Halt
There is so much happening, but my body has put on the brakes in the last few days and I feel like my energy has completely halted. It's sapped. Gone. I was in the middle of my shower today, and just had to bend over to catch my breath. I know, I know- showering is so difficult. Yesterday I got up at 10am, had several naps, then went to bed by 11pm only to sleep until 10am again. Granted, I did wake up at 3am with some contractions for an hour, but nothing to report. After a bowl of cereal I was good to go. And so we keep plugging along. Or not plugging along- it's more like... and so we keep sitting on the couch....
And the winner is...
House B!
Thank you for all of your thoughts and suggestions. I had so much FUN reading your comments. Today we paid the deposit on our favorite choice. It's a little disconcerting because the house will not be available until September 13. =( Yikes. Either baby will be coming at any second while Chuck is trying to move our stuff up from VA, or baby will already be here. Lord, please don't let my man miss the labor and delivery! We are trusting God one day at a time with this incredibly strange timing. On Sunday I was quite encouraged by a family friend who said, "God's timing is ALWAYS perfect." We just keep reminding ourselves of that. Especially when Chuck and I are apart a couple days each week (for his new job) when I am just weeks (days?) away from delivering. I don't enjoy this uncertainty that hangs over our heads at all times, but I AM enjoying life, enjoying God, and enjoying the daily blessings He pours out on us.
I am thankful. Chuck and I have MUCH to be thankful for. We love our OB doctor up here. We love that my parents have opened their home to us for so long. We love that Chuck is loving his new job. We love the thought of moving into our new house next month. We love how God provides abundantly for each and every need. Most importantly we are so in love with our son! We love his wildness- his twists and turns, his kicks and punches. We are crazy about his little 4D pictures- his adorable nose and lips. We are thankful to God for Baby Boy's health, and for my health. We are continually in awe of the miracle God has done in providing us with a son.
So much thankfulness. Here are some more pictures of Exhibit B, along with the view that we'll have from the front/side of the house.
Lastly, Chuck and I have found a fun little place in York. It seems to be a doughnut chain, and I have been loving doughnuts lately. We stopped one day while we were visiting and were not disappointed. Not sure what the locals think, but we were pretty happy!
Thank you for all of your thoughts and suggestions. I had so much FUN reading your comments. Today we paid the deposit on our favorite choice. It's a little disconcerting because the house will not be available until September 13. =( Yikes. Either baby will be coming at any second while Chuck is trying to move our stuff up from VA, or baby will already be here. Lord, please don't let my man miss the labor and delivery! We are trusting God one day at a time with this incredibly strange timing. On Sunday I was quite encouraged by a family friend who said, "God's timing is ALWAYS perfect." We just keep reminding ourselves of that. Especially when Chuck and I are apart a couple days each week (for his new job) when I am just weeks (days?) away from delivering. I don't enjoy this uncertainty that hangs over our heads at all times, but I AM enjoying life, enjoying God, and enjoying the daily blessings He pours out on us.
I am thankful. Chuck and I have MUCH to be thankful for. We love our OB doctor up here. We love that my parents have opened their home to us for so long. We love that Chuck is loving his new job. We love the thought of moving into our new house next month. We love how God provides abundantly for each and every need. Most importantly we are so in love with our son! We love his wildness- his twists and turns, his kicks and punches. We are crazy about his little 4D pictures- his adorable nose and lips. We are thankful to God for Baby Boy's health, and for my health. We are continually in awe of the miracle God has done in providing us with a son.
So much thankfulness. Here are some more pictures of Exhibit B, along with the view that we'll have from the front/side of the house.
Housing Dilemmas
Welcome to our housing dilemma. Now that Chuck has a job, we are moving forward full blast in trying to find a rental home. We have put holds on two different houses, and are torn between them. It's really hard to know what the wisest decision is when we don't know the area at all. We're both leaning towards one, but I'll try not to give it away. Truth be told I'm really writing this post to process my own thoughts about these two houses, but feel free to weigh in.
Exhibit A. This house was our first love. After visiting several properties, we kept going back to this one in our minds. We actually visited it twice, took a tour of the model home, and were really excited about it.
