I'm a Redneck Woman

So, as I've written before, I've been doing some yoga in the last little bit of my pregnancy. It's really good for strengthening and toning muscles and stretching me out. The only problem is that I've grown out of all of my tank tops that I wear to exercise in. I can still wear B's t-shirts, but they are bulky in the arms and get in the way for yoga. So, yesterday, I find myself at Wal-Mart, shamelessly scouring the plus size department for a tank top when I notice a sign over a small rack that says, "maternity." Great. Who knew the evil empire had maternity clothes? But why shouldn't they? Surely they carry a nice, plain tank top. Oh no, plain is way to much to ask. I had my choice between a grey, "Does this shirt make me look fat?" cartoon character tank, a black version with Betty Boop on it, and a white one with fake air-brushed butterflys and the word "Love" emblazoned on it. Which one did I go with? The butterflies of course. I don't know if I feel like Mariah Carey with it on or Gretchen Wilson, but B laughed at me when he got home yesterday. He called me his little red-neck woman. But it does the job for yoga, and that's what I got it for. Although I don't know if I can put it in a drawer, I'm afraid my other clothes may shun it. Ha.

Hark the Herald Angels Sing

Here's a Christmas song that I'm guessing you know for you to ponder over the next couple of days. It has taken me by surprise this season. Jesus veiled His glory in flesh and came for us. We are reconciled to God the Father by this mysterious gift.

Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

By: Charles Wesley, italic emphasis: mine

Life in Boxes

It doesn't feel like that long since we were unpacking our belongings into the townhouse in Virginia. For some reason it took very little time in hindsight. Now, as we unpack the same house nearly nine months later, it feels like it's taking FOREVER. I have my theories about this. Number one, I wasn't seven months pregnant last time and had not only more energy, but the ability to bend at the waist, which is something I've really been missing lately. Two, we actually own this house and plan to stay here for at least 3 years, so that provides motivation to put more thought into where our stuff "lives." Last, but by no means least, the people we bought our house from were quite possibly the dustiest people alive. It's not just that they didn't bother to dust before they moved out, they may not have dusted for the last several years. So, everything, I mean everything-shelves, cabinets, walls, is having to be dusted and de-cat haired before we permanently place our things where they belong.

This move has been very smooth so far, other than the massive amounts of dust and cat hair the previous owners left behind. We had a carrier move, which means that the Marine Corps paid a moving company pack all our stuff up and move it, and, let me just say, I don't think I could go back to moving myself. Also, the moving truck just happened to show up on the same morning as our closing on the house, which we've been told is no small miracle.

Oh, and we love our new town. It's amazing. The weather is warmer, the people are warmer, and the pace of life is certainly more laid back. The sidewalks may roll up at sunset, but we have found a local coffee shop on the water that is our new home away from home. And at least it's open until 10pm.

Overheard

Grace: Micah, your toenails are so long. You need to cut them or bite them or something!

On the Road Again

Our little family is moving again! On Monday morning, movers showed up to our house in Virginia, packed it up in boxes, and left it for some other guys who showed up on Tuesday and put it all on a truck. So far, best move ever in my book. Not only do we get to escape the frigid Northern Virginia temperatures, I have yet to lift a box. (Which is good because I'm not sure that the belly would allow me to lift little more than a shoe box.) We close on our first house on Monday, which makes us homeless for a few days, but fortunately, our destination is only a few hours from our hometown, so we are "home" for the weekend.

Actually, B is down in PI for his first day of real Marine Corps fleet work while the cats, Paco, and I are at "home." I am really enjoying watching Rumor torture my mom's dog, Todo. I make no apologies for my firm belief that cats are far superior to dogs. That's neither here nor there, but it's all I have to report now. I'm sure there will be a lot more soon!

