Just the Two of Us

It's no secret that Andrew & I want to be parents.  I dream of the days when I'm running on little sleep, am covered in spit up, and laundry is piled to the ceiling.  

Oh how wonderful that sounds!

Okay so I tend to ignore those scenarios when I dream about Baby Weaver.  It is much more fun to spend hours looking at nursery ideas, discussing names, and picturing my husband holding our sweet baby.    

Its much more fun to spend hours looking at ideas for announcing our pregnancy and the gender. 

But then there are weekends like this past one.  Weekends where we pick up and drive two hours to help family set up at their church's new location.  Weekends where we sit down in a restaurant and enjoy a meal together.  Weekends where we get a mini get away staying in a hotel room.

Just the two of us.  

There were no baby sitting arrangements needed.  No packing the whole house so that our child would be comfortable while away from home.  (This seems funny to us now but I know it will be us doing this one day.)  There was no baby sleeping in the middle of us in a tiny hotel bed.

Don't get me wrong.  I look forward to the day when we are doing all those things.

But I'm also thankful for this time of just the two of us.  After ten years of marriage I'm still learning about my husband.  I'm still falling in love with him more and more each day.  I treasure the time when it is just us.  I try not to take for granted how easy it is for us to have a date night.

I don't ever want to miss out on the now because I'm so busy looking to the future.  We will never be able to get this time back so I want to enjoy it to the fullest now.  I want to be present in the here and now of my marriage. I don't want to dream away my present.  

There's No Right Way to Wait

Married ten years.  No longer newlyweds.

Yet there aren't any children running around this big ol' house of ours. 

Sometimes I feel like we are the only couple in the world who fits this category.  

It seems like everyone else is either newlyweds or chasing a toddler around the house.

For me the hardest part of this wait for children is the not understanding why.  

I often find myself crying out to God asking why.  Why do we have to wait?  What is it that we are supposed to learn in this wait?

I don't know the answer to that question.  I'm not sure I will ever know the answer to that question.

Andrew & I made an appointment to visit a fertility clinic.  I was convinced that if I could just get some answers as to why it was taking so long that I would feel better.  I would have peace about the situation.

Together we made the decision to cancel that appointment.  It's just not time for us.

For us it is too soon. 

I realize that I could see the very best of fertility doctors and still not receive an answer as to why we have to wait.

That is something only my heavenly Father knows.

Right now I don't trust myself to visit a doctor that specializes in fertility problems and not put all of my hope and faith in that doctor.

I'm trying to believe God.  Not just believe that God did for others and will do for others.  I want to really believe that God will do for me what he says he will do.  I want to grow my faith.

There are times when it seems like we have been trying forever.  But then there are times when I know we haven't been trying all that long and it will happen for us.

One thing I am learning through this journey is that the wait is different for everyone.  I know plenty of couples who after two years were already knee deep in some type of treatment or in the process of adoption.  There's nothing wrong with that.

But it isn't right for us.  At least not right now.

I've learned that everyone has a suggested solution to our situation.  I welcome these suggestions.  I pray about these suggestions.

And then I worry that people will be offended if I don't follow their suggestion.

But in the end Andrew & I have to do what is right for us.  We have to do what we feel comfortable with - what we have peace about.

At this moment, we have peace about continuing to wait.  We believe that it will happen for us and right now we don't believe we need the help of doctors to make that happen.

There is no right way to wait.  

Five on Friday 01/10/14

First things first.  I have wronged my husband and I owe him a public apology.

I left something very important off my Year in Review post.

In 2013 we saw Fleetwood Mac in concert.

Whew!  Glad that's off my chest. 

Now we can move on to a little Five on Friday fun.

Andrew & I had a consultation with an orthodontist Wednesday morning.  It was the same guy I mentioned before.  The first visit was just having molds made and the initial prognosis.  Wednesday we sat down and talked about exactly what needed to be done and how much it would cost.  For me that means braces on top & bottom but only after I have four teeth pulled.  For Andrew that means braces on top after he has one tooth pulled.   Something about that doesn't seem fair to me.

I had a consultation with another orthodontist last week.  He didn't want to pull teeth right away but felt like it would probably have to be done before we were all finished with the process.  

It has taken me time to get to this point, but right now I'm leaning toward the first orthodontist - the one who wants to pull teeth.  I just feel like he has actually studied my mouth and cares about me individually.  The second guy feels like cookie cutter orthodontics.  I feel like he gives everyone the same treatment regardless.  

I have another consultation with a third orthodontist next week.  I'm thinking after that appointment I will make a decision.

