The shelf above the washer and dryer fell and now the today the water heater went out.
But all is okay because we have a precious bundle of joy in our arms:D
Monday, September 26, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
All At Once
Why does everything happen at one time?
Currently, I trying to wrap up work before going out on maternity leave starting Friday. Oh yes, and he is still breech. We are having trouble with the heaters in the apartment. A gas leak was just discovered yesterday in the yard. And now our kitchen sink is clogged.
I hope this means that we have a big break coming our way. The first few weeks of parenting are easy, right?
Currently, I trying to wrap up work before going out on maternity leave starting Friday. Oh yes, and he is still breech. We are having trouble with the heaters in the apartment. A gas leak was just discovered yesterday in the yard. And now our kitchen sink is clogged.
I hope this means that we have a big break coming our way. The first few weeks of parenting are easy, right?
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Moldova
I have been home for several days now and have been avoiding sitting down to write this post. It is a daunting task to try to put into words what I experienced while keeping it to a decent length. Here goes nothing.
Moldova was amazing! I had doubts about going 6 1/2 months pregnant, but I listened to my heart and am so blessed to have a husband that supported me in listening to my heart. I am so glad that I went.
First off, I was a part of an amazing team. One of the best mission teams I have ever been a part of. Everyone who went was an wonderful person who taught and challenged me throughout the week. In addition, the team was the perfect size for everyone to be together. We all fit at the table and in the van. We could all play games together. Etc, etc.
And the best part of the entire trip was getting to the child I sponsor. I know her as Alina, but she now goes by Ana. I was taken to her foster home by a translator. I got to see her siblings which I knew from previous trips. I got to catch up with them which I do not usually get to do through my letter writing. I also got to meet Ana's foster parents. They are such an answer to prayers. I had thanked God many times for providing parents that would take 4 orphans into their home, but meeting them makes me even more thankful. I really believe that these children are a part of family that loves them and wants the best for them. Amazing!!!
Overall, an amazing trip! Sure, my ankles swelled some. I had to go to the bathroom frequently in a hole in the ground. Sleep was not great. But, 100% worth it!
Moldova was amazing! I had doubts about going 6 1/2 months pregnant, but I listened to my heart and am so blessed to have a husband that supported me in listening to my heart. I am so glad that I went.
First off, I was a part of an amazing team. One of the best mission teams I have ever been a part of. Everyone who went was an wonderful person who taught and challenged me throughout the week. In addition, the team was the perfect size for everyone to be together. We all fit at the table and in the van. We could all play games together. Etc, etc.
The children were of course another HUGE piece to the puzzle. There were just under 30 children at camp this year which meant that I got to know them. Not just their names, but their personalities. In years past, there were a handful of children that I connected with, but this year I got to make a connection with almost all of the children. They are such amazing people. They are so strong and beautiful. We taught them about Ruth, sang with them, painted their nails, played games, did crafts, etc. I hope that they felt as much love from me as I felt from them.
And the best part of the entire trip was getting to the child I sponsor. I know her as Alina, but she now goes by Ana. I was taken to her foster home by a translator. I got to see her siblings which I knew from previous trips. I got to catch up with them which I do not usually get to do through my letter writing. I also got to meet Ana's foster parents. They are such an answer to prayers. I had thanked God many times for providing parents that would take 4 orphans into their home, but meeting them makes me even more thankful. I really believe that these children are a part of family that loves them and wants the best for them. Amazing!!!
Overall, an amazing trip! Sure, my ankles swelled some. I had to go to the bathroom frequently in a hole in the ground. Sleep was not great. But, 100% worth it!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Pregnant and Stranded
The past couple of months have been so hectic. I have been spending all my free time trying to prepare for this little one coming. I am either reading books or doing something in the nursery. I have so much that I could tell you about, but right now I want to tell you a story that has to be written down.
On June 29th, I headed up to Peoria, IL to stay with the in laws and meet up with the band. I brought Mia along. Mia spent at least 6 hours in my lap on the drive, but we made it safe and sound. I got to hear the boys play twice. Zach's family through me a baby shower on Saturday while the boys headed to Michigan. My visit was great!