More Favorite Things

Since my last post on my favorite things, I've done a lot of thinking about those things and others that I love. And, in an effort to help you decide on Christmas gifts (if you're like me and still trying to decide what to get your mother for Christmas), I decided to post a few more. Here they are in no particular order:

1. Prenatal Yoga - I told you, this is one of my new exercises. It's a video that I got at Target and it's so relaxing, but I feel like it's strengthening me and helping me become more flexible at the same time. I'm still trying to do some cardio as well in the form of brisk walking and using the elliptical machine, but I have already learned some yoga stretches that are helping me feel less cramped in my own body.
   
2. Oregon Chai - If you haven't had this, you MUST try it! I'm serious, this is not just one of my favs, it is B's as well. You mix one part chai, one part milk, microwave, and enjoy. It is the perfect cold afternoon pick-me-up, and it tastes very appropriate for this particular season of the year. I have found the mix (it's a liquid in a box on the shelf) in several grocery stores (in what B calls the "hippy section") and Target.
3. My Hobo wallet - It is currently in need of repair due to extreme use, but this little accessory is worth every penny. It holds all of my credit cards, money, IDs, and still has enough room for the other random stuff I keep in my wallet (library cards, business cards, Chik-Fil-A coupons, etc.). When we go out for a fancy dinner, I can put my cell phone and key inside and, voila, instant clutch! My favorite feature is the magnetic snap that holds the two sides together with the ID card slots. It makes finding my military ID much easier when driving onto a base.
4. ID Bare Minerals blush - I bought my particular little pot-o-blush almost two years ago and use it every day. This is the first blush I've ever worn, and I seriously get compliments on it all the time. My particular shade is rose radiant, but there are lots to choose from depending on your skin tone. I really like that it does not look or feel heavy since I'm not a big make-up girl, but it gives this Snow White some realistic looking color.
5. Til We Have Faces - This is C. S. Lewis' take on the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche and it's hands down my favorite book. I am currently reading it for the third time and it just gets better. My brain works better in allegory than in straight-forwardness, and this story is chock full when seen through Mr. Lewis' eyes. I could write a whole post or even blog about this book, so I'll stop now, I'll just say, read it.
   
6. Have I mentioned that I love feeling my little girl move inside me? Well, I do and I can't write or talk about her enough. I just can't wait to meet her. I fell asleep last night thinking about her and I've never even seen her face. This is not something that I can give you a link to, but rest assured, you will see pictures come March.
   

That's all for now. Again, if you have any favorites or anything to add to mine, let me know. Merry December 2nd.

Pregnancy in General

I love being pregnant, mostly because I love the thought of our daughter being here with us in March. In the past, I've heard women talk about missing pregnancy after their children are born, and I may change my tune come spring, but right now I don't think I'll miss being pregnant when she's actually here. Pregnancy is a means to an end. So, I thought I'd list things that I love about being pregnant and then things that I don't love, including things I miss about not being pregnant for your information and reading enjoyment.

First, the things I love:

1. Feeling her move inside me. I have been able to feel her for about 8 or 9 weeks now and I still get so excited every time. She's getting a lot stronger now too, and while I'm guessing it gets more uncomfortable the bigger she gets, it's not yet, so I just enjoy her.
2. Not worrying about weight gain. (Or at least having people tell me not to worry about it.) Never in my life has this been true.
3. Pants that look like real pants, but have tops like yoga pants. I never thought I'd say this, but thank you Lord for elastic waists!
4. B absolutely has to clean out the cats' litter box because I'm not allowed to. Love it!
   
5. God is demonstrating His faithfulness to me through this experience. I am a bit of a hypochondriac and it takes a lot of God giving me faith to place in Him so that I can believe that everything is okay with me and her all of the time. Every time I look down at my rapidly expanding waistline I am reminded of His faithfulness to B and I to bless us with this child. Then I am forced to trust that He is going to see this whole thing through, and I don't mean just until March, I mean her whole life. It's already all in His hands.
   
6. In a little over three months, B and I will have a daughter. I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I think that this one counts for all of the rest of the reasons why I love being pregnant.

