26.5 weeks

Merry Christmas!

A friend sent this my way and I thought it might bring you some Christmas cheer! Enjoy!

Elf fun

23 weeks

Here are some new photos for you...I would put up a real post, but I've gotta get packing!!!!

Baby Wishlists

Hey all! Happy Monday! Just a note (and reminder) that I've posted links to our baby registries on the sidebar to the left.

Victory!

In my last post, I told y'all about how we were setting out to find a new apartment and asked for your prayers during the process. Well, the whole pursuit of finding a new apartment was, start to finish, quite short and surprisingly easy. We ended up signing a lease for a privately owned two bedroom. It is above the landlord's garage and is really quite cute. The space is perfect for us, and we will now have the joy of a dishwasher and a washer/dryer. Hooray! The landlords, Kim and Bill, are very nice and seem to be really down to earth people. On top of finding a new place to live so quickly, we are also moving very soon! On December 15th, barring any unforeseen blizzard, we will be moving into our new place. Yes, that's approximately three weeks from now. I'm not entirely sure how we'll pull it off, but we'll make it happen. So you can turn your prayers from finding a place to actually settling in without losing our minds. :) We're both really excited and will be sure to post some pictures from the move, as well as some once we get settled in.

Cheers!

For your consideration....

We are currently in a state of hunting and deliberation. What does that mean? Well, we're not tracking bears, that's for sure. We were originally planning on moving in May, but the more we've thought about it the less that time made sense. So, we're now thinking about moving sometime during December or January. Good times. This means finding a place out here that is bigger than a cardboard box and yet still affordable. This is no easy task, mind you. Most one bedrooms around here are really expensive, and two bedrooms are even worse. This is precisely why we initially decided that we had to live on campus or not come out here for school. Well, now we're nearing the end of school and surprisingly want to stick around for a bit. So tomorrow we'll be looking at three different apartments. Two of them are two bedrooms, and one is a spacious one bedroom. They're all privately owned, which we've had experience with and have liked a lot. And the big bonus is that at least one of them has a dishwasher AND washer and dryer!!!! Raise your hand if that sounds like a little bit of heaven to you! I'll keep you posted on what we discover...it could be that all three are not anything like what we want. Then again, maybe they'll all be fabulous and I'll be posting about how much of a pain in the rear to decide between all of them. All of this to say, please be praying for us...

At long last...

...some pregnancy pics! Here you go! (This is me--and baby--at 19 weeks, by the way.)

In case you're wondering...

We've started our various registries at Babies R Us (www.babiesrus.com), Target (www.target.com) and Amazon (www.amazon.com). You can find them under my name. They are a work in progress, but in case you want to know what we're in need of these are a good place to check. :)

It's a....

...girl!!!!



Alright, I know, it's been a while since I've posted anything. But this was worth waiting for, right?!? Anyway, I've been surprisingly busy doing not much of anything. Seriously, though...Work takes up an amazing amount of time. The precious free time I have is spent cooking, cleaning, reading, or sleeping. The latter is my favorite. I'm still loving my second trimester. I'm feeling great--except for being tired. My only complaint is that my hips are starting to hurt when I'm lying down, which tends to make sleep interesting. All in all, though, things are going well. We've started our birthing classes; in fact we have our next one in a few days. A friend from church pulled together three couples so that we could do a Bradley method class. Since I'd really like to have an unmedicated birth, Bradley really seemed like the way to go. You can check out more info about it at www.bradleybirth.com. So far we like it, though we feel like we're a little more moderate in our views about medical practice than Bradley can be at times.

We had our first (and we thought only) ultrasound on Tuesday (10/23). I can't even begin to describe how amazing it was to see our baby on the screen. We were a little nervous at first because the baby's position was not optimal for ultrasound--spine toward the "camera." But it didn't take long for her to roll to her side so that the tech could get some good shots of her. Stubborn like both of her parents, she had her legs crossed very tightly and we were about to resign ourselves to not knowing the gender. Thankfully though, our tech was on the ball and when our little girl did a full body stretch the tech got a pretty clear view and declared "it's a girl!" It's so nice to not have to find ways to avoid calling our baby "it" anymore.

