Wednesday, October 29, 2008

you know you are pregnant and hormonal when...

you cry tears of joy for a world series win for a team that isn't yours.

i just saw the smiles creep on the phillies' faces in the top of the 9th, and i remember that feeling all too well. you want to smile, but at the same time you don't want to get ahead of yourself. 3 years ago i sat on my papasan afraid to make a move. tonight i found myself on the couch, doing the same thing, for another team.

i am so happy that we got to see the phillies play a game, in their stadium, this year. i am so excited for their fans! i love the catch phrase from a fan who called into the radio..."Boston did it. The White Sox did it. Why can’t us?"

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

new sets.

on flickr. forgot to say something when i added the others, and i just added more today. lots of new pictures.

there is a link on the right. :)

good shepherd.

last sunday james and i were welcomed at good shepherd lutheran church. we were 2 of 11 people that day to become members. we are so excited to have found such a wonderful church home so quickly!

along with that, and reformation sunday, it was also the farewell service for pastor bob. we will miss him, but everyone is excited for ben to get here! in true lutheran fashion we have tons of potlucks coming surrounding all the happenings. mmmm!

it was a great service. singing luther's hymns, pastor's sermon, a baptism of two older children, and all the new members. lots going on!

pastor bob was a visitor to good shepherd 3 years ago. at the time he was retired. the current pastor was very sick, and the church was struggling. they asked pastor bob if he would help them out. 3 weeks after his first visit, he was in the pulpit! he ended up sticking around, and becoming their pastor through the transition. it was supposed to be a year, but ended up being longer.

good shepherd definitely benefited from having pastor bob there. the church began, and continues to grow.

he made us feel right at home, and we are so thankful for that!

Saturday, October 25, 2008

our long, but adventure filled night.

well, we had quite the adventure yesterday.

meet the key players...
army ranger/hunter (fyi - this picture was taken with my hand out the window behind me not even close to looking at the screen.)

loving wife

not a hunting hound dog

truck

and topographical map

james worked hard all week, and decided this was the weekend he was going to begin his deer hunting season. he studied the guides and learned all georgia's rules. certain days are both sex days, you can get 12 deer (yes 12!) total. 2 buck, 10 doe. certain counties are always both sex, and so on. much different than home.

anyways, so you can hunt anywhere in the national forest. when ma was here and we took a drive he started scoping out the perfect spot. he asked me if i wanted to come with him last night, just to walk a bit and see if we could find the perfect place.

it was raining, but i decided i'd like to get out, and it'd more than likely be fun! we didn't have power for a lot of the day, so i was itching to do something.

just call us the next generation of newlywed hunters. (yes, my grandma was proposed to, and spent her honeymoon hunting, ah love.)

so off we went. in the truck, leaving maggs at home, because what good is he?

we drove around for awhile, me checking the georgia hunting guide to see what time sunset was. (6:42pm) we had about an hour to search.

the two places he would of liked to have hunted we found out the trails were actually driveways, and they made it very clear that there were to be no trespassers!

so he decided to trek into the national forest.

we were on a little two track, just enough room for the truck to brush the tree branches back on both sides. it was also the bumpiest ride i had ever been on. (not good for a pregnant lady with a small bladder)

i rode most of the way like this...

james knows most of these trails pretty well, it's basically what he does all day, marching or driving through here. so i wasn't too worried, plus his land nav skills are quite impressive. what we didn't expect was to find a tree similar to this one, covering the trail we needed to take.

so back to the topographical map we went. looking for some other way around. by this time it is beyond sunset, still raining, and only getting colder. (we are in the mountains after all)

we find another way out, james gets out of the truck to make sure the path is clear and we can get over to garrett farms (our destination) it looked clear so off we drove. little did he know, on my side of the truck it was a lot more of a marshland than his side. (of course the only side he checked)

so we drove on, and soon enough we were stuck. spinning tires, 4 wheel drive no help at all. we could see garrett farms across from us, it was so frustrating!

of course he had unloaded his tool box out of the truck to haul drywall, so we had no ratchet straps, no tools, only an ice scraper. which turns out, isn't a whole lot of help when you are stuck in the mud.

another thing you should know is that there is very limited cell phone service. at the spot where we were stuck we had none, but where did? oh yea, garrett farms.

now you are probably wondering why we didn't just walk over there. well, we tried, but it turns out that creek we were planning to drive through, was more like a small river. we had no flashlight, so we couldn't see where would be a good place to cross, and didn't feel like soaking our feet.

so we start walking. trying to find service, my night vision failing me miserably (no help when you keep checking your phone for one measly bar.)

we finally find a spot after a 20 minute walk from the truck. we stand there and phone adam. he has a truck, he just passed EIB (expert infantry badge) so surely his land nav skills are up to par, he can rescue us!

unfortunately he hadn't gotten back from benning yet. he was about 45 minutes away. (this was 5 til 7:00) he said he'd come get us though, just stay put (since we had service) james sent him a 6 digit grid, and we sat in the dark, hoping he'd find us.

before i go on you should know these two things...
1. i have been around many different people lately who have brought up the movie "deliverance" apparently it was filmed close to here, and everyone is talking about it.
2. i was a bystander when this exchange went on.
erica - "did you know there are bears out here?!"
beccca - "well what kind of bears?"
erica - "i don't know! A BEAR'S A BEAR!"

the entire time, that was all i could think about. freaking myself out. it's still raining, we have no flashlight, and all we can do is stand there in that same freaking spot with one bar of service.

at least i had my camera to keep things fun. i think cameras are a must at times like these...