The things I don't love about being pregnant:

1. Maternity clothing. Companies are doing a little better these days than in the past, but for some reason a lot of them still think that just because I'm getting bigger, I want to wear big, gaudy prints all over me. I made the commitment before I bought my first piece of maternity clothing that I wasn't going to change my style just because I had to change my wardrobe. And I just miss my old clothes.
2. No turkey sandwiches. I told B that the first thing I want to eat after I give birth is a Publix sub. While we're on things I can't eat or drink, I also really miss sushi, ibuprophen, red wine (I tried to narrow down the exact kind, but, alas, I miss them all), and unlimited cups of coffee per day.
   
3. News flash: it's not just my belly that is getting bigger. For some reason my backside, hips, and thighs want in on the expandable fun as well.
4. No sleeping position is comfortable. I've tried the body pillow, the between-the-legs pillow and all, and I still can't sleep for more than a couple of hours without having to readjust.
5. I miss running. I decided to stop after week 22 and this is the longest I've gone since 9th grade without running. My balance is off as she grows outward, and I just feel kind of weird about bouncing her all around in there. If I see someone running during the day I probably get this weird look on my face as I stare at them, longing for those days. I have taken up yoga though. More on that later.
6. Last and certainly not least is the fact that random people, most of whom are semi-strangers, feel that it's perfectly acceptable to touch my abdominal area. While I appreciate their excitement about my little girl, it's just uncomfortable to be touched by people I probably wouldn't even hug.
   

All in all, it's a wonderful experience and I would not change anything about it for the world. I'll just be happy as a lark when I can sit and hold my little girl while wearing my Seven jeans again, eating a turkey sandwich and drinking a glass of Merlot, having been on a long run earlier in the day.

Marine Corps Ball 08

So, B and I went to our first Marine Corps Birthday Ball on Saturday night. Overall, it was really neat. They have a whole presenting of the flags and presenting of the birthday cake thing, which is followed by a speaker. This year the speaker was a three star General (the highest rank in the Corps is 5 star) and he was motivating yet witty and entertaining at the same time. He helped B and I remember our love for the Corps again. Then, there's a meal, which, let's just be honest, was hotel food made for large quantities. I have to say that someone, somewhere probably tried, but it's nearly impossible to make food for several thousand people and it still be good.

The best part of the night for me was the people watching. Because there was a point in the evening after the presentation and meal where it was mostly like prom. Albeit prom with several bars and people in uniform. There were even girls there that had literally had a prom earlier this year. And there were many dresses worn that would have been more at home at either prom or a beauty pageant. There was also the guy who actually hired his date, if you know what I mean. My favorite was the drunk girl who stumbled up to me saying, "Oh my gosh, you're the cutest pregnant lady I've ever seen. Honey, look at this girl, this is what I want to look like when I'm pregnant. Oh, you actually are pregnant, right? Not just fat..." And after several drinks people started losing inhibitions about touching my belly too, I found. I just try to take it all as compliments, but those are also the times when I tell B that I feel a little bit like a show monkey.

All in all, it was a good night. And we ended the night/morning at Waffle House, which is just a great way to end any event in my opinion.

Happy 233rd Marine Corps!

From the mouth of babes

Mom: Grace, we need to clean out some of your old toys to make room for the new things that you'll get soon for your birthday and Christmas.

[Grace disappears into her room. She reamerges a few minutes later with 3 trash bags full of stuffed animals.]

Mom: What are those?

Grace: Oh, they're my old stuffed animals. They're for the poor people.

Everything gets rearranged

I am glad that I don't know what the future holds. This is a hard statement for me as a semi-control freak to make, but I am reminded almost daily that things never turn out the way that I think that they will (thankfully) and so, I am finding lately that it would cause me a lot more worry to know what's around the corner. My last post was on the day before I traveled to Charlotte to see a very good friend for the week. I was excited about the trip because I love spending time with her, but I was almost mourning that day over having to leave home for four days. I could not at all put my finger on why I was so sad that day about a short trip that I was excited about. Two and a half weeks later as I sit in a hotel near Charleston, I know now why I was so sub-consciously anxious.

