a quiet week

Well, here I am, day two of my "retirement" as Ryan is calling this little window of time between working and baby. So far so good but I can see why people start to get anxious towards the end. The house is clean, the diapers are lined up and books are being read for FUN at this point!

I think if I can force myself to just wait patiently, I might really enjoy this week or however long I have until we meet this little one. The weekend started it off on a great note after my last day at work. Ryan picked me up an hour early and whisked me off to an unknown destination. He had planned a date night out to Grand Haven, more specifically the Kirby Grill House, which has always been a treat in my mind as far as places to eat. We spent a few hours walking around, looking at the little boutique stores and shared a late dinner complete with a mile high brownie sundae. Yum. I felt so loved that he planned this little outing for us, knowing that this summer will be the start of a whole new chapter.

The rest of the weekend was enjoyable as well, with a good mix of resting and doing fun things like a bonfire with the neighbors, dinner out with my parents and a visit to the park with friends. I think the reality of being done with work for now is starting to set it and I have to admit, it was a bit weird being downtown Holland yesterday without being in the office. Almost like it was a Saturday even though it definitely wasn't. I think this season is going to be one where I am a bit lost on what day of the week it really is for a while.

I did the annual necessary Tulip Time visit yesterday with friends & their kiddos and we had a great time debating which stand to get food from. I can tell you that "fatballs" were not in the running for my top choice. What are those anyways?! In the end, I choose a simple pulled pork sandwich and hand dipped ice cream bar from Froggy's. Can't be beat! The tulips were lovely as always and we went early enough in the day that we didn't have to fight the crowds which was a plus because right now small spaces don't agree with me. Or maybe I don't agree with them. Beth took a pic of me in front of the tulips which she reminded me "wasn't just of me". Here I am in my 39th week and counting:



A few other things I am looking forward to this week:
a pedicure tomorrow morning with Shallon
finishing my latest fictional read and maybe squeezing another in
dinner tomorrow night with friends
a Whitecaps baseball game later this week if the weather cooperates
SITTING ON THE COUCH, watch hulu and napping in between shows with my pup

I think that is it for now but it is good for me to see a list in front of me and to take heed to the advice of friends who have gone before who are saying "rest now" before you are living in a state of sleep deprived happiness and hormones. Trying my best to take that one to heart!

winding down

 

38 weeks and it feels like things are starting to wind down. Little clothes are being washed & folded, special date nights are taking place and we will soon have nothing to do but wait. With it being the first day of May, knowing this will be the month that we will welcome our baby boy or girl, I finally have a peace about the next however many days we have between now and then.

We committed ourselves to putting as much energy as we could into selling the house until May 1st which made it feel like a lot of little things needed to be on hold until today. Here we are now in May and there is a 50/50 chance that we could have a buyer in the next few days as we work with someone who is interested in our home. I feel good that we gave it our all and have to just trust that God knows the timing from here on out.

So, regardless of the outcome, I am committed to finishing my last week of work this Friday, putting my feet up, catching up on movies and books and praying for this little life soon to bless our family with it's presence. I also want this time to be full of moments with my sweet husband and our close friends. Ryan and I went downtown Holland on Friday night and enjoyed a dinner date & a redbox and jump started summer last night with our first visit of the year to Saugatuck with Ben & Stacie. It felt great to sit outside and of course, to get ice cream cones.

here are my plans for today:

work shower

It feels like these weeks are just flying by with the busyness of having a house for sale, a baby to prepare for and all of the celebrations in between. Last week my sweet friends at work threw a shower for me and it was such a neat time with women I trust and appreciate.

my female co-workers: Kris, me, Shanon & Lisa

The shower was at our office, the perfect space for entertaining and the guest list was made up of the women in the office and all of the wives of the guys I work with. Over the years, they have felt more like family than work acquaintances and it was really special to think about the fact that this group watched as Ryan and I got engaged, came to our wedding, journeyed with us as a young couple through the sale of the business and now in this stage of becoming parents.

Because Christy is part of that group and was there as a friend, she also took a few pics of the night. I told her I am starting to feel like she is my personal life photographer. haha! Love how she captured the fancy food and ambiance of the evening.





The whole theme was centered around our bedding. Which I actually stumbled upon during a quick trip to Target for something all together different. I wanted something gender neutral (obviously) that felt like "us", not something too cutesy but I really did still love the animals. My favorite part is the detail within the outline of the animals and Shanon surprised me with poster size drawings of each of the animals as decor for the shower. The giraffe was my favorite!