Zach and I decided that on Sunday July 3rd, I would drive home via Indianapolis in order to meet up with the band and Zach would be able to drive me the rest of the way home. This sounded great. We coordinated what time we needed to leave in order to time things well. I hit the road and everything was looking good.
About 2 hours outside of Peoria, my radio turned off. Hmmm...that is odd. I tried to turn it back on, but it flashed low battery. I thought that did not sound good, so I called Zach to see if he could look up a good exit for me to stop at. While on the phone with him, all the dashboard went out. This meant I had no idea how fast I was going or how much gas I had left. The car was still driving fine and so I kept going, hoping to make it to the next exit. Not a minute later, the car stopped accelerating and I had to pull over on the side of the road.
I called AAA which after telling them all the information, told me they were having difficulty finding a tow truck and that there were no shops open (Sunday and 4th of July weekend). On top of that, the closet closed shop was 16 miles away. We just a couple of weeks before went down in our membership since we had never used the 100 miles of towing allotted which meant that only 5 miles would be paid for. At this point, Mia hid under the car seat as she was freaked out by all the cars zooming past us. I opened the passenger car door and sat on the side of the highway waiting to hear back from AAA. About 30 minutes later, AAA let me know they had found a tow truck but that it would be at least another 30 minutes before he got to me.
There I was pregnant on the side of the interstate in the middle of nowhere in the hot July sun with a cat that I had forgotten to bring a carrier for. Thankfully I have an amazing husband who is part of an amazing family and band. The band was willing to reroute to meet me at an auto parts store while Zach's family drove 2 hours from Peoria to meet us. After 1 hour, the tow truck showed up. I spent 30 minutes with the tow truck guy who I could write a whole blog post about getting the car towed to an auto parts store as Jake, Zach's brother, was pretty sure he could fix the car.
Once at the auto parts store, I was signing paperwork and paying the tow truck when Mia escaped from the car. I don't blame her as the car was extremely hot, but not good news for me. I thought she went under the car, but once the tow truck man left, I could not find her. A side note that I forgot to mention was that I was in need of a restroom break before I even broke down. At this point I was about to bust. I had to leave Mia lost for quick bathroom break before heading out to search for Mia.
Thankfully after about 20 minutes of searching, I found Mia. She was totally freaking out. I tried to hold her and she wouldn't have it. I tried putting her down in a little patch of grass, but she would run. So, there I was with a cat that was loosing her mind and no carrier waiting for help to arrive. I put Mia in reusable grocery bag and began pacing. If I stopped walking, she would try to get out of the bag. By this point, Mia has begun to pant. I have never seen a cat pant and it was really scary. I knew she was loosing her mind and that she was super hot in the bag, but she refused to drink any water. I kept putting water in my hand and trying to force it in her mouth. She would lick her nose, but that was it. I was really worried about her.
When Zach showed up an hour and a half after me getting to the shop, I was so relieved. At least I had someone else to hold the bag and worry about Mia. We waited about 3o more minutes outside for Zach's family to show up. Thankfully they had a cat carrier which at least meant I could go inside to get water or use the restroom and sit down. It did not seem to calm Mia any as she continued to pant and refuse water.
Zach's dad, Jake and Zach got to work on the car. The battery was taken out and was recharged inside while Jake started taking about my engine. It was quite scary to watch. I headed over to the shade with Mia and Lyn (my mother in law) so that I couldn't see all the parts being taken off. The boys (mostly Jake) worked on trying to get the alternator out for 5 1/2 hours. Bob and Zach were ready to give up, but Jake kept at it. After 5 1/2 hours of pure determination and undoing an engine mount in order to lift the engine, the alternator finally came out. The alternator was checked and was bad (thank goodness!). A new one was bought and the work of putting the car back together began. At about 9pm (13 hours after I had left Peoria), the car was put back together (mostly, I still have a several screws and some heat shields in the garage that didn't make it back in the engine). At 9:30pm, Zach and I headed out to Nashville.
On June 29th, I headed up to Peoria, IL to stay with the in laws and meet up with the band. I brought Mia along. Mia spent at least 6 hours in my lap on the drive, but we made it safe and sound. I got to hear the boys play twice. Zach's family through me a baby shower on Saturday while the boys headed to Michigan. My visit was great!