As I was getting ready to go back to school after our orthodontist appointment Wednesday afternoon I got the phone call that they were dismissing school at 12:30 due to incoming inclement weather.  I had just backed out of my driveway when the call came so I went around the block and right back home.  Around 8:30 Wednesday  night I got the call that we would be enjoying yet another snow day Thursday.  I enjoyed getting to sleep in, but I'm going to be in school all summer.

My blog is in the process of a makeover thanks to my sweet friend Miranda.  She has been designing my blogs for quite awhile now and always does a fabulous job.  I was heart broken when she got out of the business.  Good news!  She is back!  She has just opened a new shop call Lil Birdie Design Shop.  If you are interested in starting the new year with a new look, please go check out her shop.  She does amazing work and is so easy to work with.

I think I have finally made a decision about my first decorating project for the house.  There are a lot of blank walls in our house, but there is one that drives me crazy.  Our little breakfast nook.  I snapped a picture of it a couple of weeks ago and asked friends for ideas.

The table doesn't sit centered on the wall which throws me off a little with decorating.  I received several ideas.  Most people suggested that I paint a quote on that wall or do a quote with vinyl.  Andrew isn't a fan of that idea.  Besides it would take me a sweet forever to decide what quote I would want to use.

I found a picture on Pinterest that I liked.  It is actually very similar to my original idea for this space.

I grabbed some scrapbook paper and taped it on the wall.  I need to live with it awhile before making my final decision.  Pretty sure this is what I want to do.  Now I just need to find the perfect fabric and decide what color I want to paint the canvases with words.

I went to Zumba tonight for the first time in over a year.  I've been wanting to go for a couple of weeks but haven't been able to find the motivation.  I finally just went tonight even with Andrew tempting me to skip and go eat at Brother's BBQ (where we had our anniversary date).

I am so glad I went.  It was so much fun!  I've missed it.  I had a big goofy grin on my face pretty much the entire time.  But man am I going to be sore in the morning.  I can already feel it!

A Cold Monday

Five Degrees.

FIVE DEGREES!!

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Made worse by the fact that these frigid temps were not accompanied by snow.  

Made a tiny bit better by the fact that my principal let us wear jeans today.

That also helped make it a little easier to return to work today after two weeks home.

Two glorious weeks of sleeping in, wearing my PJs all day if I wanted, and snacking all day.

By the time my noon lunch rolled around today my stomach was growling.

And not quietly.

It's supposed to be slightly warmer tomorrow.  But only slightly.

Liberty & Lincoln normally stay outside while we are work but it was so cold today that they got to stay inside.  Of course we don't trust them to run around the house unsupervised so they were locked up in the laundry room all day.  This means two things.
1. I had a stinky mess to clean up when I got home.
 2.  They were full of energy.

Andrew is working from home tomorrow so they can stay inside with him without having to be in the laundry room.

Yes I whine about how cold it is outside.

But at the end of the day I have a nice warm house to come home to.

I can take a nice hot bath and then crawl into bed under my electric blanket.

God has truly blessed me with more material things than I could ever deserve.

I pray for those who aren't as lucky.  The ones who don't have a nice warm home to go to at the end of the day.

I pray God would protect them from these freezing temperature, that He would give them a place to warm up and food to eat.

Our Anniversary Date

We had such a great time celebrating ten years yesterday.

As soon I woke up Andrew gave me my gift.  I love that it is hard for him to hang on to a gift when he is excited to give it to me.  

He gave me a beautiful diamond owl necklace.  It is so small & dainty.  I absolutely love it.  The picture doesn't do it justice.

I had planned to wait and give him his gift at dinner, but after opening my gift I couldn't wait anymore.

Andrew isn't exactly the easiest person to buy for.  But I knew exactly what I wanted to give him for our anniversary.  He has been wanting a new watch for quite some time.  I was a little nervous about it because I've never picked out a man's watch before. 

But he loved it!  Turns out I picked out the one he had been looking at for himself.

Andrew worked yesterday so once he was off work we went out for dinner & a movie.

We ate at a local BBQ place that we've been trying to go to forever.  Andrew ate there for lunch a couple of times but every time we tried to go together they seemed to be closed.

It was worth the wait.  So yummy!  I don't really eat ribs, but oh my goodness.  Theirs were sooo good.  I had to still a couple of bites from Andrew. 

After dinner we had about an hour before the movie started.  When we drove by our little theater though there were already a few people standing in line so we decided to join them.

We were easily the oldest people there.  I'm talking twice the age of everyone else in line.

It was pretty comical.  

Our theater is exactly what you would expect to find in a small town.

One show playing at a time.

It's great.  Like stepping back in time.  

That is until there is a movie that you really want to see and our little one show theater doesn't show it until weeks after it has been released.

That's right.  Our little theater just started showing Catching Fire this weekend. 

