Turning Over a New Leaf

This picture may seem a little weird to put on the blog, but this represents a milestone in my medical life! Today I went in to get the glucose test to screen for gestational diabetes. They give you a concentrated drink that tasted like a melted freezy-pop and then I had to wait for an hour until they drew blood. Why is this a milestone, you may ask. Because when I went to get my blood drawn, I did not 1. pass out, 2. cry, or 3. throw up. I have never gone without one of these three (or all of them) for the last many many years. AND that was with taking three vile-fulls of my blood, which is more than usual, I think. So perhaps I'm getting over my fear after all and turning over a new leaf!

Nick's First Sermon!!!

Nick preached his first sermon tonight! It was so fun to see him in that role, and he did a great job! This was a little church (not Sovereign Grace affiliated)...very little, as in 15-20 people. The people were very friendly, and it was a great setting for Nick to try his wings at preaching. He has a homiletics (preaching) class this week, and he said it will be very helpful having this experience fresh in his mind as he learns more about preparing a sermon. Thank you again to all of you who are supporting us and praying for us this year. It is truly a joy for Nick to be preparing for ministry...we couldn't do it without you!

Covenant Life Soccer Game

On Thursday we had great fun going to the Covenant Life School Girl's Soccer Game. This was a semi-finals game, and they won! It was fun for us to see Julie Bowers (Jeanie, I put this on here just to make you jealous!) Julie, hopefully you don't mind that I put your picture for the world to see. You played so well! I was quite impressed watching these high school girls, remembering my days of being a goalie way back when. I think they put me as goalie because 1. I couldn't run very fast and 2. I wasn't afraid to get my knees dirty by "pouncing" on the ball. The only problem is that I got so used to being goalie that once I caught the ball when I was playing defense...oops!

Rules of Contentment

Recently I have allowed myself to become anxious when I think about becoming a mother, and I realized this morning that it is really a lack of trust in the Lord. He gives me grace each day. His grace is sufficient, and he is most glorified in my weakness. I'm learning to give up every detail to the Lord, even in the privacy of my thoughts. He doesn't just want me to SAY that I trust him for the future, he wants me to BELIEVE it with my whole being! He has always been faithful, and He will continue to be faithful every day of my life! Here are Elisabeth Elliot's "Rules of Contentment," that I find quite challenging and inspiring... I have reworded them a little bit for clarity.

RULES OF CONTENTMENT

1. Allow yourself to complain of nothing, not even the weather.

2. Never picture yourself under any circumstances which you are not.

3. Never compare your own lot to that of another.

4. Never allow yourself to dwell on the wish that anything be different than it was or is. God almighty loves you better and more wisely than you do yourself.

5. Never dwell on the morrow. Remember that it is God's, not yours. The heaviest part of sorrow often is to look forward to it. "The Lord will provide."

More DC Pictures

Top to Bottom: The White House, Vietnam Memorial, Dennis and Marilyn in front of the Washington Monument, Nick in front of Big Abe.

Fun in DC

Is it possible that such a long time has gone by without a post?!? These weeks keep flying by. But be assured, our lives have not been extremely exciting or different over the last two weeks. At least up until this weekend, when Dennis and Marilyn (Nick's parents) came to visit. We had a wonderful time with them! They arrived Thursday night, and on Friday Marilyn and I went on some errands while Dennis visited a fellow glass manufacturer. On Saturday we headed into DC with three things on our agenda: The Spy Museum, the Holocaust Museum, and the American History Museum. We rode the metro in to the mall area, walked to the Lincoln Memorial (stopping by the WWII memorial and Vietnam Memorial), then walked over to the Spy Museum. Unfortunately, it was not free admission as we had thought (it's $15 a person!). 0 for 1. Then we walked over to the Holocaust Museum, just in time to learn that they had given up all the tickets for the main exhibit already. 0 for 2! But we did see one of their exhibits, "Daniel's Story," a walk-through exhibit of the Holocaust from a Jewish child's perspective. It was geared towards a younger audience, but it was still quite thought-provoking. After that we walked back to the American History Museum, only to learn that they are closed for renovations for 2 years. 0 for 3!! We were a little bummed that we weren't able to fully take advantage of the three things that were on our agenda, but we did get LOTS of walking in and enjoyed the memorials and walking by the White House. Needless to say, when we got on the Metro to go home, we were all exhausted!