Ultrasounds are designed to be used for diagnostic purposes, so even though it's fun to find out the gender of your baby the tech has practically a million shots to get of all the major organs and such. The reason I mentioned that we thought that this time would be our only ultrasound is because sometimes even the best of techs miss shots or don't get clear ones. Such is the case for us. Our tech got all four chambers of our baby's heart, but missed a few other crucial ones concerning blood vessels and other heart shots. Since hearts are important, I'm going back in two weeks for more pictures. Woo hoo. At least I'll get more pictures this way. :) I'll also have to go back later in my third trimester for a third (and hopefully final) ultrasound. They discovered that I have a low-placed placenta which could either be really troublesome or no problem at all. The last ultrasound will determine whether or not my placenta (which is currently really low in my uterus but not covering the baby's exit route) will allow for natural vaginal birth. If the placenta is too low it could get in the way and make it essentially impossible to have natural labor and delivery. If this is the case, then I'll have to have a C-section.

I know that for some of you this may be too much information, but I share it so that you can be in prayer about it. I really would like to deliver naturally and the thought of a C-section both scares and disappoints me. The prayer request is twofold: first, that as my uterus grows the placenta would move up with it and; second, that if a C-section is necessary that God would give me peace about it. I really do dread a C-section almost more than anything else birth related. I almost cried when my midwife told me about the situation. All of this to say, prayers are much appreciated!

That's all for now, I guess...check back soon (I promise) for some long awaited pregnancy pictures.

Seattle Excursion

As you may know, I just returned from a trip back home to Seattle. The main purpose was to attend my Grandpa Joe's memorial service, but the nice side effect was that I was home for my mom's birthday and got to spend the weekend with my family. The memorial service was good, and a fitting tribute to my grandfather. I have a few pictures that I took of the "display" that was set up at the church. He had such a full life, there's no way to get everything up. But here is a picture of his Olympic gold medal, as well as one of the Poughkeepsie Cups that he won rowing.



For my mom's birthday, we went to a cozy little Italian place that had great food and good atmosphere. One of our favorite pieces of decor was the following sign hanging right above the entrance (it says "Good friends, fine wine, mellow music and something with garlic.":



They also had a fun sculpture out front and some pretty floral arrangements:



On Friday, Mom took me out shopping for maternity clothes. I really had no idea what to expect--which is good because she pretty much blew my mind. All I have to say is: My mom rocks!!!! Seriously.



All in all, the trip was good. I'm not feeling too much jet lag (at least right now) so hopefully that's a result of the rest that I got this weekend. I'm starting to actually look pregnant (when wearing the appropriate clothing), so I'll probably post a preggers pic soon. Till then....much love!

A little heartbeat

Don't mind the opening shot of my beautiful belly (which isn't very large yet)...I just wanted to share our little one's "perfect" heartbeat (that's what the mid-wife said). You can hear it starting about 10 seconds in. I still can't stop smiling!

The Golden Age

Many people refer to the second trimester as the "Golden Age of Pregnancy." I think that I'm beginning to understand what the ubiquitous they mean. For the first 10 or so weeks, I felt like hurling at the mere thought of food. Pretty much I had "morning sickness" 24-7. I'll keep the other symptoms that I experienced to myself (since I know that not everyone wants the details). At this point, just a few weeks later, I am feeling much better. The queasiness that once filled my days has almost gone away completely. I'm slightly less tired than I was before, which is a definite bonus. The best thing is that I'm finally starting to show--just a little--but if you know that it's not just chubs, than you can totally tell. It's pretty exciting. As soon as my belly looks more pregnant and less like chubs, I'll post a picture. I promise.

On another note, I'm going to be the amazing traveling woman for the next two weeks. On Wednesday, I'm heading to Dallas for a business trip. I'll be there through Sunday for a Fiction conference. It should be a really good time of getting to know what's up and coming in Christian fiction, as well as the authors themselves. Then I'll be home for two and a half days before heading home to Seattle for my grandfather's memorial service. I'll be there through Sunday and then I'll get to come home for good. Whew! I'm sure that I'll have some pictures and stories to share when I get home. In the meantime, please keep me (and Baby) in your prayers during all of my travels. Take care!

