Weekend is here...

John came home from work today at noon and I had to drop him off at the high school so he could travel with the swim team to Orlando for their swim meet. He'll be gone until Sunday afternoon/evening. I made it through the day without crying about it, too, which was quite an accomplishment.

John and my friend, Alicia, cooked up a little plan. He knew she was coming over around 1:30 to bring over some lunch, so he called her and told her about my favorite sandwich from Calistoga (the Santa Rosa). What a wonderful surprise! John has been taking such good care of me.

Alicia was here for two hours, and just as she was leaving my other friend Jody stopped by for the next two hours. Keep in mind these are two of my most favorite people in the world. They're just the type of people that are so refreshing. We had a lot to talk about. All three of us are in very interesting stages of our lives with new, exciting things happening. So that refreshment from Alicia and Jody, I think, will last me well into tomorrow.

I've been pumping a bit of milk here and there so that maybe I can attend church tomorrow. I'm not sure I'm up to the task, and John is mildly disappointed he won't be there for Maryn's first trip to church. But we're having a special guest speaker and I desperately want to hear what God has laid on his heart...and hear what God may have for me to hear.

I'm reading that book I mentioned a while back called Money, Possessions and Eternity. Wow! I have a good quote I want to share with you from it, but I'll do that later. It's really changing my perspective on money. Maryn's calling...

Cutie Pie Maryn

Maryn slept in her bed lastnight and I'm back to sleeping (really sleeping, not that) with my husband!  This is good because I really like John.  She's been awake more during the day, which means more sleep at night.  It's tougher to get things done during the day, like showering.  I haven't showered yet today and it's past one.  She likes to stay awake for the full three hours sometimes.

I've really lost a lot of weight, and this is scaring me.  I am almost already back to my pre-pregnancy weight.  I still have a little tummy, but it seems I've lost extra weight in my legs.  My feet look anorexic and my calves have definitely shrunken smaller than ever before.  I hope things balance out so I don't look malnourished or like I have worms, like those precious little Ethiopian children with the bellies.  I appreciate being thin, but I do not want to be skeletal.  I think I've been eating enough, and even purposely down extra calories now and then.  The Oreos and Zebra Cakes my mom bought for me have really come in handy! 

Maryn and I had a short photo shoot today.  She was in a good mood for about ten minutes, so I quickly slid this dress on her that her "Auntie Alicia" bought for her.  Isn't she such a precious little princess?  I love her little facial expressions.  

Heroes

I have been waiting to post this for quite some time. The following people I could not have labored so well without. So here they are.

John

My husband, how can I express my gratefulness for him? There are just no words. The most patient, unselfish, self-controlled person I've ever met was by my side throughout most of the delivery. I had to force him to take a break to eat and go to the bathroom. He let me hang on him, he would have let me yell at him, he listened to my animalistic noises without a single sign of panic. He calmed me, he soothed me, and he was truly my teammate throughout the entire labor. I did not get angry with him or scratch him or anything like that, either. I repeatedly told him, "I'm so glad I'm the one doing this and you're the one doing that." Because I couldn't have been so patient and kind. I couldn't have remained so calm. To be stripped of him upon entering the operating room was one of the toughest moments of my life.

Mom

My mother wasn't here when we planned. We were hoping for a week or two after Maryn was born (boy, it would be nice to have her here now!). But my mom was an awesome help. I don't know what we would have done without her. She ran to get us food whenever we needed it during our hospital stay. She cleaned our house and restocked us (for the next year or two probably!) on all kinds of household items. She splurged for the non-toxic, organic, environmentally friendly stuff, too, even though she probably thinks I'm crazy. She helped me get some sleep while taking care of Maryn, which I'm sure she enjoyed. And when she left, everyone cried. She cried, I cried, and Maryn cried, too!

Annemarie

Annemarie was my doula. Doula comes from a latin word meaning "slave." And that's pretty much what she was. She massaged my back in the beginning of contractions (the worst part for me), she spoke soothing words like, "Deep, cleansing breaths," visited me in the hospital, snuck in homeopathic remedies, and waited on me hand and foot. She provided massage oil, peppermint, smoothies, anything to make me feel better.

Dawn

Dawn was our midwife, in this whole pregnancy and labor thing with us from the beginning. She helped us prepare, answered all of our questions, and comforted us in times of doubt. She lied to me when I was only 4 centimeters after so, so long (I'm so glad she did!). And I would recommend her to anyone.