Cons
-I could not walk anywhere besides the development because it's surrounded by corn fields
-Jovie (dogs) is not allowed to be on the walking trail/park behind the house: that's a major reason why I walk
-With only one car, I'd feel stuck out there unless I drove Chuck to work: not ideal with a newborn
-Awkward and small living room/kitchen/eating space
-No glass stove top
-Deck is ground level, but there's no way to leave the deck: kindof like being caged in
-Steps up to front door
-Not as warm and inviting of a community
-No amenities
-Strict painting policies
-A little bit more money than Exhibit B
Pros
~Open concept kitchen/living room/eating space
~Laundry room upstairs
~Own master bathroom
~Full basement (unfinished)
~Garage
~End unit
~Gorgeous view
~No one can just walk up to the back door: deck off the ground
~Side window, extra lighting
~Extra yard space on the side for Jovie
~Community park and playground within walking distance
~Available soon
~Get stuff settled before baby arrives
~All light carpet- no wood floors
~Our first love
Exhibit B. We happened upon this place driving away from Exhibit A where we had already paid for a hold. We had originally thought it was out of our price range, but stopped by anyway. It was quite a surprise to learn about their community and prices.
Cons
-Not an end unit
-A crammed community of houses
-View is houses all around
-Garage takes away from front lighting
-Anyone could walk right up to our backdoor at anytime
-No basement
-No laundry room, just a laundry closet
-Smaller master bedroom
-Not available until after the baby is born
-Could not get anything in the house settled until after his birth
-No private patio, small patio space
Pros
~No front entry stairs
~Great living room/eating area/kitchen space
~Glass top stove
~Bigger living room, normal shape
~Garage is 4 feet bigger
~Laundry upstairs
~Nice master shower, and no tub to clean
~Playground behind the house
~Short and wide, not tall and skinny
~Doggie stations/welcome dog community
~Waking distance to the grocery store
~Walking distance to DUNKIN!
~Free work out room
~Near a gym for Chuck
~Free pool
~Stone exterior, front yard with a tree and bushes
~Closer to LWCC: easier for me to drive Chuck to work if I need the car
~All light carpet, no wood floors
~A little bit cheaper
I'm sure I'm missing some pros and cons on all lists, but for now that about sums it up. We're open to any thoughts and opinions. Hopefully we'll have the big reveal sooner than later!
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| A |
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| A |
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| A |
Exhibit A. This house was our first love. After visiting several properties, we kept going back to this one in our minds. We actually visited it twice, took a tour of the model home, and were really excited about it.
Cons
-I could not walk anywhere besides the development because it's surrounded by corn fields
-Jovie (dogs) is not allowed to be on the walking trail/park behind the house: that's a major reason why I walk
-With only one car, I'd feel stuck out there unless I drove Chuck to work: not ideal with a newborn
-Awkward and small living room/kitchen/eating space
-No glass stove top
-Deck is ground level, but there's no way to leave the deck: kindof like being caged in
-Steps up to front door
-Not as warm and inviting of a community
-No amenities
-Strict painting policies
-A little bit more money than Exhibit B
Pros
~Open concept kitchen/living room/eating space
~Laundry room upstairs
~Own master bathroom
~Full basement (unfinished)
~Garage
~End unit
~Gorgeous view
~No one can just walk up to the back door: deck off the ground
~Side window, extra lighting
~Extra yard space on the side for Jovie
~Community park and playground within walking distance
~Available soon
~Get stuff settled before baby arrives
~All light carpet- no wood floors
~Our first love
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| B |
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| B |
Exhibit B. We happened upon this place driving away from Exhibit A where we had already paid for a hold. We had originally thought it was out of our price range, but stopped by anyway. It was quite a surprise to learn about their community and prices.
Cons
-Not an end unit
-A crammed community of houses
-View is houses all around
-Garage takes away from front lighting
-Anyone could walk right up to our backdoor at anytime
-No basement
-No laundry room, just a laundry closet
-Smaller master bedroom
-Not available until after the baby is born
-Could not get anything in the house settled until after his birth
-No private patio, small patio space
Pros
~No front entry stairs
~Great living room/eating area/kitchen space
~Glass top stove
~Bigger living room, normal shape
~Garage is 4 feet bigger
~Laundry upstairs
~Nice master shower, and no tub to clean
~Playground behind the house
~Short and wide, not tall and skinny
~Doggie stations/welcome dog community
~Waking distance to the grocery store
~Walking distance to DUNKIN!
~Free work out room
~Near a gym for Chuck
~Free pool
~Stone exterior, front yard with a tree and bushes
~Closer to LWCC: easier for me to drive Chuck to work if I need the car
~All light carpet, no wood floors
~A little bit cheaper
I'm sure I'm missing some pros and cons on all lists, but for now that about sums it up. We're open to any thoughts and opinions. Hopefully we'll have the big reveal sooner than later!
A New Chapter Begins
What a journey it has been! And what a
journey it continues to be. We want to thank you for joining with us in
so many different ways. Thank you for your outpouring of love and care
for us over this past year, and thank you so much for praying us
through this.