In memory...

My Grandpa Joe died Monday night. He was an amazing man who lived an amazing life. I would like to take this time and space to share the obituary that the Seattle Times printed. There is also a link to the story with a picture of him with the 1936 Olympic Crew.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Full story: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/huskies/2003880103_obit12.html

By Craig Smith
Seattle Times staff reporter



Joe Rantz, a member of the 1936 University of Washington eight-oared crew that won the Olympic gold medal, died Monday night.

Rantz, 93, died of age-related causes at the home of his daughter, Judy Willman of Redmond.

"He was about as good a teammate as you could get," said Roger Morris of Maple Valley, who is the sole remaining member of the revered crew.

The victory in the 1936 Olympics in Germany was one of the major sports stories in Seattle in the first half of the 20th century.

"At that time, rowing was a major-league sport in this town," said Bob Ernst, who heads the current UW rowing program. "It's still important, but the fact they were able to be national champions and then take on the world overseas in Germany amidst all the turmoil is something that made a lot of people identify with them."

Rantz, who never lost a race as a Husky, rowed the No. 7 seat in the Olympic boat. The Huskies were in Lane 6 and didn't hear the start command.

Accounts say that Rantz yelled, "The race has started. Let's get out of here!"

The Huskies were in last place at the 1,000-meter halfway mark and coxswain Bob Moch called for a higher stroke rate but stroke Don Hume was ill -- his eyes were closed and his mouth open. Moch was about ready ask Rantz, the closest man to him in the boat, to set the stroke, but Hume suddenly responded.

The Huskies started passing other shells, reaching an estimated stroke rate of 44 strokes a minute, and won.

Rantz was born in Spokane and his mother died when he was 3. He lived with relatives and at times with his father.

He was living with his brother, Fred, and attending Roosevelt High School when UW rowing coach Al Ulbrickson Sr. saw him practicing on the high bar for the gymnastics team and was impressed.

"When he comes to the university, you have him look me up and talk about crew," Ulbrickson told Fred.

Rantz studied chemical engineering at UW and worked 35 years for Boeing. After retirement, he went into business for himself making posts and shakes, and other products from cedar. His wife, Joyce, died in 2002. They had raised their family of five in Lake Forest Park.

A memorial service will be held at the Lake Forest Park Presbyterian Church, 17440 Brookside Blvd. N.E., at 1 p.m. Sept. 29. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the UW Crew, P.O. Box 354070, Seattle, WA 98195. The family plans to donate Rantz's rowing memorabilia to UW.

Finally! A New Post!

Okay, so I know I've been a slacker lately when it comes to posting on this little blog of mine. But truth be told, I've been a little bit busy AND I've had to keep quiet about what I REALLY wanted to blog about. However, now that people who needed to be informed firsthand (like my boss for example) have been thusly informed, I can spill my guts here on the inter-web.

So what's the big news that's been waiting to burst out of me, you ask? Well, many of you may already know this, but for those of you who don't -- Joshua and I are having a baby! Seriously, I'm so excited! Our little one is due around the end of March (just after Easter).

I'm just entering my 12th week of pregnancy (which is the last week of the first trimester, I think, depending on whose information you use). So far pregnant life hasn't been too terrible. For the first 8 weeks (that's two months for those of you like my husband who dislike counting in weeks) I was pretty much queasy all the time. However in the last week or two the "green feeling" has been beginning to subside and now only happens at certain times, like when I'm hungry or tired.

We've already hit our first major milestone. Last Thursday we heard Baby's heartbeat. It was one of the most amazing things I've ever heard. The midwife managed to catch Baby while s/he was resting from all of the acrobatics s/he was doing. Baby was right behind one of my major blood vessels, so we could hear my slower heartbeat along with Baby's faster heartbeat. We sounded like a percussion section!