Here is a pic of the bedding pattern itself:


Instead of playing any games, they had each person write a piece of advice and they had to read it to me before I opened their gift. The things that were shared were both thoughtful and heartfelt, many sharing with tears about their own experiences as a mom. I felt so encouraged hearing from a Godly group of women. Here is the whole group:


Yet another night where I felt overwhelmed by people's generosity & excitement for Ryan and I. I love knowing that there are so many people who are almost as excited to meet this little one as we are.

photo shoot preview!

We had our pictures with Christy on Thursday and it was so much fun to be part of her creative style for a few hours. I really felt like she allowed us to represent ourselves with the pics, from shooting most of them to in our home, to including Toby, oranges (my numero uno craving) and things that are just "us" like commentaries (Ryan). She must know how much her clients can't wait to see their pics because she already posted four of them last night. I am headed later this morning to pick up the rest of the images that she is giving us as a sweet gift & can't wait to share a few more faves!

Lent, lucky green and in between

I started the day in my closet looking for something that felt springy yet still fit and came up with the option above. It certainly looks a lot different than it did in that picture (reminiscent from our youth group square dance in September, the week before I found out I was pregnant). Only when I got to the eye doctor today did I realize that it was St. Patty's Day and my ever growing belly was covered in green. Lucky me.

For the sake of festivity I was happy but even more for the sake of rotating a few more pieces into the winter wardrobe as this gorgeous weather makes its way into our days. Which leads me to my next thought; that any other year on a day like today I would have been out pounding the trails and although I got some new running shoes last week, they will not see much more than walks and waddles for a good 3-4 months. Which is truly ok with me but it did feel good to know that the runner's itch that is on a longer-than-usual winter hibernation just may reappear.

Lots of things on my mind as of late that are making the days move quickly and the largest being that we are going to officially be listing our house for sale this weekend. Feeling a lot of peace about the decision and letting it all play out as it will but it has meant a TON of little projects, organization, paint touch-ups, etc. Ryan has willingly stepped into a major role of handyman, painter, sorter, all things that he doesn't naturally love but I think we both sense that after this little one comes, those things will NOT be on the priority list for a while. We are going to be listing it for sale by owner for about a month. If there is no movement in that time, we will take it off for a while while we get used to being parents and then likely list it with a realtor.

But, if you know anything about me, you know I LOVE this house; its' story and its' character. I believe it would be a great home for a little family with its charm and the life we have given it. I say this because I believe it has been and continues to be a gift until God moves us somewhere else. I think it will be a bit of bittersweet when that time comes; fully knowing and trusting it to be the right thing but also always cherishing these days in our first home.

The other thing that has been moving around in my brain in the past week has been the beginning of Lent and the movement towards Easter. I originally had decided not to give anything up for Lent but then realized that the thing that is really lacking in my life right now is free mental space. I haven't realized how to to get there yet but one of the things creating extra noise in my life is technology. So as silly as it sounds, until Easter I am going to read less blogs and reduce my amount of facebook time/use. I am hoping that in exchange, more of the noise I am taking in pertains to what really matters in my life and that it even includes some silence or rest.

And finally, because today was full of funny moments from the St. Patty's Day realization on, this van was in the Target parking lot this afternoon:

It totally made me think of Dumb & Dumber and I couldn't help but share. Happy Friday to you from this little happenstance leprechaun.

a shift

I have a lot on my mind lately and much of it has to do with a shift I feel taking place. Since the beginning of the year I have been processing/reading/thinking more about the transition of going from we to three in our little family and what that means for me as a wife and in the spring, as a mother.

There is so much energy around preparing not only in the physical sense as this baby swirls and kicks (most often at night when I want to sleep) but also in a deeper spiritual and emotional sense. It is hard for me to put into words but a lot of it has to do with knowing that the next season comes with the need for balancing time and creating space for us to have rest. Our rhythms are changing.

Some of what I have been filling my thoughts with are a result of the 6 week class Ryan is teaching this winter on Discipleship. It is pushing me to think how about I study, learn, and mentor others. I'm learning a lot and loving spending time each week with two women I already love in our little accountability group. It is also an awesome thing to see Ry in a place where he is sharing something he is so passionate about and I am really thankful that he gets to do this right now.

I also recieved this book on Friday


I have been aware of Ann as a writer for a little while now through her blog A Holy Experience and have always thought that she has a beautiful perspective on a full life. When I saw the cover of the book, of course the bird's nest drew me in but as I delve into it, I am finding there is so much more depth than I even anticipated. It is challenging my thoughts and heart in light of what it means to REALLY be thankful from a theological standpoint and how that flows into everyday life. It's beautiful and raw, filled with pain and with grace at the same time.