Then Yesterday we met up with my aunt Marty, since she had invited us to a Gospel Choir concert at a church in DC. It was quite an experience! Talk about some LOUD music, with electric organ and all. The event was supposed to go from 5-7, but it was more like 5:20-8. I think we were the only white people in the congregation, and I must say I felt very "white" watching all the people around us really get in the groove, dancing around and shouting with arms swaying in the air. We did our share of clapping, but I think we definitely stuck out like a sore thumb! :) After the concert we went back to Marty and Art's house and ate a delicious dinner, since we were all starving after three hours of sitting (and standing) through the concert.

Riding the Metro into the City

In front of the WWII Memorial

A Wonderfully Full Day

Yesterday was a nicely full day. I started the day by going to the Tedesco's house, a couple that has a "food ministry" for the Pastors College families. Every Tuesday they have groceries in their garage that are donated by Trader Joe's, and we can take home what we can use for the week. It's kind of hit or miss, but yesterday I came home with a whole bag full of food (most of the stuff is "sell-by" that day, so it's still good, but Trader Joe's just can't sell it.) Then I headed to Wal-Mart to stock up on some household items. From there I headed over to Butler's Orchard, via a beautiful drive through a bright canopy of leaves on a tiny country road. The orchard is not far from us, but it feels very secluded. I was hoping to get some more apples, but it turns out the apple picking season peaked early this year. So I headed for the raspberry bushes instead. I have only gone raspberry picking one other time, and that was 10 years ago (!). I think now I know why they are so expensive in the grocery store! Granted, they were kind of picked over already, so it was hard to find the ripe ones. I did manage to come home with 2 lbs. of raspberries, with only a few scratches on my arms from the thorns. In the afternoon I had a doctor's appointment (baby is growing right on schedule!), and then I came home to try my hand at making raspberry jam. I was delighted to find that it was much easier and less time-consuming than apple butter. The jam turned out great! I popped some bread in the oven so that we could try it out on fresh bread as a bed-time snack. Needless to say, I was a bit tired at the end of the day last night. But it was a nice kind of tiredness. I am greatful for sleep, for knowing that it is a gift from the Lord, to refresh my body for a new day. I think I fell asleep the minute (literally) that my head hit the pillow. And now I'm looking at a new day, eager to see what the Lord has for me today.

Great Falls National Park

This afternoon Nick and I ventured out to Great Falls National Park with some friends from church. It was a perfect day to wander around the trails and see the Falls. There were a lot of people, but Nick and I ventured down onto some rocks away from the crowds. What a wonderful way to spend our Sunday!

24 weeks- 16 to go!

A Rainy Day

I'm sitting in front of the computer, listening to the rain outside and sipping some homemade hot cocoa. Now, if only we had some firewood! :) There's nothing too profound on my mind just now, but I thought it would be a good day for a post. Actually, this morning I was thinking about some of the things I'm most thankful for, so I'll share them here:

Things that make me smile...

• Salvation. Simply put, the greatest gift I could ever receive.
• A godly husband and a marriage that seems to get better and grow every day.
• A great pregnancy- I love everything about being pregnant: looking pregnant, wearing maternity clothes, feeling our little one move all the time. I just love it!
• Thinking about our little baby that I get to love on in just 3 1/2 short months!
• Deeply knit friendships back in Charlotte
• Growing friendships in Gaithersburg
• Apple butter on homemade bread
• Hot cocoa
• Good books to read on a rainy day
• Lovely autumn leaves

...just to name a few. May the Lord bring joy to your heart today!

Apple Picking

Look at that growing belly!

Fall Displays

Nick and I have a little joke every year about "fall displays," as I have affectionately named them. I get in decorating mode right about now and find myself wandering through the seasonal aisle in Wal-Mart trying to remember what I have in my little box labled "Fall Decorations" and looking for something cheap to add to the collection...