Now that the cat's out of the bag, as they say, I'll be posting more frequently about how we're doing and how Baby is doing. To finish off this post, I would like to leave you with a parting picture. I get a weekly email from babycenter.com that tells me all about how the baby is growing along with other helpful hints and tips for doing pregnancy well. This week's email included a 3-D ultrasound of a baby at 11 weeks in utereo. I thought it was pretty awesome and am therefore sharing it with you.

i know, i'm boring...

...but I promise that after our trip to Seattle (and maybe during, who knows!?) that I will post something new and exciting...or deep and profound...or maybe just some pictures of my fabulous family...who knows?!? Anyway, thanks for checking back to see what I might say next. Cheers!

musings...

(now I can finally post this...)

It's weird keeping something a secret...I have known in my heart for about three weeks that I'm going to be a mother next spring. "Officially" it's only been a week. And yet, in that time, I'm beginning to understand just a little of the awe that all mothers must feel when they realize that they are in the midst of a miracle. Our little one is only the size of a sesame seed, and yet there is so much life going on in there. I've come to realize that this process of becoming pregnant, of carrying a baby for nine (ten) months, and of bringing that tiny life into this world is more than just a brush with God. It's like being on your knees in front of Him in awe and wonder at His power, creativity, and compassion. Evolution is not responsible for the amazing things taking place in my womb right now. Only a divine Creator could do something this beautiful and amazing. It takes my breath away when I think about it. There are times when I want to scream it out for the whole world to know--I'm going to be a mother!!! And yet, the prudent part of me (however small it may be) prevents me from doing something so rash. Right now, I want to relish this tiny treasure growing within me. The people we most trust and love have been entrusted with our joyous news...and word will leak out sooner as opposed to later to everyone else. Not because our friends can't keep secrets, but because sooner or later I won't be able to hold it in anymore. Until then, posts like this are my own. When the time is right, I will let the whole world know...

ICRS trip

I am back from my very first business trip, and I must say that it was much better than I had anticipated. Well, that's not really true. I honestly had no idea of how it was going to go, or what I was going to do. I left with my co-workers at 5 am on Sunday morning to go to the airport. Security was a breeze and we ended up having an entire hour before our plane started boarding. I would like to point out that I was quite happy that there was a Starbucks in our terminal. I was not so happy that they only took cash, but didn't tell you that until you got up to the counter. After waiting in line for five minutes that can be extremely irritating (especially when you haven't had your coffee yet!). The dilemma was solved because there was a cash machine spitting distance from the Sbux. I got my coffee and was much happier, and more awake. We got to Atlanta at about 10 am -- sanity and luggage intact. After checking in to our hotel --the Westin Peachtree--we got some lunch at the Hard Rock cafe across the street. Being the loving sister that I am, I picked up a HR shirt for my brother because he collects them. After eating way too many tasty fries, we set off to the convention center for registration. Now, being the naive first-timer I really had no clue how big this place would be. Suffice it to say, it was HUGE! We got registered and headed back into the heat and humidity to track down the World of Coca Cola--a museum of that aforementioned tasty beverage.


Even though we were tired from the flight, the walking, and the generally being awake for far too long, it was really fun. There were a few theatres inside--one of which was a 4D theatre. The seats moved, we had funky glasses, we got sprayed in the face with water, and we were bitten by dragonflies (you'll have to go to find out). At the end of the tour there is a tasting center with a number of different stations representing the various continents where you can find Coke products. Some were extremely yummy (Fanta Exotic from Africa) and some tasted like mouthwash (Menthol flavored soda from Italy). We spent a while in the tasting center trying out different sodas and trying not to get stuck to the floor permanently (imagine small children with multiple soda fountains and you'll understand the stickiness factor). After all of the fun at the Coke museum, we headed back to the hotel to freshen up and make our way to our respective evening events. Sam and I went to the Worship Now event at the convention center. Travis Cotrell and Avalon led worship and Ravi Zacharias gave the message. It was really powerful and such an awesome way to start the week. All of us together were reminded that we are in this industry to bring people to Christ and to strengthen them in their walk--it's not just about making money. The evening really served to ground us all in our mission. After the service we made our way back to the hotel, where I promptly fell into a deep sleep the second that my head hit the pillow.

