Celebrating Kate

Hey.

Well, we made it through shower weekend.  I'm in desperate need of a long nap now, but it was such a wonderful time of celebrating my little sister.

We enjoyed pictures of the couple as little ones and learned lots about them.  Some of my favorite tidbits included Chadd's irrational fear of sharks in pools, and the fact that pretzels would be one of three things he would take with him to a deserted island.  I also learned that Katie has an irrational fear of buildings collapsing on her.

It was a fun time of putting her on the spot and making her blush once or twice, as every bride-to-be needs to have done.  Am I right?

[cutie baby Chadd]

 

[the no-reason-to-blush decorations... before the balloons decided to dip into the punch]

 

[a happy, happy couple]

  

[matching up Disney couples and some adorable table decor at the church shower]

  

[opening gifts- this one was so cute with a serving tray, glasses, and fresh fruit for lemonade]

I suffered a humiliating defeat on the "how well do you know Chadd and Katie?" game.  In my defense- since WHEN has that girl preferred a cat over a dog?!  She has been asking for a dog every year since FOREVER.  And the Dollar Tree over Goodwill?  It's like I don't know her at all.

  

[my terrible score card, and some answers I thought should have won]

[reunited college roomies]

[seesterly love]

[matching cousin bumps and my nap-deprived eyes for good measure]

We also got to take a peek at Chadd and Katie's future digs, and I can't wait to see how she gets it all set up with their own stuff.  The house is adorable, and it's going to be even cuter once they get everything moved in. 

I just can't believe my baby sister is getting married in a month!  And she's going to live in a house with a boy!  And she's not going to be at my parents' house when I come visit!  And she's going to have her own kitchen to cook in!  It's all so weird!  

[how things still look in my mind]

This next month is going to fly by, and then I get to see my sparkler of a sister all dolled up in her dress and marrying the man that makes her so incredibly happy.  How will these pregnant hormones possibly be able to handle it?!  I think I better carry a box of tissues with me at all times.

Thirty-four days!

Aim

Don't Tell My Husband That It's Actually My Fault

Hi.

The husband is on the mend.  He made it to work today, so things are looking up.  He even ate a whole pancake for dinner last night.

I was feeling spontaneous last night and said, "Hey- do you wanna pull the futon mattress out here and camp out in the living room tonight?"  I now regret my crazy-fun side because Jered is very obliging and we did end up sleeping in the living room, and it was no where near as comfortable for me as it was a few months ago.  Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Well, I finished Don't Waste Your Life a couple days ago, and I have to say it was a bit of a struggle.  If I had to sum up my feelings about it: good message, but repetitive and wordy.  It seemed that Mr. Piper could have said what he came to say in about half the pages, but instead it just kept going.

I really appreciate that he dedicated a chapter to encouraging people who work in the "secular" job world.  As a church brat, I've felt before, I'm sure along with others, that more emphasis or praise was given to people who dedicate their lives to mission work.  Piper points out that the mission field is everywhere, and that if we don't have a heart for people in our own community, we can't possibly have a true heart for people elsewhere.

I certainly found several other convicting points throughout the pages though.

All in all, worth a read.  If you don't already have it- you can get it for only a penny plus shipping on Amazon... in case you're curious.

I started Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts: Seven Questions to Ask Before and After You Marry two nights ago, and I plan to finish it tonight.  

This is a much quicker read, with tons of application possibilities.  (You can also order a workbook to go along with it, but we don't have that.  I'm not really sure where this book came from actually.)  Each chapter has discussion questions at the end in case you go through it with your spouse/soon to be spouse.

Let me just tell you, it's not always a fun read because if you're like me you will be feeling convicted over what they're saying.  Things like: you're spouse isn't the reason you're upset.  You're the reason you're upset.  You have control over your emotions, not them.  Blah. Blah. Blah.  I want to read that I can blame Jered for doing things that make me angry- not that it's probably a deeper rooted problem in my own heart, darnit...

It's definitely a good means to taking a deeper look at yourself.  For instance, last night I was reading about how it is on me to decide if I am going be a happy person or a negative one.  Our circumstances and other people don't determine our outlook; we have to make a conscious effort to do that.  This is true in all areas of life- even the ones not directly related to our marriage.  However, if we allow ourselves to become negative about those unrelated areas, it will seep into our marriage because it's become a habit.  Hmm... Who slipped that mirror into my book?

Darn-it-all again.

I've known I had this tendency for years, but didn't really see how effective it could be.  Probably because, like it says in the book, the negative people try to rationalize it as being realistic.  

It seems to me that this idea is making itself known to me at just the right time because we're facing something this summer that I really don't want to be happy about.  I should be because it's important for people we love, but it's going to be haaaard.  And I know that my instinct is going to be to wallow in self-pity.  And to cry.  A lot.  Like I almost am now.

However, I'm going to do my best to look at the positive side of it all.  It will be a great experience for them...  Jered and I will be stretched...

Ok, it might take me some time to get a positive list going, but like the phrase my good friend sister is striving to live out, I will try to learn to season the season.

Talk to you later,

Aim

A Sick Husband

Hey.

We're having a bummer of a Sunday over here.  Poor Jered is sick as a dog.  Last night he was getting sick in about hour intervals.  I feel incredibly helpless.  All I've been able to do is get him some chicken noodle soup, 7UP, ginger ale, and some Redbox movies. 

I felt especially horrible for him when the morning was absolutely gorgeous, and I knew that it had to be killing him to be stuck inside instead of out hunting.  Therefore, I am feeling a little selfish in being thankful that the sun has disappeared for the afternoon and stopped taunting him.