My friend and I spent a few days in Charlotte mostly talking and shopping. I'm not going to lie, it's kind-of what we do best and it was blissful. Then we took a trip to my new hometown to begin the inevitable house search. Have I mentioned that B and I are moving from VA to SC in a little over a month? Well, yeah, and we're also seriously looking to buy a house for the first time which is exciting yet daunting. So, we scoped out the area, which is beautiful, and found in person several of the houses that I had seen online. The next day we met with a realtor, who was a nice man but a horrible realtor. I think I'll save that story for another post. The point of this story is that while I'm sitting in his office looking over potential homes, I got a call from my father in law. B's mom had passed away the night before.

She had courageously been battling cancer for almost two years and while her mind was determined, her body was weary. My father in law sounded devastated and at a loss for what to do. I should probably mention that B was out in the field for the entire week on his last training exercise. He wanted B to stay there and for me to not tell him until the next day when it was over. The wife in me had to come out at that point and decide that B would want to know then. So, I spent several hours on the phone trying to contact his superiors and finally got one. They pulled him out and told him what had happened.

The logistical difficulty in all of this was that B's parents live out west and everyone else lives on the east coast. So, after a few days, we decided to fly to GA, spend a few days, and then drive to MS to see B's relatives and meet his dad. From there we drove back to GA, and today drove to SC where we're having a memorial for Mrs. B's mom tomorrow morning. I'm so tired of driving right now I don't even know where to begin. The motherly instincts in me just want to make sure that everyone is doing okay. Selfish Kels just wants to be home. I've spent the night in 5 southern states over the last 2 weeks, not that anyone's counting.

Long story short, I'm glad that you don't know what's going to happen some days when you wake up.

Pray for B's dad, that the Lord would use this in his life to let people love him, but most of all to see the love that God himself has for him. Pray for us, that we can find a house to live in before Christmas.

Oh, and our baby, who I'll just call little E for now, is doing great. She grows every day I think and I love to feel her kicking around. She is already such a joy for me.

Christmas in October

So, we're already listening to Christmas music. A little early, I know, but we started this week and now we can't stop. I think we're already anticipating that this Christmas season is going to be anything but normal, so we're enjoying the calm, quiet days at home listening to nice, instrumental, yule-tide tunes while we can.

I highly recommend Chris Rice's Living Room Sessions Christmas album. Totally addicted.

A Day of Answers

After a summer and almost fall of semi-patient waiting, we got two big answers yesterday. First and foremost, our precious little baby is a girl! The ultrasound technician went through what felt like an eternity of looking at her bones and organs (which was pretty cool) before looking a little closer and telling us that she's in fact a she. And her name is not a big secret, but we haven't discussed internet security for her yet, so just ask me personally and I'll tell you, but I'm not going to put it up here yet. It's pretty though, we love it. During the ultrasound she was moving all around. We got to see her sucking on her hand and even yawning. She's got a pretty round head and full little lips from what we could see too. It just makes me want to see her in person that much worse. The wait is getting shorter all the time, though. I can hardly believe that we're over halfway through this pregnancy now.

Also, in less than two months we will be leaving the chilly VA 'burbs for the lovely SC Lowcountry. We are more than pumped about this, but we are discovering today that the task of looking for and purchasing a house in a place we've never been is daunting. B is currently on the phone getting financial advice and I've been online most of the day looking at house after house. Here goes nothing, I guess. The goal is to have a house to bring our little girl home to in March. I feel confident, albeit picky.

So, there you go. Tom Petty was right, the waiting is [definitely] the hardest part. But it pays off.