Monday was the first day of the show. After having a leisurely breakfast, we all headed over to the convention center to get started. Since Sam & I were newbies, our boss Jon wanted to walk us through the floor and show us the ropes. We were on the lookout for new products that weren't yet on our radar. We spent the entire morning and part of the afternoon walking the floor and checking everything out. There were more publishers there than I had anticipated, as well as many authors signing and promoting their books. In the afternoon we had a meeting with a publisher. Dinner, however, was the capstone of the day for me. All of us were invited to dinner with some folks from B&H and two of their authors--Jamie Carie and Vicki Courtney. These two ladies were so awesome!


Jamie is a first time fiction author (her book is great by the way) and Vicki writes parenting books. These two ladies were so gracious, well-spoken, funny, and all together wonderful. I had the privilege of sitting next to Jamie for dinner and we had a great time chatting about pretty much everything you can think of. Oh, and the food was good too. :) When we got back from dinner, some of us weren't ready for bed yet. So we enlisted the help of our concierge, and found a jazz club right down the street. There was a three piece jazz group playing and they were quite good. We enjoyed the music and the conversation.


Tuesday Sam & I were on our own on the floor. He had a lunch meeting, so I ended up walking around, checking out booths and meeting folks. This was a great time for me because I was able to meet quite a few authors and pick up some (free) great books--most of them autographed. Right before lunch I met Robin Jones Gunn. She signed a book for me and we had time to chat. We swapped business cards, and made a tenative lunch date for September. I had to restrain myself because I really wanted to do a happy dance after meeting her. I walked around a little bit more before meeting up with my people for lunch. As we were standing around trying to decide what to eat, I saw Robin waving at me from a table nearby. She was motioning for me to come over, so after I recovered from a moment of shock that I would be invited over by an author that I respect, I made my way quickly to her table. She introduced me to her lunch companion, Camy Tang, a fellow author. I haven't yet read Camy's book, but I'm really looking forward to it. We all chatted for a few minutes, and after another exchange of business cards (and a repressed happy dance) I rejoined my group and went off to lunch. Have I mentioned that meeting all of these authors was extremely cool? I think rad is the appropriate term here. I had a few more meetings that afternoon and another dinner with a publisher (no authors this time, sad). Afterwards, we all went up to the rotating restaurant at the top of our hotel for dessert and chatting. I had a great time hanging out with my co-workers. You know that you have a great job when you want to hang out with everyone outside of work. We enjoyed peach cobbler and watched the sun set from the 72nd floor. It was a nice end to a great day.


Wednesday was our last day in Atlanta. The morning went like this: eat, move luggage, eat more, move luggage again. We had lunch at the top-o-the-hotel restaurant again and I had the most amazing mushroom pasta. I capped it off with some killer peach cobbler (even better than the night before) and was thus so stuffed that I could barely move. After some drama with the airport shuttle (ie: we paid for it but it didn't come on time), we ended up taking a mini-van taxi to the airport. We made it through security without a hitch, but once at the gate had our flight delayed for almost two hours because of security check, instrument malfunction, etc, etc. The plane ride home was uneventful, and I was so excited to get home to my husband that I think I could have run home from the airport.

All in all, I had a great time. I learned a lot, not just about the new products that are coming out, but about my co-workers and most importantly about myself. Up until now, I'm not sure I realized how important my position is. Now I do, and I think that has changed my perspective on getting work done and making sure that I am at the top of my game and giving it my all. I'm looking forward the the next trip and more opportunities to meet folks and make friends.

I'm a big nerd!