At this point I feel like I am in the clear; hopefully it stays that way.  I didn't want to put anyone else at risk, so we've basically been quarantined today.  

Our late morning/early afternoon was spent listening to classical music while Jered napped on the couch and I dug into my new devotional: Thirty One Days of Prayer for the Dreamer and the Doer, which I'm fairly certain I'm going to love.

So far it's talking mostly about the value of dreaming, which is something I tend to forget.  I get caught up in thinking about the problem with dreaming and not following through.  I see it as wasting time.  (Unfortunately I don't really land on the "doer" side either, which is even worse- I think I mistake complacency for contentment.)

Anyway, I came across this thought in the book today:

If you ever feel unworthy to dream or receive

the abundant blessings the Lord has in store for you, stop.

Because Jesus saw you worthy to die on the cross for and

He sees you as worthy to bless.

Dreaming is a beautiful burden that can bring 

ultimate glory to the Dream Giver.

Isn't that a nice reminder?  Sometimes I think that dreams are just selfish, but they can be planted by God to be used for His glory, and that makes them worth pursuing.

That was all just in the introduction.  The prayer I went through today lined up with my word for 2015.  It centered around the idea that rather than changing our circumstances, God may change our heart instead, giving us peace in the situation the way it is.  

I'm looking forward to going through this book over and over as our lives change and seeing how the prayers change with each new season.

Meanwhile Baby is kicking away like crazy.  Growing.  And growing.  And growing.  And seems to have some of his/her dad's personality as people pleasing does not seem to be on the list of priorities.  Every time I try to catch a video of my growing bump bouncing with kicks, he/she decides to stop.

Well, time to tend to the invalid.  Talk to you later.

 Aim

Bookish Stuff and My Favorite Parts of Pregnancy

Hello.

I ordered another "devotional" book... even though I have a stack I already want to get through this year.  I don't know that it actually qualifies as a devotional, but that's where I would categorize it on my bookshelf.

After reading this review I decided to order The Bible Tells Me So, by Pete Enns.  Typically, when I order a book from Amazon, I like to get a used one for about a dollar or so.  I spent a little more on this one, but it seemed worth it.

From what I gather, it addresses the fact that we Christians get defensive about the Bible, without understanding what we are defending.  The author details a moment from when he was in college, where he listened to two of his friends, an atheist and a Christian, argue about the Bible.  As he listened, he, a Christian at a Christian college, realized that he didn't really know the Bible at all and couldn't make an educated contribution to the discussion.

I used Amazon's sneak peek function to see that he also brings up the fact that if we read some of the Bible stories in books other than the Bible, we would see them as simple fairy tales.  I had been thinking that same thing in my Old Testament reading lately, so it added to the reasons I went ahead and ordered the book.

I'm excited to see how it will challenge my thinking and lead to an educated defense, rather than one out of habit.

Speaking of books: Last weekend while we were at my parents' house, Dad pulled out all of our favorite childhood books.  The two main sets were 19 volumes each of Raggedy Ann & Andy and Disney books.  They look like this:

 

We also had a slew of Disney Golden Books, which are equally awesome, but these two sets were probably our favorites.  Like I said, there are 19 volumes in each set.  The Disney one includes stories with Mickey, Donald, and Goofy, as well as characters from the films, such as Peter Pan, Thumper, and Cinderella.  (Hint hint- these can all be found on Amazon as well, in case you're in the market for some great children's books.)  

Fun fact about these books that we just learned:  Dad found these at Kroger when we were little, and he would work one book a week into the budget.  (He said they were between three and four dollars.)  There were some weeks where he didn't know if he'd be able to swing it, but he was always afraid that if he skipped a week, they might be gone the next time he went in for one.  I'd say it's safe to say they were a great investment, as they are definitely one of the bright spots of our childhood.  

It's amazing how it seemed no time had gone by since we looked at them.  Those stories knew much love in our house, and we were so excited to flip through them and see all the illustrations we knew by heart.  It was like a hug from an old friend.  I'm excited for Baby J to love them too.

Now, about that little J.  He/she woke me up around 5 this morning from kicking so hard and often.  Let me be clear: his/her kicks are probably my favorite thing about pregnancy.  It is amazing, and I love to put my hand on my belly and watch it bounce up and down as J gets stronger and stronger.  HOWEVER.  J... 5 a.m. is not cool, kid.  Can't we keep that for after you're born?  (Or not- sleeping in is cool with me if it's cool with you.)

I feel a little guilty about sharing so many negative, albeit honest, aspects of pregnancy.  It truly is a miraculous gift, and I'm reminded of that every time I feel those little kicks.  (Which I have to say, never felt like butterflies like people said.  If anything, it felt like a big pulse right in my abdomen.  I think it really just feels like a little person is kicking me from the inside.)

My other favorite part of pregnancy is how Jered acts.  When he comes home, he greets me with a "hi" and a kiss, and then bends down and does the same to my belly.  (Yesterday he told J that he needed to start talking sweeter to him/her because he/she might actually be a girl, and not a boy like he's been thinking.)  Every day he asks me how J was that day, to which I usually answer "big," and when he talks to J he asks if he/she is being nice to Mom.

I was reading the other night and played Fantasia on my phone for background music.  I set my phone near my belly so Baby J will (fingers crossed) develop an early love for classical music and all things Disney.  I swear the kicks picked up during the Rite of Spring.  You know- the dinosaur one.  I'm thinking I need to talk Jered into reading to him/her nightly as well.

Well, that's about all for now.  Talk to you later.

Aim