He thinks its funny that I get so excited about putting these little "Fall Displays" up (he does appreciate them, though). But there's something that is heartwarming about autumn decorations and smells (cinnamon french toast candles!), and perhaps Fall Displays are a way of enjoying our Lord's creativity in the changing of the seasons.

Autumn

This morning when I stepped outside I breathed in a fresh intake of crisp autumn air. How delightful! Beautifully sunny all day, this day truly feels like autumn is here. How thankful I am to the Lord for his creativity in making the different seasons! After getting home from a delightful morning walk, I set to the day's task: homemade bread and trying my hand at making and canning apple butter. The bread is on its second rising as I'm writing this, and the apple butter seems to have turned out splendidly! I didn't have an actual canner or canning rack (or utensils, for that matter), so I jerry-rigged my own system. I put my strainer/colinder sitting inside a big stock pot for the canning rack, and used kitchen tongs to move the jars in and out of the boiling water. I could only do 2 jars at a time this way otherwise they would tip over, but it seems to have worked! I set one jar aside for tonight, so we can enjoy warm bread and apple butter...mmmmm!

It's So Little!

Here's a little sweater I couldn't resist buying at a recent consignment sale... It's so little and cute! The ruler is 8 inches long, to give you an idea of scale. I can't believe there's going to be a little peanut inside of this cute sweater in only 18 weeks!

Great is His Faithfulness

I came to the realization a few days ago that I really do not want to be anywhere else but here right now. Of course I miss home and dear friends in Charlotte, but God has been putting a peace in my heart about our time here in Maryland. What joy to know that he has placed us exactly where He wants us at exactly the right time. He always does! Even in the timing with the baby coming in January, I see that God has led us in his timing to his purpose. I think it would have been much harder coming here next year (one of the original plans) with a one year old, and I'm excited to have our baby here. One of the other PC wives is due to have her 5th baby any time now, and I have been amazed at how much love and support has been poured out on her from the other PC wives. What godly and servant-hearted women these are! Not only does it inspire me to want to grow in areas I am weak by following their example, but I am comforted knowing that I will have lots of arms around me when my time comes to dive into parenthood in a few months. How kind of the Lord!

Speaking of the other wives, last night we had a sleepover at Kristin Seaver's home, which was wonderful! One of the highlights of the evening was when we all received love letters that our husbands had written us earlier...isn't that sweet? And then we were all in a circle, and Kristin had prepared a bowl of chocolates in the middle. For each woman was a chocolate attached to a ribbon, and as we pulled the ribbon out there was a question attached, which we then answered. Some quetions were funny, some were serious. At the end going around, there were some extras, so we read them out loud and whoever wanted to answer could. One of these questions was "I know you won't like this question, but what are some of your strengths God has blessed you with?" Well, we ended up using that as a jumping block to encourage strengths that we saw in others. What a neat time of encouragement, stemming from friendships that have only existed for a month. As I looked around the room, I silently thanked God for his continued faithfulness in each passage of my life. I have a deep peace knowing that God has a plan for my life, and he will continue to be faithful just as he has until now. How good it is to be loved by our Heavely Father!

"Great is Thy Faithfulness, O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not;

As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy Faithulness! Great is Thy Fiathfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided--

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me."

Another No Show!

Well, I'm sorry to say that our 2nd ultrasound didn't yield much more than the first one... We still don't know the sex of our baby! The nurse said that it was moving around so much she couldn't see anything (she said it was a little fish!), and then when it finally settled down a little bit, its legs were crossed. Can you believe it?!? But all that aside, our baby has 10 fingers and 10 toes (phew!) Everything else is looking good. So I guess we'll have to wait until January to see if this little booger is a boy or girl. It will make the anticipation all that much greater! I have been feeling "Speck" move all the time, which is amazing. Nick can feel it moving too, which is a lot of fun. Well, I have to sign off now because we're leaving in a few minutes for a meeting. Love to you all!