Okay, so I will admit that I have been thoroughly and 100% sucked into the world of Harry Potter. I am not ashamed of this fact in the least. In the beginning I was totally against them--worried about the influence that these "witchcraft glorifying" books would have on children (and adults for that matter). However, I realized that HP does not deal with witchcraft per se...it's not about Wicca, or satanism, or even the occult really. They are fantasy novels and they portray a fictitious world. I know that there are people who totally disagree with me, and I respect that. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I only wonder sometimes if those who are so vehemently opposed to HP have ever read the books. I know that I personally was anti-HP before reading them, and once I did my opinion changed. Again, I respect those folks who just aren't interested. Read some other good books! :) My whole point, before going down this rabbit trail of defending HP, is that I am waiting on pins and needles for the seventh and final book to come out. I'm talking wait-by-the-mailbox-can't-hardly-stand-it kind of excited. I'm re-reading the series for probably the sixth time in preparation. I'm having the "water cooler" talks with friends from work about what we think is going to happen, and how we can possibly prevent others from telling us the ending before we finish reading.

I'm not lying when I say that I'm a nerd.

apparently i've been tagged...

If you want background on what this is, check out Carissa's post: http://creativecarissa.blogspot.com/2007/05/tag.html

I find this to be somewhat hilarious...it's like a blog world chain letter of sorts...so because my friend (whom I happen to like a bunch) tagged me, I will humor her by posting my seven answers...but I'm not going to tag anyone else...sorry...I'm a kill-joy I guess...

So here are my seven random things about your truly:

1) I have always wanted to be a rock star. This may not surprise some of you. I would love to tour, rock out on stage, wear crazy (but appropriate) attire, have CDs with my name on them, etc etc. Essentially, if I wasn't busy being responsible, I'd go out a be a rock star.

2) I don't like cake. I love pie, especially when Johanna makes it...but cake, not so much.

3) I don't like snow. Okay, so it's pretty when no one has trampled through it yet. But to be quite honest, I hate being cold and I don't like getting wet unless I'm in a swim suit and intend to get wet. Thus being outside in the snow, whether playing or shoveling our parking spot does not rank high up on the list of fun things for Sarah to do.

4) The smell of chlorinated pools brings joy to my heart. I really would love to have an office that overlooks a swimming pool just so that I can smell it. Okay, so maybe not that extreme, but I do love the smell of pools. It reminds me of some of the best times in my childhood.

5) If I could pick out my ideal life it would be something like the Amish...big family, tight community, farming of some sort, living life, loving each other, and working hard. Seriously though, all of the modern junk that we have just to make our lives easier makes me irritated sometimes. I think it's just the hippie inside me or something. But living the simpler life appeals to me.

6) From the time that I knew about getting married and changing your name, I always maintained that I would marry a man with five letters in his last name. My first, middle, and maiden last name were all five letters, and I wasn't stoked to change that up. I'm a nerd about numbers, letters, and any pattern found in them. Thus I was quite relieved that Joshua's last name is the appropriate length. I would have married him anyway, but it helps that his name matched my silly criteria.

7) Last but not least...I would like to learn to play a musical instrument well. Seriously...I used to play the cello and I was pretty good. But since that, I have not been able to (or maybe patient enough) to learn anything new. I think it really comes to being persistent and patient. Hmmm...

Well, there are my random facts for you. Soon and very soon I'll have a post with everything that's been going on in our life lately. Fun times.

Update

After a week of bed rest (for all intents and purposes), some pain medication, and many fun band-aids, I have officially cleared by the doctor to go back to life as usual. Granted, I went back to work on Monday and have been cooking the whole time...but it still feels good to have your surgeon say "Looks great! You can do whatever you want." Hooray! I still have a little bit of healing left to do with my incisions, but they are pretty much healed.

Thanks so much for all of your prayers! God certainly has carried me through a scary and potentially stressful time.

Appendix Adventure

Please forgive me if this post ends up meandering at all...I'm currently taking Vicodin and it makes me, well, quite a bit spacey...

This past Monday was the beginning of quite an adventure (if one could in fact call it that). Monday night after dinner I started having pain in my abdomen. Not any kind of normal pain. No, the kind of pain that is located where your appendix resides...the kind of pain that makes one think "Hmm...this isn't a good sign." However, not ever having had my appendix hurt before (and not having any other accompanying symptoms) I decided to wait a bit to see if the pain really was my appendix, or if it was something else--a pulled muscle, indigestion, cramps, etc.

