Posts Tagged ‘my life’

Michael and I put our house on the market about a month ago. We absolutely love where we live, but would really like for him not be driving for 2.5 hours a day. Because we’re hoping it will sell (isn’t that why most people put their houses on the market?) , we’ve been looking at houses ourselves. And then, at the same time, we’ve been looking into buying a second car in case it doesn’t.

Meanwhile we’re working on building up our savings, talking about college and retirement funds, and trying to find good deals on the things we’ll need for the baby.

So much talk about money has been making my head spin! I wish there was some sort of MoneySupermarket where we could just go in and pull things off the shelf, comparing the little unit price stickers underneath each option as we went along.

“Let’s get this car – it’s got 5-star safety ratings, great gas mileage, and it’s on sale for a great price. It even comes in blue.”

“The college savings aisle is next. Oh look, the interest rate on this one is a lot better than the others. And I have a coupon!”

“Hmmmm. Which retirement plan? They come in bags, boxes, and bottles. Do you want fresh or frozen? Let’s just keep saving for awhile and maybe they’ll go on sale.”

“Oh, could you grab a savings account from the vending machine? Thanks, dear!”

“Looks like we’re ready to check out now. Don’t forget to give the cashier the reusable bags – we’ll get a credit!”

Yeah, it’s not that easy, but it’s fun to think about.

We had our 20-week ultrasound yesterday. It was absolutely incredible to see the baby. We got to watch his heart beating, and see him wiggling around, his hands up over his face as if he were trying to hide from the paparazzi. I had to fight not to cry, since the tears were blurring my vision so that I couldn’t see the screen.

Seeing our little one has taken away the feelings of surrealism, those moments when I’ve wondered, “Have I just been dreaming and I’m going to wake up soon and realize I’m not actually pregnant?” It’s made it more real for Michael as well . . . last night he began really talking to the baby (which, of course, sent tears spilling down my cheeks). And being able to refer to our little one by name, rather than as “he or she,” or even as “the baby,” is also amazing.

Here are the very first pictures of our beautifully knit together little boy.

Well, I had good intentions of posting here soon after 2012 peeked over the horizon. I was planning to share my goals for this year. Planning to start taking a photo a week. Planning a re-cap post of some of my most-visited posts of 2011. And then the flu arrived. So please pardon the continued quiet around here for a few more days – my sweet husband is still not healthy yet, so I’m spending my time watching Burn Notice and drinking ginger ale with him.

Hopefully health will prevail by the beginning of next week . . . and I’ll be back to share some new posts with y’all!

Welcome to 2012! I pray it’s a blessed one for each of you.

In case you haven’t heard yet – we’re having a baby! Our little house doesn’t have a second bedroom, so the “nursery” will be little nook in the corner of the office/craft room/library. But a girl can still dream about decorating, right?

Of course, I had to go and fall in love with a decorating scheme that’s completely unconventional for a baby’s room. But that just means I’ll get to challenge myself to make a mobile, blankets, etc. Not a bad challenge at all.  (And with sari fabrics becoming more popular in the US lately, I don’t have to cut up any of the ones I have for wearing in India.)

All these images were found on Pinterest. I’ve got them ‘pinned’ to a nursery inspiration board, so if you want to see more information on any of them, you can click through my board.

{photo by Smilebooth}

As I’ve been processing my recent journey to The Relevant Conference, I jotted down my most vivid highlights from the trip and thought I’d share them with y’all. So here they are, in no particular order.

• Attending and participating in the writing workshops.
• Spending time with my sister.
• Joining the OneVerse Blogger Team.
• Listening to Tsh Oxenreider’s opening keynote.
• Meeting amazing women like Anna R., Aurie, Crystal Paine, and SarahMae.
• Discovering Freeset.
• Hearing Sarah Shust tell their amazing testimony.
• Laughing with Maggie Hogan over technology glitches.
• Staying up late. Sometimes way too late.
• Being filled.

So I’m back from The Relevant Conference. I was incredibly nervous heading into the weekend and, quite honestly, wanted to hide in my room and cry during the first few hours of the conference. My comfort zone was so far away that it wasn’t even visible anymore.

That overwhelming feeling didn’t last forever though. Once the sessions got underway there was so much “doing” that there was hardly any time to realize that I was surrounded by strangers. But those strangers quickly became friends. Even if all we did was exchange names and business cards, there was a kinship between each of us, all daughters of the King, there to learn and grow together.

It was a beautiful weekend. I was stretched, challenged, and encouraged. I was poured into in a way that I haven’t been for a long time.

I was anxious before the conference began, ready to sell my ticket and hide away at home. But God wanted me there for a reason. He calmed my anxious heart, filled me with His peace, and blessed me beyond belief. I’m so very glad I followed Him.

This is what my husband posted as his Facebook status last night:

First comes love…… Check
Then comes marriage….. Check
Then comes the baby in the baby-carriage…… T minus 7 months