Jesus Christ

I chose to try natural labor for many reasons, but the only real explanation is that Jesus must have put it on my heart, for the weight of it was so heavy and I was so determined. Jesus will never give us anything we cannot handle and he prepares us for whatever is to come. We spent a lot of time together, He and I, before the birth. I was scared as anyone else would be and afraid of the pain, especially since I am known to have a pain tolerance of negative ten. But each contraction could not be described as pain, but as my body doing something it was created to do. I made it through transition without even realizing it, as everything was far easier than I expected. People told me to imagine the worst pain of my life, but what it really was, was something (someone) miraculous and supernatural taking over my body to deliver a new person into the world. I imagined his pain on the cross as he suffered to give me life. I imagined my baby in my arms, my little gift from God, and imagined His joy in being able to have so many children who love Him, wrapped in His arms, staring at him with love like Maryn likes to stare at me.

Childbirth, to me, was a gift from God. I am so grateful to have experienced it though the end did not turn out as I had planned. I am thankful that He challenged me to accept that my plans mean nothing, and that His will is best. I hope that I have brought Him the glory, all the glory, for everything, because none of it was in my own power. To God be the glory forever and ever.

Sleepy Head Baby

Today is day number two of using the official Babywise method full force. Babywise is a book/program that aims to help babies sleep through the night. I am a bit of an obsessive researcher. I read movie and book reviews before I see a movie or read books, I read reviews on products before I buy them, and before I had a baby I started researching the best ways to handle sleeping and feeding. Do I hold her each time she cries? Do I let her sleep in our bedroom? Do I rock her to sleep? Stuff like that. So, if anyone criticizes Babywise or the decision John and I have made to use the method, I can at least say I did my research and this is what I know is best for our family.

Maryn has her days and nights switched as most babies do, but lastnight she slept a good four hours straight, then a good five hours straight. The only problem was that she didn't start her "night" until 2 am. Hopefully tonight will be better! But I'd say that is pretty good. John and I both feel pretty well rested and we have been blessed with a very good, cooperative baby. HALLELUJAH!

This morning, since she was sleeping for so long, I had to pump (oh, fun). So this allowed me to have some significant mommy time and it allowed John to have some good daddy-daughter time. I took a shower, painted my toenails, and did my makeup. I am starting to feel human again. Especially since I finally got those yucky staples out.

In other news, our stroller is broken. It's not a very expensive stroller, just a step up from an umbrella stroller. It was supposed to be our cheap stroller that we could take places easily. So now we're going to use our gift cards to buy a little cart thing that our car seat can hook into. I should have researched my strollers more. Arrggh. Anyway, I want it before this weekend because John is going out of town and if I want to go anywhere, I need something to carry that heavy car seat for me.

Yes, John is going out of town. The swim team is swimming a big meet in Orlando. Last year I got to go with them but this year I guess I can't, really. I am going to go on the next trip to Orlando, which is in three weeks or something like that. So if anyone wants to come visit me this weekend, I will be here, lonely.

I've been reading this book Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper while nursing, and it is so good. I really hope I can put some of the principles into practice. I highly recommend it. There's a link to John Piper's ministry there on the right of my blog. I also use John's iphone while nursing at night to read blogs and such, and I've added a few of our favorites.

Thank you to all of you that have been listening to me ramble. I always want to get on here and type, type away about everything that's happening. I know it's probably pretty boring. I am hopefully going to be able to work on writing out Maryn's birth story while it's semi-fresh in my mind soon, and I will forward it to those of you who are interested. I won't tell everyone the gory details. Although it was the most miraculous, exhilerating time of my life just one step below my salvation story at 16. And almost exactly ten years later I have my little Maryn.

I'm in love!

I think most of you know what it's like to be in love and to feel loved. Well, the most amazing part of being a mom so far is that Maryn just wants to stare at me. All these new things and new people in the world and she just wants to look at me (you can see her staring at me in most of our pictures). I am her source of nourishment, and for the past 42 weeks, I was her source of life. What an amazing, undeserved gift. I am still overwhelmed at the way my body took over to give birth just as it was meant to be done, and even during labor I kept telling John, "I'm so glad I'm me and you're you, and I get to do this." Because I think, so far at least, that the gift of motherhood is one of the very greatest gifts of all.

There are so many things I want to blog about! However, I'm not going to sit at the computer long because my back/shoulder/arm hurts. I think I hurt it when I was practically convulsing on the surgery table.