As Monday turned into Tuesday, however, I began to think that it probably was my appendix (not that I was too excited about this realization). This was mostly due to the fact that I no longer having pain just where my unhappy appendix was but throughout the rest of my abdomen as well (my back even hurt!). Unfortunately, Tuesday was a busy day--I had my summative evaluation interview (a graduation requirement) as well as some meetings at work. I dragged myself out of bed to get to the interview and apologized to Drs. Isaac and Rosell for a) being late and b) not feeling too fabulous. I think at that point I was still hoping that it wasn't really my appendix, but perhaps some alien that had invaded my body or something. After the interview, I made my way to work where I was subsequently miserable until finally leaving early to make my way home. I'm sure that my boss thought my parting email was a bit odd--"I feel terrible and I'm going home. See you tomorrow." It all made sense the next day when Joshua called him to let him know that I had had my appendix out.

So I made it home from work, although driving was far from comfortable. I then spent my afternoon listening to an audiobook, writhing in pain, and taking my temperature. Once my temp got to a certain point (and I realized that it was probably not an alien in my stomach causing all of my problems), I walked out into the living room and informed Joshua that it was time to go to the ER. I think I was much calmer about it than I perhaps should have been, but I didn't have much energy left to be crazy about it. We got to the ER around 7 pm and they took me back right away (the benefit of having a potentially life threatening emergency). Pretty much every nurse and doctor asked me the same questions--and they were all surprised when I told them that I hadn't felt nauseated at all. I guess that's odd for someone with appendicitis, but I wasn't complaining--I hate throwing up! I would like to take a moment to point out that my nurses (and doctors) were amazing. I have never had an operation before--no broken bones, no stitches. So I pretty much had no idea what was going to be happening to me. I was scared (understandably so), and every nurse that took care of me--whether for a few minutes or for a longer period of time--took fabulous care of me. They were kind and understanding, and each one kept me informed of what way going on, and encouraged me in every way possible. Praise the Lord for good nurses!

I had my very first IV inserted and the nurse proceeded to take some blood samples and hook me up to fluids. We then spent the next few hours hanging out in my ER room. They took me to have a CT scan at one point, but for the most part I just laid in bed while Joshua read to me. Have I mentioned what a fabulous husband I have?

Finally, the powers that be decided that all signs pointed to my appendix being the cause of all my misery (I could have told them that hours earlier) and so I was transferred to a larger hospital for surgery. Apparently the ER we went to is pretty much only an ER--they don't do surgeries, in-patients, etc. So I had another first--I got to ride in an ambulance. Woo hoo. At this point, it was about 2:30 am and I still hadn't slept at all (neither had Joshua). So I was exhausted, in pain, and ready to just get this all over with. Once we got to the new ER, we once again just hung out for a while, waiting for the surgeon to come poke and prod some more. Thankfully, we got an ER room that had both a regular exam table and a gurney, so Joshua finally had a chance to lie down and nap. The nurse even brought him a blanket and pillow (which apparently doesn't happen too often). The poor guy crashed out immediately and slept for most of the time that we were in the room. I, on the other hand, kept being interrupted by people needing to do paperwork, wanting to take my vitals, coming to poke my stomach some more--you get the picture. I think I got a mini-nap, lasting all of about 15 minutes.

Finally, the anesthesiologist came in and informed me that they were ready for me in the operating room. Yay! I vaguely remember her mentioning that it was about 5:30 am as she was injecting me with drugs. I don't really remember much else--the drugs were good and I was thoroughly exhausted. When I woke up, it was around 9:30 am (I think). Things were pretty foggy, but I sort of remember Joshua coming in to say goodbye before he went home to get some sleep. I also remember the surgeon coming in to tell me that the operation went well, and that although my appendix had been severely inflamed there were no perforations. Hooray! This news meant that, in theory, my recovery time should be much shorter because my appendix didn't wreak too much havoc on my insides.