Zach and I decided that on Sunday July 3rd, I would drive home via Indianapolis in order to meet up with the band and Zach would be able to drive me the rest of the way home. This sounded great. We coordinated what time we needed to leave in order to time things well. I hit the road and everything was looking good.
About 2 hours outside of Peoria, my radio turned off. Hmmm...that is odd. I tried to turn it back on, but it flashed low battery. I thought that did not sound good, so I called Zach to see if he could look up a good exit for me to stop at. While on the phone with him, all the dashboard went out. This meant I had no idea how fast I was going or how much gas I had left. The car was still driving fine and so I kept going, hoping to make it to the next exit. Not a minute later, the car stopped accelerating and I had to pull over on the side of the road.
I called AAA which after telling them all the information, told me they were having difficulty finding a tow truck and that there were no shops open (Sunday and 4th of July weekend). On top of that, the closet closed shop was 16 miles away. We just a couple of weeks before went down in our membership since we had never used the 100 miles of towing allotted which meant that only 5 miles would be paid for. At this point, Mia hid under the car seat as she was freaked out by all the cars zooming past us. I opened the passenger car door and sat on the side of the highway waiting to hear back from AAA. About 30 minutes later, AAA let me know they had found a tow truck but that it would be at least another 30 minutes before he got to me.
There I was pregnant on the side of the interstate in the middle of nowhere in the hot July sun with a cat that I had forgotten to bring a carrier for. Thankfully I have an amazing husband who is part of an amazing family and band. The band was willing to reroute to meet me at an auto parts store while Zach's family drove 2 hours from Peoria to meet us. After 1 hour, the tow truck showed up. I spent 30 minutes with the tow truck guy who I could write a whole blog post about getting the car towed to an auto parts store as Jake, Zach's brother, was pretty sure he could fix the car.
Once at the auto parts store, I was signing paperwork and paying the tow truck when Mia escaped from the car. I don't blame her as the car was extremely hot, but not good news for me. I thought she went under the car, but once the tow truck man left, I could not find her. A side note that I forgot to mention was that I was in need of a restroom break before I even broke down. At this point I was about to bust. I had to leave Mia lost for quick bathroom break before heading out to search for Mia.
Thankfully after about 20 minutes of searching, I found Mia. She was totally freaking out. I tried to hold her and she wouldn't have it. I tried putting her down in a little patch of grass, but she would run. So, there I was with a cat that was loosing her mind and no carrier waiting for help to arrive. I put Mia in reusable grocery bag and began pacing. If I stopped walking, she would try to get out of the bag. By this point, Mia has begun to pant. I have never seen a cat pant and it was really scary. I knew she was loosing her mind and that she was super hot in the bag, but she refused to drink any water. I kept putting water in my hand and trying to force it in her mouth. She would lick her nose, but that was it. I was really worried about her.
When Zach showed up an hour and a half after me getting to the shop, I was so relieved. At least I had someone else to hold the bag and worry about Mia. We waited about 3o more minutes outside for Zach's family to show up. Thankfully they had a cat carrier which at least meant I could go inside to get water or use the restroom and sit down. It did not seem to calm Mia any as she continued to pant and refuse water.
Zach's dad, Jake and Zach got to work on the car. The battery was taken out and was recharged inside while Jake started taking about my engine. It was quite scary to watch. I headed over to the shade with Mia and Lyn (my mother in law) so that I couldn't see all the parts being taken off. The boys (mostly Jake) worked on trying to get the alternator out for 5 1/2 hours. Bob and Zach were ready to give up, but Jake kept at it. After 5 1/2 hours of pure determination and undoing an engine mount in order to lift the engine, the alternator finally came out. The alternator was checked and was bad (thank goodness!). A new one was bought and the work of putting the car back together began. At about 9pm (13 hours after I had left Peoria), the car was put back together (mostly, I still have a several screws and some heat shields in the garage that didn't make it back in the engine). At 9:30pm, Zach and I headed out to Nashville.
What an incredibly long day! I am so blessed to have such amazing in laws and husband that were willing to help me!