My Favorite Things

Or, maybe just a few. I've been thinking that several different products have come into my life lately, well, within the last year, that are so amazing, I just really don't know what I did without them. So, if I were Oprah and you were my lucky audience on one particular day, the following are the things that I would give you.

1-A Neti Pot - Now, if you're like me and a religious viewer of The Office, you may remember the Christmas Party in Season 2 where Dwight ended up with the teapot that Jim had meant for Pam and what he planned to do with it. Kind of disturbing, right? Well, not as much as you may think. They actually make little plastic teapot-looking things that you use to drain your sinuses using a mixture of basically salt and water. And, can I just say, don't knock it 'til you've tried it friends. It's the only reason this pregnant lady is breathing right now.

2-Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser - I love face and hair products. I am always looking for the best in both and I wash my face every morning and night without fail. This, although a little pricey, is the absolute best face wash that I've found. It makes my face feel so soft and I have not had a zit since I began to use it a couple of months ago.

3 - Sandra McCracken's new album, Red Balloon - As always, this lady puts out new, refreshing, beautifully written, and heartfelt music. She is one of my all time favorites. On this album she has a couple of songs about being a new mother that express her feelings better than any I've ever heard. Also, she re-does a song that she wrote, but was originally recorded by Caedmon's Call, entitled High Countries. It is about C. S. Lewis's The Great Divorce and is beautifully haunting. This is a must listen.

4 - Palladium "Palau" shoes - I stumbled upon these little gems in the clearance section of a huge shoe store in Asheville last month. They are cute, and oh-so comfortable. I had never heard of this brand before, but I imagine that all the rest of their shoes have got to be incredibly comfortable as well. This particular pair just happened to be green and mary jane-like, both qualities for which I'm a huge sucker.

5 - J.Crew Tenley low-heel boots - Okay, so I love shoes and I'm on the constant look-out for good ones because I'm 26 and I have arthritis in one toe due to an injury, so not just any cute pair will do anymore. (How's that for an excuse?) These were quite a find. Not only do I have arthritis from running, I also have large calf muscles which do not permit me to wear just any tall boots. However, these boots come in, wait for it, extended-calf sizes. So, I can wear them without passing out due to loss of blood circulation, not to mention that they are made from buttery Italian leather. As you can imagine, these were all I got from Santa last year. I was a good girl.

6 - Cook's Illustrated Magazine - Some dear friends gave me a subscription to this magazine for my birthday this year, and I love it. The recipes are so well researched and written. I have not made a thing from any of the issues that is not simply divine. I would especially reccommend the Enchiladas Verdes from the July/August 2008 issue. Not to mention that each issue has ingenious kitchen ideas and great product reviews. (Oh, and there are no ads in the whole thing.)

7 - The "This American Life" podcast - I look forward to every Monday, because I know that it will automatically download on my itunes. These are amazing stories from all over the U. S. that are cleverly told and often informative. I love listening to Ira while I cook! The best part is that you can subscribe for free on itunes.

Seven is a good number, so I'll stop there for now. I hope that you have enjoyed this little trip around the internet with me to see a few of my favorite things. Also, I love hearing about other people's "can't live without" products, that's usually how I find mine, so let me know some of yours.

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and brown woolen mittens. Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings, these are a few of my favorite things."

Heads Carolina, Tails California

I'm on pins and needles, as they say. Any day now we will find out our next duty station. (As an aside, I think that the Jo Dee Messina song from which this post borrows its title was secretly written about how the military decides where to send people.) As the title indicates it could be anywhere from sunny Southern Cal to charming southern South Carolina (not to mention anywhere there's a Marine base in between. And we're not even going to talk about Japan or Hawaii yet). This revelation is of the utmost importance to our little family because of three things. First, it will be the place that our first child is born. Running a close second is that it will likely be the site of our first home purchase. This gal is TOTALLY OVER renting. Over it. And last, it's where we'll spend the next three or so years of our life. Pretty important. Did I mention that we'll more than likely be moving to mystery location number one in December? And we're already over half done with October.