Earlier today, Chuck accepted the role as Sr. High Director at Living Word Community Church in York, PA.( http://www.lwccyork.com/)
There are some complicated factors that need to be worked out, so if you're still interested in praying for us, we would love that! Mainly, we have decided it would be best to deliver Baby Boy here in Scranton. He is due in 5 weeks, so for at least the next month and a half Chuck will be doing a commuting type situation. We have spent a load of time looking for housing, but are still asking God for wisdom about this. In the meantime, our stuff (including some items we need for Baby) remains in VA. Chuck will most likely stay with someone in the church when he's down in York, and we will just have to borrow some baby items until we can get our own stuff back again.
We feel like we should be bouncing off the walls with excitement but honestly, we are just overwhelmed and still trying to process all of this. One of the guys from LWCC mentioned three of the most stressful situations in life are having a baby, moving, or starting a new job. I think we are feeling the effects of all three. Of course we are thankful, though.
Thought we'd show this humorous picture. We took it in the "back yard" of one of the rental places we looked at. We never would have imagined ourselves anywhere near a corn field, but there you have it.
Thank you again for praying- all honor and thanks to God!
Earlier today, Chuck accepted the role as Sr. High Director at Living Word Community Church in York, PA.( http://www.lwccyork.com/)
There are some complicated factors that need to be worked out, so if you're still interested in praying for us, we would love that! Mainly, we have decided it would be best to deliver Baby Boy here in Scranton. He is due in 5 weeks, so for at least the next month and a half Chuck will be doing a commuting type situation. We have spent a load of time looking for housing, but are still asking God for wisdom about this. In the meantime, our stuff (including some items we need for Baby) remains in VA. Chuck will most likely stay with someone in the church when he's down in York, and we will just have to borrow some baby items until we can get our own stuff back again.
We feel like we should be bouncing off the walls with excitement but honestly, we are just overwhelmed and still trying to process all of this. One of the guys from LWCC mentioned three of the most stressful situations in life are having a baby, moving, or starting a new job. I think we are feeling the effects of all three. Of course we are thankful, though.
Thought we'd show this humorous picture. We took it in the "back yard" of one of the rental places we looked at. We never would have imagined ourselves anywhere near a corn field, but there you have it.
Thank you again for praying- all honor and thanks to God!
Beautiful
(Written yesterday, Monday. Didn't feel like changing the tenses to fit today. =)
Yesterday Chuck asked if I wanted to take Jovie to the dog park we had heard about. The weather was absolutely gorgeous (low 70's, no humidity!) so we were anxious to get out. I was so impressed by the beautiful dog park Clarks Summit had to offer. Wow! It was a huge grassy area and Jovie had the time of her life. We were thrilled as puppy parents because the dog parks we're used to are usually just dirt or rocks. When we've taken her to those types of places she comes home gritty and filthy, and so do we. This place was just so beautiful and serene!
I wish I had brought our new, fancy camera, but the IPhone worked OK. Hopefully you can catch a glimpse of the gorgeous sky with the mountains and sunset in the background. Growing up I didn't think much about living in a place surrounded by mountains, but it really is so beautiful here. I kept staring into the distance feeling so thankful for such a gorgeous night with my man, son, and favorite puppy. God really pours out His blessings in the most unexpected ways!
While we were there, I noticed there was a children's playground area as well. One of my dearest friends since high school, Katie, and I decided to take her kids (and Jovie) to a park today so we checked out the one I saw last night. Of course we stopped at Starbucks on the way to the playground, and stopped for lunch on the way home. The weather has still be unbelievably beautiful today and we had a wonderful time! There is nothing quite like spending time with a practically life long friend while sipping Chai and Mocha's.
Yesterday Chuck asked if I wanted to take Jovie to the dog park we had heard about. The weather was absolutely gorgeous (low 70's, no humidity!) so we were anxious to get out. I was so impressed by the beautiful dog park Clarks Summit had to offer. Wow! It was a huge grassy area and Jovie had the time of her life. We were thrilled as puppy parents because the dog parks we're used to are usually just dirt or rocks. When we've taken her to those types of places she comes home gritty and filthy, and so do we. This place was just so beautiful and serene!
I wish I had brought our new, fancy camera, but the IPhone worked OK. Hopefully you can catch a glimpse of the gorgeous sky with the mountains and sunset in the background. Growing up I didn't think much about living in a place surrounded by mountains, but it really is so beautiful here. I kept staring into the distance feeling so thankful for such a gorgeous night with my man, son, and favorite puppy. God really pours out His blessings in the most unexpected ways!