(that was taken without being able to see where the lens was pointed, and ruined our night vision for a good 15 minutes.)

at one point we hear what sounds like a stump being knocked over at the top of the hill we are standing below. i freak out, james tells me to squat and stay still, and eventually tells me it was nothing. all the while holding his knife at the ready, unbeknownst to me. he tells me later, in the safety of our home, that more than likely it was a bear burrowing in for the night.
oh lovely! apparently he heard it rustling the rest of the time we were standing there. me clueless the entire time.

we stood out there for 3 hours until there were finally signs of headlights. too bad they were on the trail below us. adam must have taken the wrong split in the road. all we could do was stand there and watch him drive by. it was the most disheartening sight.

we tried calling, but of course he had no service where he was. we did finally get through, and told him to turn around and go back to the split. we left our little safe spot on the trail, and headed down. still no sign of him, and just as we were about to turn and try and find another spot with cell service we saw his lights. took off towards the split and jumped out with flailing arms, and chattering teeth.

the lifesaver brought us blankets, sweatshirts, coffee and hot chocolate. it was the best!

i told him he could keep his EIB, even though he failed to come to our coordinates. he definitely made up for it in the good friend category. (he had been gone 3 weeks, and erica had dinner waiting for him, but he had to pass to come find us!)

we ended up getting home around 12:30. what a long night.

oh yes, i did not forget the other key player, the dog. the whole time we were out there james was worried about me, and i was worried about maggs. sure he was home, more than likely in our nice warm bed, but i was afraid he was confused. it was night time, and we weren't there. james thought i was crazy, but then we walked in the house. maggs didn't come greet us, but we heard him crying. i figured he had just woken up, and wasn't sure if it was us or a stranger in the house. so i called his name, and he cried louder. turns out he shut himself in the pantry/laundry room all night! at least he had food, and the whole garbage, which thankfully he didn't eat too much of.

what a night!

and james is back out this morning.
i hope it was worth it babe!

another link from aunt nancy because they are great entries...
another safe season, and the deer hunters.

Friday, October 24, 2008

baby update.

i know that's what the baby link is for, but sometimes i just have to post here too!

we went to our first prenatal appointment today. all this week i had the thought "what if we really aren't pregnant and they look at us like we are crazy for being there?" well...

we are! :)

and exactly how far along our estimations told us. 9 weeks 6 days. due may 24th. (and she said that will NOT change.)

no ultrasound, or hearing the heartbeat yet. lots and lots of blood drawn, and information given.

we go back in 2 weeks for the test results.

physically i have been feeling great. no morning sickness (which is very rare for a girl who vomits frequently, if you know me you know what i mean) still tired, and this week the mood swings hit in full force. (poor james)

can't wait to find out more about our little one. as always, we'll keep you updated!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

these three...

make any sucky day better. (not sure where em was that day, guess she wasn't feeling photogenic) oh i guess you can add mason jennings to that list too, since his latest cd is near levi...


Sunday, October 19, 2008

ma came to town!

and we did a whole lot of antique shopping, regular shopping, dining, and driving!

the first night she wanted to take james and i out to dinner. we decided to hit up "the oar house" since i had heard great things about it. the food was good (what i could eat) and the atmosphere was even better! here are a few pictures from that night... click on it and read the sign behind ma and me.

the rest of the days were spent at the square, and showing her around on the scenic drives. ma was thrilled because she got to walk on the appalachian trail. there are a lot of entrances to it around here, and james works in the national forest, so he comes across hikers all the time. we showed her around camp too, and all she wanted to see was the px and comissary. ha! not much to see here!

that view of the mountains is just one of the many many reasons why i am in love with our little bit of the country. it's so amazing down here! especially now that the leaves are changing and the mountains look polka dotted.

james had to work again today, so i headed off to church alone. we transferred our membership, and will be welcomed officially in the service next weekend. it is also pastor bob's last sunday. he is headed back to retirement, and pastor ben will be up here next! we are so excited to see him so often again.

i was thinking in church how small the lutheran world is. i know people say that all the time, but i was thinking in particular about my last two churches. in san antonio, our pastor was pastor dan. his mom and sister are long time members at grace in lafayette. our home church. then we come here, and a month later we find out that one of our oldest camp friends will be our new pastor. crazy!

hope you are having a great sunday! i'm off to watch the race, and watch for updates from the bears game.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

had to share this picture.

since i don't have anything else to share. nothing much has been happening around here. ma came for a visit. that was nice. i'll have to post some pictures. this morning we went to breakfast with our new pastor, ben, his wife, and son. that was wonderful!