At some point while I was still sleeping soundly, I was moved up to a regular room--with no roommate, I might add. I continued sleeping on and off until about 3 pm. Can I just say that having "room service" in a hospital is pretty cool?!?! I got to call room service and order exactly what I wanted for each meal. That was great--and the food wasn't too bad either. Wednesday was pretty much what one would expect from a hospital stay--nurses came by to check on me, they kept me full of drugs, blah blah blah. Joshua came back in the afternoon and stayed with me until bedtime. I couldn't ask for a better husband really. He dropped everything (even though he had a paper to write and a test to study for) to be with me--and he didn't complain about it once. He was so great (and continues to be so)! I also had a visit from one of our priests, Father Bart. He came and hung out for about half an hour or so, just chatting and whatnot. Before he left, he anointed me and prayed for my recovery. It was really cool. I feel so blessed to be part of a church that takes seriously the call to tend to the sick. Father Bart and our other priests regularly visit parishioners who are in the hospital or who are chronically ill and forced to stay at home. What a way to show Christ's love!

Anyway, they kept me overnight at the hospital to make sure that I was on track recovering and whatnot. I was awakened at the lovely hour 6 am by the residents who came in to take a final look at me before approving my discharge from the hospital. I ate my last room service meal, and read for most of the morning until Joshua arrived. Finally around 10:30, my nurse came by with my discharge papers and final dose of medicine. She called a wheelchair for me, and I was free!!!

So this is day #2 at home. I'm not allowed to do much of anything (doctor's orders), so I've read a book and watched a few movies. I'm hoping to talk Joshua into checking out a season or two of a few of my favorite TV shows from Blockbuster, since that will fill up more time than movies. I can't go back to work for a week, so I just have to "enjoy" my rest and let my body recuperate. Thankfully, all of this happened at the start of the week, so I'm able to attend our Holy Week services. I was worried that I would miss out on all of the Easter celebrations, which would have really bummed me out.

I've already received a care package from my co-workers. It was such a great surprise and made me feel so loved and appreciated. Our neighbors made dinner for us last night, and we have other folks who will continue to bring us meals throughout the next week. This is a huge blessing, since I am not allowed to do housework of any kind--and this means no cooking! Our community is really good at taking care of one another, though. We've had a few gals who have been really sick during parts of their pregnancies, and everyone has pulled together to take care of them in a similar way. God really knew what He was doing when He brought us here.

This experience has reminded me of a few things, mainly that life is precious and my husband and friends are amazing. And now, I'm going to watch another movie. :)

Jury Duty

Today as I retrieved our mail I found that for the first time I have been called upon to "fulfill my civic obligation." That's right--I got summoned for jury duty. I'm not really sure why this brings such dread into my heart, but it does. Joshua has done jury duty--so have many of my friends and other relatives. It's not really a big deal since most of the time you go for a day, they don't pick you, and then you go home. I however have this seemingly irrational fear that I will be picked and then end up on a jury that's at trial for weeks. Not my idea of fun. Maybe if I hated my job this would be appealing...but since I like my job it is decidedly not appealing. I don't have to serve until June, so I will have to post again on my thrilling adventure, to be sure.

On another, but related, topic...they tell you on the form that you have to return that you can reply online. However, when one goes online one finds that this is not a viable option since that part of the website is under construction. Lame. I don't like sending those postage-paid postcards through the mail because of the possibility of identity theft, etc. Thus, I will spend money on a stamp to return this pre-paid piece of cardstock instead of being able to get all of this accomplished online. Yargh. I am now stepping down from my soapbox.

On a happier note...my parents are coming out in about six weeks. I'm really excited to have them here. Mostly because I just plain like them, but also because it will be fun to have visitors that I can actually play hostess to. I've taken the time off from work, so I will have family time for a whole week. Hurray! Again, there will likely be a post on this adventure (which will obviously be much more fun than jury duty).

Lenten thoughts

It's been literally months since my last post. So much has happened since then, but that will be part of another soon-to-come blog post. In the meantime, I wanted to share a prayer from our Lenten worship service that has really gotten me thinking. I think that this Collect really embodies a lot of what Lent is about. It's such an honest appraisal of the human condition, and it causes me to stop and think every time that we pray it. I hope that it serves as a reminder to you of how broken we really are, and at the same time how amazing our God is.

Collect of Lent

Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.