A Normal Day

Nick and I had a wonderful date last night at Panera (thanks to the Sheas for those gift cards!) to plan our schedules from now until Christmas...at least to get the basic idea of what to expect. I thought I would fill you all in as to what does our schedule look like here in Maryland. I'll start with Nick-

Monday & Saturday

6:00 Wake

6:30-7:30 Devotions

8-4 Read for the coming week at the school

4:30-5:30 Exercise

5:30 DATE NIGHT!!!

Tuesday - Thursday

6:00 Wake

6:30-7:30 Devotions

7:45 leaves for school

8-9 Study Greek

9-4 Class

4:30-5:30 Exercise

6ish Dinner together (Wednesdays are hospitality nights)

7-10 Study (once a month we meet with the Mahaneys as a group)

Friday looks about the same as Tues-Thurs, except he stays at school later to study and take the test for that week.

My schedule is still sort of in the making, but here's a rough estimate:

Mondays-

6:30 Wake

7-8 Run/walk (more walking these days!)

9-10 Devotions

10:30-12:30 Babysit Seavers

Afternoon- chores, nap, Walmart Run

DATE NIGHT

Tuesdays-

6:30 Wake

7:15-8:15 Devotions

8:30-10 Grocery Shop

Lunch, nap, exercise, dinner

7-8:30 Accountability Meeting

Wednesdays-

6:30 Wake

7-8 Run

9-11 Devotions and reading

1-2:30 Teach lessons

Nap, Dinner

7:00 Care group

Thursdays-

6:30 Wake

6:45-7:45 Exercise

8:30-9:15 Devotions

9:30-10:30 Gym Day (meet with other PC wives at the church while the kids run around)

Afternoon- get together with someone, chores, nap, dinner

Friday is my day to relax and rest or fellowship with someone. Or run errands. :)

So, these are our proposed schedules- but as I have had a week of learning, God often sends interruptions to our days to keep us relying on him. My agenda for my day may not be what He has in mind for me. So even as we plan our days, the Lord determines our steps. Two prayer requests here-

1. That God would strengthen Nick for long days of class and study

2. That God would give me wisdom to structure my days but flexibility in welcoming interruptions to my schedule, that I would never trust in a schedule to bring me joy.

Happy Birthday, Nick!

For Nick's birthday, we had a fun evening driving through Seneca Creek State Park, which is only about 10 minutes from our house. We didn't have a trail map or anything, so mostly we just drove around. We stopped at this place to sit and talk, overlooking the lake. The park closed at sunset, so we headed to Ledo Pizza, which is said to be a local favorite. I personally didn't think it was all that amazing, but then again it's pretty hard to go wrong with pizza :)

20 Weeks- Half way there!

New Mercies

This has been a good learning week for me. Yesterday I tried to fill up my day to the brim; here's what my schedule looked like: Run in the morning, meet with a friend for a walk mid-morning, go to Target to get various things, come home and do all the chores that didn't get done from Monday, figure out for 2 hours how to refill ink cartridges (in the process squirting black ink all up my arm and on to one of my best shirts), take a nap (didn't happen), catch up on emails, catch up on phone calls, oops- forgot to eat lunch!, out to dinner with friends. The final result was a crying, heaping, tired mess of a pregnant woman who had a stomach ache from eating a steak dinner on an empty stomach. Thankfully I have a wonderful husband who was able to kindly walk me through my emotions and point me to the Cross. (I love you, buddy!) It's days like this that remind me that I need to rely completely and fully on the Lord for my every breath. I so rarely consult the Lord before mapping out my schedule for the day, and as a result I often try to fit more than He has planned for me. He has given me the perfect amount of time to get done what he has for me to do each day, no more, no less. That brings me much peace in the wake of a tumultous day. I am greatful for his arms of grace, my daily strength. May I not walk on blindly but learn from my errors- O that I would be quick to fall at the feet of my savior, ready and willing to do what HE has for me each day.

An Unexpected Visitor

We passed this cat in the parking lot last night, and when we looked out this afternoon, we saw him nice and cozy on our porch chair. We're such suckers for animals...I went and bought some cat food and fed him. So either we're taking care of a stray or stealing someone's pet. We'll see if he comes back around. :)