I finally convinced Andrew months ago to watch Hunger Games in preparation for this very event.  

I was pretty pumped to finally get to see Catching Fire.

And I WAS NOT disappointed.  It was AMAZING!

As in can I please go see it again today? kind of AMAZING.

With the books I seemed to like each one less than the previous one.  

Not the case with the movies.  Catching Fire was sooo much better than Hunger Games in my opinion.

And it totally leaves you hanging.  If I hadn't already read Mockingjay and know how it all turns out I would have been very upset.  

It was a great day!  I'm looking forward to the next ten years and then some.

Happy Anniversary My Love

Today Andrew & I are celebrating ten years of marriage.  

TEN YEARS!

It seems like only yesterday that I was walking down the aisle toward my groom ready to promise him the rest of my life.  

2004

2014

I love you Andrew Jay!  You are my best friend.  There is no one else I'd rather do life with.  Thank you for being my biggest supporter, for knowing me better than anyone, for making me laugh often, and for loving me even when it isn't easy.

Thank you for believing in the sanctity of marriage and for leading our little family.

Thank you for working hard to take care of us.

Thank you for always being honest.

Thank you for choosing me.

What Makes A Good Wife?

What makes a woman a good wife?

According to listdose.com there are ten qualities that a woman must have to be a good wife

10. Quit Nagging

9. Look Good, Charm Him

8. Be Unpredictable, Surprise Him Often

7. Organize the House, Be a Good Maid

6. All the Pleasant Qualities, Be Kind

5. A Guy Needs His Space

4. Sexual Intimacy is Important Too

3. Don't Hide Your Love

2. Be Open With Your Feelings

1. Compatibility

What if you only possess 9 of the above 10 qualities?  Are you still a good wife?

What if you only possess half of the qualities?  Or just one of the qualities?

Is being a good wife even one of your goals?

Have you ever watched the movie Courageous?  If not I highly recommend it.  Just be sure you have a box of tissue close by.  Maybe even two boxes. 

There are two lines in the trailor that stick out to me.

 "I want to know what God expects of me"

"I don't want to be a good enough father"

The qualities above of a good wife are great.  Nothing on the list is a bad quality to possess.  But I think they make a good enough wife.  

The main character in Courageous doesn't want to be a good enough father.

Well I don't want to be a good enough wife. 

I want to be the best possible wife I can be.

I want to be the wife God has called me to be.

I want to know what God expects of me.

We are blessed.

We don't have to guess at what makes a good wife.  We don't have to go by some bogus list that comes up in a google search.

God tells us exactly how to be a good wife in his Word.

This quote jumped off the page at me last night as I was reading in Wife After God.

I was reminded that in and of myself I can only be a good enough wife.  I can't be the best wife possible without letting God in my marriage.

I have to be willing to let God mold me into what He wants me to be.  

He is the potter.  I'm just the clay. 

(Isaiah 64:8)

Each day's devotional in this book starts with scripture.  I always write the verses in my own words in my journal.

Last night I felt like God was telling me to go a step further.  To make it personal.  

So I wrote the verses like this.

Andrew can trust me.  I will greatly enrich his life.  I will bring him good, not harm all the days of my life.  

Proverbs 31:11-12

I will not get tired of doing what is good.  I will reap a harvest at just the right time. 

Galatians 6:9

I must accept Andrew's authority so that I might be an example to others.  

1 Peter 3:1-2

Wow!  Talk about being powerful.  Making the scripture about Andrew & me? 

 That's personal.  

That's real!

My verse & prayer for 2014 comes from the book of James.

I want 2014 to be the year where I'm closer to God than I've ever been.  I'm believing Him when he says he will draw near to me.  I pray that as I draw near He will show me how to be more than a good enough wife.  

Books of 2013

I enjoyed keeping a list of the books I read in 2012 so I decided to do it again this year.  It helps me keep track. :)

Sadly, I didn't read near as much in 2013 as I did in 2014.  I blame Harry Potter.  Once I finished the last book, I couldn't bring myself to move on.  I needed more.  I needed a new series about Harry & Ginny's kids.  It wasn't over for me.

Yes I have problems.

Either way here are the few books I read in 2012.

The * marks the books I really enjoyed and would recommend.