So, yes, on the surface I'm a big ball of worry about this, but underneath I'm trying to come to grips with the fact that I truly believe that God is going to put us where we're supposed to be and nowhere else. I know deep down inside that we are going to be perfectly happy wherever we end up. We'll be together and at least gas is getting cheaper...

"We pack our bags, we board the train for a tour of Saturn's fields;
And we don't know what lies ahead, visions of comfort safe in our heads."
-Sandra McCracken

No one ever told me

There are some things about pregnancy that you sort of assume will come with the territory. I'm gaining weight, getting rounder, have to use the bathroom a lot more frequently, etc... But there are some things about carrying this child that I would never have guessed would happen. First, sinus headaches. My sinuses have been out of whack basically since day one of this pregnancy. At first I assumed that it was allergies but now I have a serious sinus headache at least once a week. Then came nosebleeds. I haven't had a nosebleed since elementary school, but I have woken up several times in the last couple of weeks with that awful feeling of blood draining down my throat. Also, breathlessness. Although I've never been an elite athlete, I've pretty much been in good shape since the beginning of high school. When I was first pregnant and didn't know it yet, I was still pushing myself hard of the trails and hills around where we live. I've slowed down considerably since then, but I still exercise a good bit. The weird thing is that I get out of breath sometimes just climbing the stairs. It has something to do with increased blood volume and circulation I think.

Other than that, I am not experiencing any stereotypical strange cravings. During my first trimester when I felt sick a lot, there was a lot that I didn't want to eat, but that's just because I was nauseated all the time. Now I feel pretty normal, which for me means that I will eat most anything. I'm not picky. Now, I do crave turkey sandwiches, but I think only because I can't have deli meats.

Well, enough about that. In all honesty, I love being pregnant, especially now that I can feel the baby moving inside me several times a day. It feels like tiny pokes from the inside and I get so excited every time. I love telling B that it's happening and watching his face light up as he says, "Really?" I look forward to the day when he can feel them too from the outside.

Only 10 days until we find out if it's a boy or girl! (I'm such a nerd, I got excited when I saw that October 24th was on the 10-day outlook on weather.com finally this morning!)

See the Art in Me

We all do it. Don't even try to deny it. I do, you do, even my sweet Grandmother *probably* does. We label each other. The good girl, the bad guy, the handy man, the mommy type, etc. You get where I'm headed. I've been doing a lot of thinking about these labels over the past week and I wish I could say it was because I'm feeling convicted about labeling people, putting them in little boxes. No. It's because I'm feeling very labeled myself these days.

It's a very devaluing feeling when you think about it. You just put someone in a category in your mind before or despite getting to know them, so you don't have to think about who they really are. Instead of seeing someone as a person, we can conveniently see them as a member of a group, real or made-up, therefore assigning them the identity that we want them to have in order to fit into our social frameworks. For example, I find myself at gatherings of my husband's co-workers labeling their wives as "military wives," and, for me, that means a certain set of traits. And, to be quite honest, traits that I feel I do not possess so I must not fit in and I must be different (read: better) than them. Does that make sense? I want to distance myself, feel special in a group that I clearly fit in well with, and therefore I label these women before I even know them. It's sad, I know.

If it makes it any better, I hate labels because they totally get in the way of relationships. When we put each other in boxes, it is convenient but we fail to see one another as fellow human beings with struggles, victories, and needs. Some of the greatest friends I have in this world have lives on the outside that could not look anything less like mine. And this is because we've gotten beyond who we think each other are to who we really are. So I'm no longer a housewife and my friend is no longer a single in the city girl, we're Kels and Bran, and we can talk for hours because we see past all of the divisions of life and really relate to each other as people.