For anyone who is curious, I am pretty sure that Mia lost a couple of years off her life, but she is doing fine and I will be sure to bring a carrier just in case in the future.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Sold
We just sold our Blazer. I didn't realize the attachment I had to it until the guy handed us money for it. It was a great car that served me well through the years. There have been many memories made in the Blazer, specifically many road trips made. I will miss you Blazer!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Our Yard/Jungle
I have been wanting to post this for a while, but keep forgetting or just don't have time.
We have had a lot of rain here in Nashville and a good amount of sunshine as well which means the grass has been growing FAST! It was getting pretty long when Zach started up the lawnmower for the first cut of the year. Not a week later, it was already getting long again. Only this time, the mower would not start. So began the drama of trying to get the mower fixed. One thing would get fixed and then something else would go wrong. As the mower was being fixed over and over again, our grass was getting embarrassingly long. The mower was finally fixed last Friday morning which happens to be the same day that Zach left to go out of town for some gigs. I came home that afternoon and our yard looked amazing! One of our neighbors came and cut our grass for us. He does yard work for a living and did an amazing job. Just another example of what an amazing neighborhood we live in.
Hopefully we will not require those services again anytime soon.
We have had a lot of rain here in Nashville and a good amount of sunshine as well which means the grass has been growing FAST! It was getting pretty long when Zach started up the lawnmower for the first cut of the year. Not a week later, it was already getting long again. Only this time, the mower would not start. So began the drama of trying to get the mower fixed. One thing would get fixed and then something else would go wrong. As the mower was being fixed over and over again, our grass was getting embarrassingly long. The mower was finally fixed last Friday morning which happens to be the same day that Zach left to go out of town for some gigs. I came home that afternoon and our yard looked amazing! One of our neighbors came and cut our grass for us. He does yard work for a living and did an amazing job. Just another example of what an amazing neighborhood we live in.
Hopefully we will not require those services again anytime soon.
What a Day and What a Neighborhood
I am exhausted from this day. So much happened today. Zach was in town and we spent most of the day working on the house. We cleaned out the workroom in the garage. Zach power washed the siding on the house. We hung tools on the wall in the workroom. Zach took a load to the Goodwill while I started cleaning out the guest bedroom to turn it into a nursery. Zach then loaded up a load to take to the dump while I continued to work through everything in the guest bedroom. He came home and we worked on the guest bedroom until it was time for a neighborhood meeting followed by a flood party.
Our neighbors are so incredible. It has now been a little over a year since most of our street was flooded. Our neighbors wanted to throw a party for everyone who came to help a year ago and to celebrate how far they have come in repairing their homes. While we were there, I was given a stroller that had inflatable tubes, a snorkel, goggles, and flippers attached to it as a gift for the help I provided last year. Very stupidly, I came home and undid everything before taking a picture. I think I was just in work mode from going all day. It was so hilarious and so sweet of them to do.
Once home, Zach and I started working more on the nursery. It was tough emptying the room as it had all my stuff in it. My family pictures, my photo albums, my knickknacks, my desk, etc. It was difficult to sort through these things and try to find other places to put things that I still want to keep out around the house. We have moved my desk into our bedroom to see if that will work. It was pretty stressful for me, but I am now excited about starting to transform the room into a nursery. It has been a difficult and great day all at the same time.
Our neighbors are so incredible. It has now been a little over a year since most of our street was flooded. Our neighbors wanted to throw a party for everyone who came to help a year ago and to celebrate how far they have come in repairing their homes. While we were there, I was given a stroller that had inflatable tubes, a snorkel, goggles, and flippers attached to it as a gift for the help I provided last year. Very stupidly, I came home and undid everything before taking a picture. I think I was just in work mode from going all day. It was so hilarious and so sweet of them to do.
Once home, Zach and I started working more on the nursery. It was tough emptying the room as it had all my stuff in it. My family pictures, my photo albums, my knickknacks, my desk, etc. It was difficult to sort through these things and try to find other places to put things that I still want to keep out around the house. We have moved my desk into our bedroom to see if that will work. It was pretty stressful for me, but I am now excited about starting to transform the room into a nursery. It has been a difficult and great day all at the same time.
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