There are some online resources available because it JUST came out, like a book club where you can read the first chapter and get a taste of Ann's style. I think it will be just me and the pages as I read it but wanted to share those in case it would bless you.

At the risk of sounding ultra serious, there have also been some REALLY fun things to look forward to right now. Next weekend is our church's first ever women's retreat that we have been planning since this fall. We have two really cool speakers coming, Laura & I are sharing a room at the ultra-chic City Flats Hotel and we will get a chance to hang out with 60 other women for a day downtown Holland. Besides the sheer fact that I love conferences for the snack breaks and goody bags (just being honest). And since I got to put those two things together, I know they are pretty great.

Also looking forward to upcoming weekends with friends, showers on the horizon and anticipating the weather changing in a few short months to be able to get outside more often! We registered this weekend and picked out a jogging stroller that I will be happily rolling along in the sunshine this spring while Ryan walks Toby along side of me and the babe. I think we surprised ourselves at how well registering went compared to our wedding registry experience which left us at odds over dishes and towels. This time around we tried to just have fun with each other and be thankful that we have people in our live generous enough to merit a registry.

I feel like I am being stretched in so many ways right now but sitting down and writing it out gives so much perspective. Looking forward to a restful Sunday and a new week.

loving lately: December edition

In no particular order:
1. Subway! toasted? why of course!

2. the fact that the holiday season is officially under way with tomorrow kicking off a stream of holiday parties including:
*our annual client event which is always hard to believe we get paid to plan because it makes life at work so much fun. For example, today I designed menus and nametags for the big day tomorrow at the fancy JW Marriott in Grand Rapids. What to wear?!
*next week's cookie exchange with Amber
at her mom-in-laws, I continue to love connecting with her and am thankful that
friendships do transcend the electronic world

3. the snowy nights now that my tree is all set up

4. using the crockpot to make easy meals, tonight it was simple with these ingredients:
1. chicken
2. one bottle of BBQ sauce, Sweet Baby Ray's of course
3. a little onion salt--second in line to real onion but you use what you have
*let all ingredients cook all day, shred the meat and you have so many options!

5. looking forward to hearing the baby's heartbeat again on Friday! 4 months already and feeling so great

6. OFFICIALLY deciding as a couple that we are not going to find out at our 20 week ultrasound what we are having! I surprise even myself sometimes but the more I have thought about it, the more excited I am to have it be a mystery until this little one's b-day!

7. Christmas cards!! I love any mail that breaks up the usual junk and bills routine that I go through when I pick up the mail. I used Groupon to score a great deal for our first batch of cards with pictures and I just got an email that those are on their way to me. I can't wait to see them and am conflicted a bit because for the past 2 years I have also written a Christmas letter and just included a pic in it. I may have to upgrade the whole thing this year and do both!

what are you loving lately now that we are officially in December?

to the ends of the Earth

So if you have been around here for awhile you know how much I love these week long trips with the students. Working all day and staying up late. And maybe a little caffeine outing or two for us leaders (I mean, we are staying within 2 miles of JPs Coffee).

We kick the week off tomorrow by heading out to Tunnel Park after our commissioning at EGM where we will grill out & enjoy time together as a team. From there, we move into a local church for the week and get to spend Monday-Thursday from 8-5 rotating through 3 local ministries. 2 kids clubs and 1 MAJOR exterior painting project. Laura and I have TONS of surprises up our sleeves for the students to reward them for their hard work and I am so overwhelmed by how God lined all of this up for us. Just a week ago our housing fell through and with it our transportation our food. We now have a bus and ALL of our food coordinated by our own leader Kelsey *who just happens to have the gift of hospitality. Wow.

I think the biggest thing that I am excited about with this trip is that we are staying local. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED Bilouxi and Jacksonville too but I think there will be something really meaningful and lasting about seeing needs in our own corner of the world. I love Laura's heartbeat for to students to have the chance to live out and experience Acts 1:8 through their four years.

"you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,and in all Judea, and Samaria & to the ends of the Earth."


picture taken on the shores of Caeserea, Israel with my feet pointing west. Amidst marble scrap from columns delivered from Rome and remembering what it means to take what you know out to the corners of the world.

and this is why I am excited for the YG missions trip

Gearing up for another week and just can't wait to see all of the craziness and growth that unfold with the 27 students coming on our trip. Laura and I have been working on detail after detail to make it work. I just realized tonight how good it feels to be part of this again after missing it last year (my laments here). I also took a little stroll down memory lane to Missions Trip 2008...

And a little bragging on Ryan with the s-aweeeet t-shirts he designed:


and because we love to work with creative people, our friend Adam is printing them...check his work and creative outlet here.