE the heart mobile b/c I detest hearts, but since those are the only hearts, I think I can manage :) We won't do the whole princess-theme though, with the crowns and stuff. We will use some of the pieces, but not all the decorative stuff.

We celebrated Valentine's Day on Saturday night. Alan took me to eat Italian at this local place called "Altruda's". It is so delicious!!! If you've eaten there, you've definitely experienced their yummy warm rolls, served up with fresh garlic slathered on them, and soaking in garlic-olive oil... Yes, heart-attack, indeed people, but I only at 2 :) Honestly!!!

Now that I've written a short novel, I will leave you... :)

~alys

Pregnancy---Week 26 coming right up!

This weekend, I will officially be 26 weeks pregnant! Daily, it's surreal. I told Alan the other night, I often find myself saying, "When this baby is finally out, I can..." The blank is usually filled in with "Sleep through the night.", "Not have to pee so often." "Rest in peace without movement.", etc... But I quickly laugh and remind myself that once she's here, our whole world will be different! No more me me me! (Wasn't I supposed to give that up once I got married?! Alan... please tell me I am less selfish!)

I have seen this blog on other's who are pregnant, so I decided to share. :)

Weight Gain/Loss: Totally not sharing this information....
Maternity Clothes? Oh yes! I have been in maternity pants since my 14th week... I could have gone with the belly band, but leaving my pants unbuttoned, with my zipper pressing into my stomach never sounded comfortable to me.
Gender: It's a girl! :) I can't wait to meet her!
What I miss: I miss not having to get up to pee at night. I can't remember ever having to get up to do this. It was probably God's plan to get me in the routine of sleepless nights! :)
Weekly Wisdom: I don't have any...
Milestones: I have had a wonderful and healthy pregnancy so far. I am still awaiting the test results from my glucose test last week, but they haven't called, so I am assuming that went well.... I think I will call :)
Sleep: I usually sleep pretty well, but most nights I do have to pee around 3am. Sleeping on my sides is really annoying b/c it hurts my shoulder; however, the doctor told me that I could prop my back up with my body pillow so that I was at an angle. That helps a lot, and I try to sleep with one side elevated like that.
Energy: Pretty good! I usually try to nap every afternoon, but honestly, there are times when I can't! SHOCKING, I KNOW! But, when I don't nap, I am checking out by 10! Otherwise, I can make it to 11 or so... We've both started to get the urge to purge things, so that's good! :)
Exercise: I should work on this.... My problem is that I sit at a desk all day...
Movement: She is quite the acrobat!
Food cravings: FOOD! Salty, rich, spicy, flavorful food! Terrible, I KNOW! I also crave MILK... but I drink Skim, so this is ok :) Also, I am generic and also crave ice-cream... but without the pickles ;)
What I am looking forward to: Seeing Alan with her :) I know that he is going to be wonderful through the labor and delivery... he is so compassionate.
Preparations: Yeah... we are a little behind, but mostly b/c I can't really decide on bedding... I know what I want and I can't find it, but I have a close second, so we'll most likely go with that. Afterall, bedding won't change who she is! :)
Best Moment this Week: Alan bought me a new maternity shirt for spring. Just because :)

"GIRL, WHEN did THAT happen?"

I decided to start us off with a funny post...

As is usual with my job as a university recruiter, I was visiting a local community college. I was sitting in the atrium of the building, which serves as the main area. The students hang out here between classes, eat in the nearby cafe, visit the library, etc. It gets loud during class changes since all hallways and the main staircase converge here.
I was sitting, checking my email, looking around, and ready for anyone who might stop by. All of the sudden, I hear a loud voice, echoing through the atrium, exclaiming, "GIRL, you are PREGNANT! Oh my goodness, I haven't seen you in so long!" I looked up, and saw a girl, who I did not recognize, walking towards, continuing to exclaim about her newfound discovery of my personal life. I am sure I looked shocked, confused, yet trying to remain calm and composed, and not red, since EVERYONE in this main meeting place was staring and laughing.
As she approached me, she continued with, "Oh my goodness, WHEN did THAT happen?!" Keep in mind, she was being very sweet; however, she was just little bit louder than I would have deemed appropriate.
Taking a deep breath, blinking my eyelashes, and remaining embarrassed yet composed, I responded, "Oh, you know, about 6 mos ago. Now, what is your name?"
She then told me how beautiful I looked, etc, so I quickly forgave her, of course! ;) What pregnant woman doesn't want to hear that?!
I was just glad that she didn't ask HOW it happened...

Here we are!

Since we got married a little over a year ago, I have been meaning to create a blog for us. So, here it is! Sure... it's not too fancy today, but hopefully over time, it will become cute. Although, if you have been to my house, you know that I am not in any hurry to decorate, so maybe this blog won't become anything special afterall ;)

I love to share funny stories, and though I do like to talk (and you who know me KNOW that I do!), I usually talk all day at my job, and often times, I don't really want to chat on the phone once I get home. Plus, I can't seem to keep up with everyone! Of course, Alan has his side of the stories, so I figured I'd let him share a bit, too! ;) Is that a good wife, or WHAT?! ;)

Anyway, we hope you enjoy our little Grissom-grams, especially as we get closer to the arrival our daughter... she will surely turn our worlds upside-down, and you KNOW you want to hear ALL about it! :) It's SURE to be a riot!

~alys