Mostly this is my round-about way of telling you that just because I am not currently working and am expecting a baby, I have not hung up all of my hopes, dreams, talents, and individualism. Life has put me into a joyous position that I could have never dreamed up for myself. I thank God for the blessings that I have, but I have not lost my identity in them. I have the sneaking suspicion that He knows my hopes and dreams better than I and that my life probably won't even resemble something that I could have planned. And I'm guessing that yours won't either.

"Sculpting every move, you compose a symphony, And you plead to everyone, "See the art in me." - Jars of Clay

Moldova, part doi

I'll just start by saying that I have wanted to go to Moldova ever since last summer when my friend, who was the leader of the trip this time, went and came back with incredible stories of the people there. Not to mention that I feel really connected to Eastern Europe for some reason. I keep getting the chance to go to different countries (Czech Republic, Croatia, Moldova, etc.) in that area of the world and I really love it there. And I'll just go ahead and get this out of the way: yes, this trip was particularly difficult for me due to two incidences that sort of "hemmed in" my time there. The first is that, after months of praying, we found out that I was pregnant just three days before I left for the trip, creating in me all sorts of thoughts, feelings, and questions that I had never had before and allowing no time to process these things. Secondly, the "morning sickness" for this pregnancy decided to rear its ugly head on the very day we left Moldova, associating the time there with being nauseated all day every day for me. (Morning sickness, schmorning sickness.) That's why it has taken me a full two months to both process the trip and be ready to write about it, because I had to come home and process being pregnant for the first time in my life. (And thankfully leave the nausea in the first trimester.)

So, what exactly did we do there? We were primarily there to provide instruction about how to put on a summer camp and then serve as back-up during the week of that camp. For the weekend before the camp, we (me and the one other girl and three guys from the U. S.) met with the camp leaders and counselors, building relationships with them and teaching them how we "do" summer camps here. When the students came on Monday, we also tried to get to know them, attending all of the sessions they had, playing games with them during breaks, and teaching English classes in the afternoon. I probably should mention that we participated in their sessions thanks to our wonderful translators, since Moldovans speak both Romanian and Russian, and often both in the same sentence. It was a true joy to get to know some of the students. Those that knew any English at all were pretty eager to talk to us. My personal favorite was a boy named Octavian who came up to me on the first day of camp and said, "Hello. My name is Octavian. My favorite food is Coca-Cola. My favorite drink is pizza." It was fun to sit with him during the week and just teach him words because he wanted to learn. He would point to things and say them in Romanian, then we would teach him the English words.

I also had a great time getting to know the counselors at the camp. They are trully amazing people. Most of them were early college age and were trying against all odds (poverty, difficulty leaving the country, etc.) to get good educations in order to have good professions. Most of all, they showed a genuine love of the Lord in all that they did, sharing with us all that they had even though we have so much more. Despite all of the physical beauty of Moldova, the breathtaking sunflower fields, and Lord of the Rings-like cliffs and valleys, the true beauty of Moldova is the people.

It's always encouraging to me to go to another country and see the body of Christ at work actively there. Whether it's Moldova, Honduras, or even China, it continues to remind me that what God is doing in His redemption of His people is much bigger than me or even the whole scope of what I know.

He is at work and He is trully awesome.

Numero 100

I've seen on other blogs that the 100th post is supposed to be momentous somehow, and this being my centennial, I decided to skip Moldova, Part 2 (it's coming, I promise), and do something a little different. So, this post will, after 99 others, finally explain my blog and give direction for it.

Over the past couple of days, I've been thinking a lot about why I started this blog, due to a very encouraging email that I received from an anonymous reader. "Reasons Why" was initially begun as an outlet for my very first post. In it, I wrote a letter to people in my past at a time in my life when the concept of grace had initially made sense to me for the first time. I knew at the time that I would never be able to get the letter to the people that I had in mind, so I wanted to put it on a public forum so that fate could take it's course and maybe others would read it and be encouraged in their own faith. The blog grew, though very slowly, into an outlet for other things in my life as well, namely, whatever was on my mind at the moment that I felt like writing.