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| If you look real hard you can see the beast. |
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| In love. |
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| My #1 Man (a good friend reminded me of this recently!) |
While we were there, I noticed there was a children's playground area as well. One of my dearest friends since high school, Katie, and I decided to take her kids (and Jovie) to a park today so we checked out the one I saw last night. Of course we stopped at Starbucks on the way to the playground, and stopped for lunch on the way home. The weather has still be unbelievably beautiful today and we had a wonderful time! There is nothing quite like spending time with a practically life long friend while sipping Chai and Mocha's.
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| Little Garrett wanted to take a picture with me- so precious! Gavin was too busy running around to notice picture time. Such sweet boys! |
TLC
For the past two weeks I've been able to volunteer at TLC (Teen Leadership Conference: my college-BBC- puts it on every summer). For years my Dad directed TLC, so it's been apart of our family since I was in Jr. High. It was so much fun for me to be able to help with registration, and to sit at the help desk during the conferences. I got to see many old friends, and make some new ones, too. Plus it gave me something to do every day to change up my pretty boring life routine around here. And to top it off, whenever I volunteered a shift, Chuck and I got to eat a meal there. That means I've had to do a whole lot less cooking and grocery shopping, which has been amazing.
Because I spent a lot of time on campus, including attending some sessions and hearing some good speakers, regular life stuff hasn't happened too much. Today has been a great day of doing productive things. For starters, Chuck and I took Jovie on her walk. Although, I realized every time Chuck goes walking with us I get a sharp pain in my side. We think it's because his pace is much faster than mine. When I walk the other days of the week, I am usually fine. The kid has crazy long legs. By the way, at our last ultrasound, the tech mentioned Baby Boy has long legs, too. How cute is that? He's like his Daddy already.
I also made a new banana bread recipe which my Aunt Keren shared. I like it because it's made with very little flour, and uses oatmeal. Not that is matters all that much considering the butter and sugar, ha! I just LOVE all things banana! I've been into making my own banana, peanut butter, and almond milk smoothies lately- divine. And yesterday at BBC, Chuck and I shared a bowl of banana ice cream- heavenly.
While the bb was baking, I made a new broccoli soup recipe from scratch. I really liked it because it obviously includes a lot of fresh broccoli, but also onion and celery for more vegetables. Once it all cooled, the recipe called for adding Greek yogurt for a creamy effect, and pureeing it. I like thick soup, so I'm excited to try it. Both recipes from today are for our lunch tomorrow. I'm tired of dreading making lunch after church on Sundays, so I decided to make the meal ahead of time. More relaxing for tomorrow.
I also scrubbed the bath tub, and dusted the upstairs. My parents get back from vacation on Monday, so I want them to arrive at a clean, fresh house. Chuck mowed the yard, and the smell wafting in the windows is so nice. He's been tackling his own To Do list, and has also had a productive day. YAY for us!
For tonight, all I have to do is heat up a pizza, pop in a DVD, and we'll be good to go. Definitely enjoying the day. Together.
Because I spent a lot of time on campus, including attending some sessions and hearing some good speakers, regular life stuff hasn't happened too much. Today has been a great day of doing productive things. For starters, Chuck and I took Jovie on her walk. Although, I realized every time Chuck goes walking with us I get a sharp pain in my side. We think it's because his pace is much faster than mine. When I walk the other days of the week, I am usually fine. The kid has crazy long legs. By the way, at our last ultrasound, the tech mentioned Baby Boy has long legs, too. How cute is that? He's like his Daddy already.
I also made a new banana bread recipe which my Aunt Keren shared. I like it because it's made with very little flour, and uses oatmeal. Not that is matters all that much considering the butter and sugar, ha! I just LOVE all things banana! I've been into making my own banana, peanut butter, and almond milk smoothies lately- divine. And yesterday at BBC, Chuck and I shared a bowl of banana ice cream- heavenly.
While the bb was baking, I made a new broccoli soup recipe from scratch. I really liked it because it obviously includes a lot of fresh broccoli, but also onion and celery for more vegetables. Once it all cooled, the recipe called for adding Greek yogurt for a creamy effect, and pureeing it. I like thick soup, so I'm excited to try it. Both recipes from today are for our lunch tomorrow. I'm tired of dreading making lunch after church on Sundays, so I decided to make the meal ahead of time. More relaxing for tomorrow.
I also scrubbed the bath tub, and dusted the upstairs. My parents get back from vacation on Monday, so I want them to arrive at a clean, fresh house. Chuck mowed the yard, and the smell wafting in the windows is so nice. He's been tackling his own To Do list, and has also had a productive day. YAY for us!
For tonight, all I have to do is heat up a pizza, pop in a DVD, and we'll be good to go. Definitely enjoying the day. Together.
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| Just like being together. This was on his Bday. He makes me laugh. =) |