but the other day my friend bradi posted these pictures of her meeting taylor swift at soldier field.

she went with my friend's (luke) little brother, thomas. luke and i worked at lakeview together, and he is such a sweetie!

anyways, his brother is thomas finchum, as in thomas finchum the olympic synchro diver.

so when they met taylor, she was the one freaking out. she is a young girl, and a fan of his, and the pictures are hilarious. you would think it would be the other way around. thomas and bradi would be freaking out (although i'm sure they were) but in this picture you can see how giddy taylor is...

so stinkin' cute!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

a big thanks to aunt steph!

so as james and i moved in we purged our closet and donated a bunch of clothes and things to goodwill.

he had this t-shirt, and he asked me if i wanted it. it was one of those old, faded t-shirts that is just so hard to part with. i knew he didn't really want to get rid of it, as he reluctantly tossed it on the pile.

so the next day, while james was at work, i snatched it up with an idea in my head. knowing that we were going to start trying for a baby soon, and that my sewing skills aren't up to par yet, i called aunt steph. asked her if i mailed the t-shirt if she would make a quilt for us. i was going to use it to tell james the big news, when it happened.

turns out, we were pregnant a week or so later!

so steph finished it, ma brought it down, and we love it!

cannot wait to wrap our little one in it.

here is a picture from it's glory days.


and here it is, revamped and ready for baby...

it says "it's not just a memory...it's a way of life"

thanks aunt steph! we love you.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

fall fun.

we went with a group of friends tonight to "uncle shuck's corn maze" here is the design of it this year...

there are two different mazes. the red and the blue path, and 12 checkpoints along the way. adam and james got to test their land navigation skills and lead the way. it was pretty fun, and a little more challenging in the dark.

i only got two pictures. this is greg...

i asked him if he would take a picture, so of course this is what we got. he always keeps us laughing! greg was also in afghanistan with james, stood up in our wedding, and is up at the camp with james now. he is from atlanta, or close to it, so he is right at home!

then i got the picture i wanted...

and keeping in the spirit of corn. here is the shirt ma sent me. i love it!

and a view from our backyard. the leaves are starting to change. and i like the stop light effect of these three...

happy fall!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

baby booming.

our friend adam recently said "you can tell there is a war going on!"

and it is so true.

before joining the army family i had 1 or 2 friends that had a baby or are pregnant.

on sunday a bunch of us got together for football and grilling.

there were 5 couples. 1 had a 14 month old. 1 had a 2 month old. the other three (including us) are expecting.

by the time we have our baby, james will have only been back in the states for 13 months. we never planned on this. i never wanted to be one of those couples, but well, i guess love just gets in the way, and has a better plan!

two of our friends weren't ever supposed to get pregnant on their own. according to all the doctors. he leaves for 15 months. comes home, and what do you know? they are having their first baby in january!

so i'm not blaming the water we drink over here, i think it's something in the air (points finger and whispers) over there.

but yes adam, you can tell there is a war going on!

Friday, October 3, 2008

hilarious.

found this on etsy in muthacrafter's store...

first appointment...

turned out to be mostly just checking my ths levels, and talking about what needs to happen throughout our pregnancy. (i have hypothyroidism) oh joy, blood samples every other month!

we did get to meet our family physician, and he recommended an ob for us. we hear he's great! that was a relief. we should be meeting with him very soon! they family physician also does pediatrics, so he'll be taking care of our little one for as long as he's there. his wife is also a lactation specialist, and he said there are a few others, and we can call any time of the day or night. he said "you won't be left alone even if your mama isn't here!"

i also found out i grew an inch! woohoo! i'm 5'5" must be from all the stretching i do to reach james. :)

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

new project.

for the longest time i have wanted to make a skirt out of men's ties. i don't know where i got the idea, or who i saw with one, but i thought it would be cool.

then i decided a guitar strap would be neat.

well, i never accomplished, or successfully accomplished, either one.

when james and i were getting serious, and i was thinking of our future, and the things i wanted to do to make our home ours. i got to thinking about christmas, and what makes it special. i thought of the christmas stockings ma cross-stitched for so many years, her ceramic village that constantly grew, decorations at friend's houses...

i decided i wanted our house to be like that. made with love. so i thought it would be neat to make stockings, and a tree skirt. i wanted them to be done by our first christmas together. hoping to make james christmas special again. (he hasn't really had many of those since being in the army)

so the ties came back to me. i would use them for a tree skirt. sewn together they would naturally form a big circle.

so i ventured to goodwill last spring, and bought all the striped men's ties i could find. spent about $20 bucks and got a bag full.

james didn't know about any of this, and as i pulled out the bag the other night, he started eyeing them up. he wanted to keep a few of them for himself. too bad! these are for crafts! (guess another trip to goodwill is in my future, this time for him)

after getting my craft room finally in some sort of order, i started tonight. didn't really know how well they would sew together. i am still learning, but so far so good. i love it! they'll lay a little flatter once i iron them.

here is a sneak peak!

it is going to take a lot more ties than i have. it's a good thing i started early. so if you have any striped used car salesman ties, send them south!

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