First and foremost, however, I want this blog to be a place where I can be honest about life, what's going on in mine, and how I am thinking and feeling about it. It is my hope that my honesty will enable readers to be more honest with themselves and others. This blog was begun in 2005, and I cannot even begin to tell you how much has changed on the inside and outside of my life since then. (Go back and read some and you'll get a glimpse.) During this time, the major work that I feel God has been doing is driving me to a place of honesty with myself, showing me who I am in Him, and basically, teaching me to be okay with it. Teaching me to like myself for how He made me, and be content in all of the situations in which He puts me. Here, in the almost sunset of 2008, I am just straining my eyes to see the beginning of this truth. Gosh, I could go on for hours, but I won't.

To sum up, God is good. No matter what. I am who I am. I live where I live. I do what I do. And I'm okay with that. I'm okay with me. Because God is good.

Moldova, part unu

It's been two months since I was there, but I think it's finally time to talk about my trip to Moldova. I realized yesterday while talking to a friend that I have not portrayed my trip adequately even to the people I talk to a lot. So, here's my first attempt at writing about it.

On July 9th of this year, I traveled to Moldova with four other people to teach a group of people there how to run a summer camp, to teach English, help with recreation, and give nightly talks to camp-goers. I hesitate to call it a mission trip because, although we were all Christians going to a Christian camp and it was a trip with a mission, it was just a lot different than mission trips I've been on before. But, in essence, that's what it was.

I guess I should start with where Moldova actually is. It sits in Eastern Europe, sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, just above the Black Sea. An independent Republic since 1991, it has at times been part of Romania and the former U.S.S.R. The numerous conflicts over the last century in that area of the world has left Moldova the poorest country in Europe. Their major industries are wine making and sunflower product producing. (Which, by the way, makes for breath-taking fields upon fields of sunflowers and grape vines.) The capital city is Chisinau (pronounced like "quiche-now"), and people there live a comparatively modern, urban lifestyle. Outside of the main cities, however, many Moldovans who live in the country draw their water from often-ornately decorated wells and rely on horses and buggies for transportation. As I stated earlier, though, they live in almost constant beauty from the grapes to the sunflowers, to the steady hills and valleys that make up Moldova's landscape.

Many of the campers at the camp we were at came from such countryside. The camp itself was situated on a dirt road about 30 minutes from Chisinau, just a hop, skip, and a jump away from the Dniester River. The sunsets over the fields there were like none I've ever seen before.

So that's pretty much an introduction to Moldova and my time there. In the next part, I'll talk more about what we did there. It was a wonderful time.

A Sunday Morning

We were blessed with a trip "home" last weekend. By home I mean Georgia, and by Georgia I mean the most blissfuly wonderful town that God has yet to create-Athens. Despite the 9 hour each way drive and the oppressive pregnancy headaches I cannot seem to get rid of, it was a magnificent weekend. We got to see family and friends. And not just any friends, the friends we spent time with this weekend are the kind that your soul recognizes. The kind you can pick up with at any time on any subject and you know each other, there's no background needed or explanation to be had. Before the move to Virginia, I took these kinds of friendships lightly. Now that I am, and have been pretty much, just meeting new people since May, I relish the kinds of social situations in which I'm not introducing myself and explaining why I don't have a job at present.

On Sunday we got to see an old friend marry a new friend and it was beautiful. But before that we got to go to our home church and it just felt right. The whole weekend just felt like a Sunday morning. You know when you're sitting (or standing) in church and the light is beautiful and you're singing a song that reaches to your core and you just feel the love of God swirling all around you? No matter how dark Saturday night may have been and what transpired there, you just feel forgiven and loved. You know you are home because you belong and are loved in full view all of your deformities and quirks. That's how Athens makes me feel. Well, not Athens, but the people who still call it home and we count as family and friends.

And that's why it would still be the greatest place on Earth, even if it were not home to the greatest football team in the nation (and Barberitos).