A Winter Getaway

I've been thinking about our trip to the Carolinas a lot lately.

We had such a good time.

A week away to forget about work and infertility.

A week away to sleep in, hold hands, and laugh together.  

It was such a care-free week.  

I've missed that feeling and I've been craving another get away like that.  

Time away to connect with my husband without a million distractions.

I guess I'm not the only one feeling like that because last week Andrew suggested a winter vacation right before Christmas.

I immediately began dreaming of warm destinations..Hawaii, New Zealand, maybe a cruise.

All the while Andrew was dreaming of Middle of Nowhere, Montana where the high is only 28 degrees.  

Not exactly on the same page.  

But then he sent me this picture...

How cute is this little town?

He said the words fireplace and skiing and all of the sudden I was on board with this wintery destination.

He's good at that....

Making anything sound like a good idea.

Even freezing my tooshie off in the middle of nowhere.

So now I'm having fun finding clothes that might keep me from slipping into a hyperthermic state.

Like these matching thermals for instance...

Knowing us there will be thirty other ideas discussed before we actually embark on this getaway.

But that's okay.  

Half the fun is in dreaming and planning together.

Family Movie Night

This weekend Andrew and I hosted a Family Movie Night.

We did this once before not long after we had gotten married.  Everyone came over to our little apartment and we enjoyed a Weaver Family Favorite...

We decided it time for another Family Movie Night.

I had been dreaming about a beautiful decorated porch, chili and baked potatoes, and an outdoor movie.

Our movie night was nothing like I had planned, but it was still a lot of fun.

We ordered pizza for dinner.

Kandace made a sign for the occasion...

Movie Night.  Up Late.  Candy.  Friends.

We had a nice little concession stand to enjoy during the movie.

Kandace helped fill those big red bowls with popcorn.

Andrew and Chris decided on the movie.  No one knew what it was until we pushed play...

Well almost no one.  I may have opened it up when it came in the mail.  

In my defense...I thought it was something I ordered.

They chose another Weaver Family  Favorite...

I had never seen this movie before.

It was hilarious.

I'm pretty sure Andrew quit breathing at one point from laughing so hard.

The next morning we got up and got ready to head out on The Liberty Belle for her last cruise of the season.

After lunch a few of set off to hike Sugarloaf Mountain.

The views from the top were amazing.

On the way back Andrew, Cody, and Pryce decided to go for a little swim.

There's always some kind of challenge thrown down when these three are together.

That water was way to cold to be swimming.

Though they would never admit it, I'm pretty sure they agreed.

They weren't in the water very long at all.

 
I couldn't get a good picture but we saw two deer swimming across the lake.

I have never seen this before.

It was very neat.

The Liberty Belle may have acquired a new captain this weekend.

She thought she was big stuff driving the boat.

Home Sweet Home

Three years ago today Andrew and I closed on our house and moved in.

I remember when Andrew sent me a link to our house on realtor.

We had been looking at houses for awhile and I was beginning to think we would never find the perfect home for us.

Everything in our price range was built in the 70s and the decor still showcased that fact.

My initial reaction to our house was "Absolutely not!"

Andrew has more vision when it comes to stuff like this.  He convinced me to go see the house in person.  He was certain I would change my mind.

He was right.

The day we walked into our home for the first time, I knew it was going to be our home.

I walked in and it just felt like home.

I envisioned the house being filled with our family and friends.

After that first walk through Andrew knew he needed to be ready to buy this house for me. :)

The day we closed was an exciting day.

Move in day was the quite the adventure.  Our narrow staircase inspired some creativity as Andrew, Cody, and PB figured out how to carry things upstairs.

Our three years in this home have brought lots of memories.

We've hosted Weaver Thanksgiving each year we've been in this home.

We've hosted my family for Christmas.

We've hosted three Americana Porch Parties.

This past year we hosted our first Masters Watch Porch Party.

We've even hosted a wedding on our porch.

We've lived life in this house for the past three years and with that have come lots of highs and a few lows.

This house has been home.

An Infertility Update

It's been awhile since I've posted about our infertility journey.