1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (started in 2012 - finished in 2013)*
2. Through My Eyes: A Quarterback's Journey by Tim Tebow*
3. 13 Reasons Why  by Jay Asher
4. Grace, Glory, and Gold by Gabrielle Douglas*
5. The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen*
6. The Lions of Little Rock by Kristen Levine*
7. I survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906 by Lauren Tarshis
8. How Lamar's Bad Prank Won Him a Bubba-Sized Trophy by Crystal Allen
9. Lydia's Charm by Wanda E. Brunstetter*
10. The Chance by Karen Kingsbury*
11. Duck Commander by Willie & Korie Robertson*
12. Happy, Happy, Happy by Phil Robertson*
13. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling*
14. Harry Potter and the Deathy Hallows by J.K. Rowling*
15. Traditions by Noel Piper*
16. Rush for the Gold by John Feinstein
17. Gods at War by Kyle Idleman*
18. Si-Cology by Si Robertson*
19. Goodbye to Yesterday by Wanda Brunstetter*
20. The Silence of Winter by Wanda Brunstetter*
21. The Hope of Spring by Wanda Brunstetter*
22. The Piece of Summer by Wanda Brunstetter*
23. A Revelation in Autumn by Wanda Brunstetter*
24. A Vow for Always by Wanda Brunstetter*
25. Fifteen Minutes by Karen Kingsbury*
26. Amish White Christmas Pie by Wanda Brunstetter*

New Year's Eve

We brought in 2014 with style.

The getting dressed up to stay home, soup eating, board game playing kind of style.

It was perfect.

I decided to get a jump start on trying out some Pinterest recipes.  Of course I found a new recipe to try instead of one that I already had pinned.

This pin claimed to taste just like Wendy's chili.  Of course I have no idea what Wendy's chili tastes like but Andrew loves it.

Confession: I don't really like home made chili.  I prefer cheap chili out of a can.

So I made a crockpot of chili.  And then Sinclair & Amanda arrived.

The chili didn't have enough kick for Sinclair or Andrew so they started doctoring it.  I'm not sure what all they did to it, but I'm pretty sure it was no longer the original recipe by the time it was eaten.

But it still looked delicious.

And there wasn't any left this morning so I'm going to assume that it tasted delicious too.

Our sweet friends, Stuart & Laura, also joined us.

We were so excited that they could see our new home and spend the night with us.  It is always loud & fun when we get together with these two.

It's been so long since we have been able to spend time with them so it was precious time of catching up.

Chris & Krystal completed our group for the evening.  Aren't they a beautiful couple?

We had such a fun time.  Since we didn't eat until around 8:00, midnight seem to come so quickly.  

At least for most of us.  There were a couple that just couldn't make it.

It was just too much excitement for the LBs.

Not only were we celebrating the beginning of a new calendar year, but we were also celebrating a new year for Stuart & Amanda.  They both had birthdays yesterday.

Cake was obviously a MUST for this celebration.

It was around 2:30 this morning when we all decided to call it a night.  We had endured all the board games, crazy stories, and laughter we could handle for one night.

After everyone had gone home today, we had nap time.

The Christmas decorations are still up.  The house is a wreck.

But we are enjoying resting and watching a few bowl games.

That other stuff will keep until tomorrow.

From our family to yours.

Happy New Year!

Our Year of Change

2013 was a year of change for my little family.

It was our adventure year.

1. Andrew started a new job. He moved to House B in our new home town while I stayed behind in House A.

2. We celebrated 9 years of marriage.

3. I became an Independent Consultant for Thirty-One.

4. We bought our first boat, The Liberty Belle

5. God reassured me that our move was exactly what we were supposed to be doing.  He showed up in a BIG way in every little detail.

6.  We sold House A and I moved into an apartment for the last couple of month of the school year.

7. We celebrated Andrew's 32nd Birthday by freezing to death at an outside table at TGIFridays

8. I had an absolute blast visiting California with my best friend and some of our amazing students.  It was bittersweet as it was my last big trip with my HG family.

9. I was hired at QES to teach 5th & 6th grade Math.


10. I finally moved back in with my husband and we enjoyed our first weekend on the lake.

11. Lincoln enjoyed his first boat ride and swim in the lake.  We found our dream home.

 12. God taught me so much in 2013, but one of the biggest eye openers for me was the conviction of my golden calf.  

13. We celebrated the 4th out on the lake and then with a quick trip to St. Louis  We enjoyed a little Phillip Philips & John Mayer.

14. We spent the last weekend of summer with Cary, Sara, Jackson, Millie, & Will.  Lots of fun memories.

15. I started my first school year as a Bulldog and realized that maybe turning 30 wasn't all that bad.

16. We enjoyed attending two of the only 3 victories for the Hogs.  Here's to a better season in 2014.

17. We were finally able to move into our dream home.  Thanks again Cody & Pryce.  We couldn't have done this without you!

18. We hosted Weaver Thanksgiving.  A very special part of our 2013.

19. Another very special part of our year was hosting my family for Christmas.

20.  We finished the year with a fun night with family & friends.  That post is coming soon.