Mainly because it hasn't felt like there is a lot to update you on.

Like I posted a couple of weeks ago, there has just been lots of waiting.

Back in June we attempted to do an IUI.

It did not go as planned.

Long story short we missed ovulation.

Andrew and I felt like we wasted a lot of time and money that month.

We took the month of July off.

Instead of IUI we took off for the Carolinas and enjoyed some much needed infertility-free time away together.  

In August we changed clinics and prepared to do an IUI with them.

School started and it did not start well.

I was stressed out to the point of missing a cycle.  

September arrived and I went in for some blood work.

We decided not to attempt an IUI in September because we wanted to make sure my cycles were back to normal.

Blood work looked great except my FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) was high.  From my understanding that means that I don't have very many eggs and the ones I do have aren't so good.

My doctor will explain it all to us in detail when we go to do our IUI.

October is a bust because my doctor is at a convention and cannot monitor me.

So it's that waiting...waiting until November.  

So that's our update.  

I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate your prayers and encouragement.  It's what carries me through the hard days.  

Love to you all!!

The Waiting

Waiting.

That could easily be the definition of infertility.

Waiting for your turn.  Waiting on the day you finally see a positive test.

That's the big wait.

But there is waiting within the waiting.

Sometimes it feels like life is divided up into chunks of two week waiting periods.

Waiting on your cycle.

And then approximately two weeks of waiting on ovulation.

Then the two week wait starts over as you wait to see if this is the month.  

And if all that waiting isn't enough there's the waiting in the doctor's office.

The waiting room at fertility clinics should offer frequent flyer miles.

Let you earn some points that might help pay for all the doctor's visits.

My devotional reminded me this morning that God knew that I would be in this time of waiting long before I was ever born.  He knew the waiting would make me feel weary at times.

And so before I was born, before I ever knew I would experience this waiting, he gave me stories of encouragement in His word.  Stories of Hannah and Sarah and Elizabeth.

I'm thankful God knew.  

I'm thankful He does not leave me to wait alone.

He is right there with me in the big wait and all the little waits.

And friend, He is with you.  He has not left you to journey through life alone. 

THIS child

A few weeks ago I began a new devotional called  Infertility Encouragement from Sarah's Laughter.  I've really been enjoying it.  

Tuesday's devotional was especially encouraging to me.

I want to share it with you.

I asked the Lord to give me this child, and he granted my request.

1 Samuel 1:27

Oh, how I wish there were video cameras in Hannah's day.  As much as I love to read Hannah's words, I would really love to watch her tell her story.  I'd love to hear her petitions to the Almighty.  I'd love to see her face when she told Eli the priest that she wasn't drunk, but heartbroken.  Most of all, I'd want to eavesdrop when she brought her God-sent son back to that same priest and dedicated him to the Lord.  I'd ask you to watch that video today.

I'd ask you to fast forward to Hannah holding her precious baby boy in her arms, saying: "For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted what I asked of Him..." I'd ask you to start over and watch it again.  And again.  "For this child I prayed..."  I can't help but believe if we could hear Hannah's voice when she said these words, we might just hear her put her passionate emphasis on the word this.  "For THIS child I prayed..."

The waiting is hard.  You simply want a baby.  You don't care whether it's a boy or a girl, or born at the perfect time of year.  You just want a healthy baby.  You cry out to God with everything in you to let this month be the month.  Anybody who has ever gone through infertility would understand.

But listen to Hannah.  "For this child I prayed."  What she didn't realize all those years - as she was weeping and crying out to God for a baby - was that every tear and every prayer was for Samuel.  For this child I prayed.  It must have all come together the moment she saw his face.  "Oh, I understand.  It was for this child I prayed and waited.  Not another!  He was so worth it!"

If Hannah had conceived when she first desired a child, that child would not have been Samuel.  There's no way she could have realized the specific child she was praying for, but God knew.  Similarly, God has a specific purpose and plan for your infertility.  It is our prayer that one day, just as you have wept with Hannah, you will join with her in saying, "For this child I prayed, and God has granted what I asked of Him."