I got my staples out today, which was a huge relief. I know my incision will start to feel better now and I haven't taken any Percoset since. This is good because I've been hearing about some terribly addictive behaviors associated with Percoset that were kind of scaring me.

I was really freaked out about getting the staples out. I mean--staples! In my skin! Ouch! And the doctor had to pull them out. Eeeeeeks! But I now have the whole "labor" thing under my belt so I sucked it up and made it through. Which reminds me, if someone can endure this cesaerean stuff, that someone can certainly endure natural childbirth. Pshhh.

So, throughout this whole having a baby ordeal, the two most painful things were: getting the tape pulled off and getting the staples out. Uggghhh.

Yesterday we went to the pediatrician and Maryn is very healthy. She is getting plenty to eat and she now weighs 8 pounds. It's normal for babies to drop a few ounces in the first two weeks as long as they gain it back. She's sleeping normally for a baby, but I'm not producing quite enough milk at night, so we're working on that.

After the doctor's office today we went to Whole Foods to get some Mother's Milk Tea (promotes healthy lactation, the box claims) and some lunch. We covered Maryn up with the car seat thing and tried to discourage people from coming close to her. Germy, germy. My lunch was so yummy. I love Whole Foods. I want to buy all my birthday presents there. But now that I have a baby I guess my birthday will never be quite the same. I must be an adult now. Maybe I'll ask for a high chair or something.

We haven't had to make a dinner for ourselves yet so far. Thank you so much to all of you providing meals for us. I think they're yummy, and John is just grateful to save the extra $$$. Hahaha. Tonight we are going to go for a walk and we're going to get some ice cream. I can't wait. :)

"The Darker the Night, the Brighter He Can Shine."

Most of these pictures are from yesterday, except I added one of my doula, Annemarie, since most of you didn't get to meet her.

Wow! I have so much to tell you, as we just survived our first night home with Maryn. But first I want to tell you about coming home.

Being checked out of the hospital is quite an ordeal. It was annoying. We were all ready to go but my nurse wasn't coming. We went ahead and put Maryn into the car seat, and despite Maryn loving to be constantly swaddled, she was sleeping just fine in her car seat with her little "Daddy Loves Me" outfit. When the nurse finally came, she was required to ramble on and on about everything I already know and then asked us if Maryn had her blood test done.

Blood test? Seriously. We just got this baby to sleep. She's in her car seat. And we have to do a blood test?

So this guy came in to do the test and John took stuff down to the car. I couldn't even get Maryn out of the car seat because my nails are too long to push the stupid button, so the blood test guy had to do it. He got her out for me, put some weird tape around her ankles, and then he left the room for another 5 minutes to go get the blood stuff. All the while she is unwrapped, which is normally tragedy for her. But she slept soundly.

He came back and John and I watched him prick her arm and her little foot for blood and put drops onto a paper. Maryn remained asleep and absolutely silent. Ah! Miracles!

When I finally climbed into the car, I got all teary. Finally, I was going home. After three days cooped up in that dark medicinal smelling room, I was going home with my family!

Now another part to my story. The most important part!

When I was in labor and we had to drive to the hospital, which is about 3 minutes away, I was having those terrible "pushing" contractions one right after another. They're not that terrible if you're actually allowed to push, but at that point, I was supposed to be "breathing through them." Ha. Well, I really didn't want to have those contractions in the car, so I was just praying in my head:

"Lord Jesus, no contractions, no contractions..."

We had our 33 Miles CD playing randomly and the music somewhat soothed me, and I didn't have ONE contraction the whole way there. Ask John if you don't believe me; this was another small miracle because my contractions had been constant.

When we got into the car to go home from the hospital, I was eager to see what song had been playing. I didn't remember what it was except that it had soothed me. It was "Jesus Calling."

Here is the chorus:

When you see the rushing wind, feel the pouring rain,
Hear the thunder now as the clouds roll in
And you're blinded by the lightning
do you also hear that still small voice saying
It's okay, you're not alone, you may be scared to death,
But I won't let you go
You may think the sky is falling
But can you hear Jesus calling?

And suddenly just everything about preparing for Maryn's birth, planning her birth, preparing for labor, and the way things turned out, everything made perfect sense.

During my labor, even when I was strapped to a table by mean medical staff as if I were being cruicified during horrible contractions, even when I didn't get to hold my baby right away as planned, I was able to praise God. The whole time I was never in a panic. Not because I'm some kind of superwoman (HA!), but because the power of Jesus Christ lives in me.

Please consider purchasing 33 Miles' CD. I'm assigning song #2 to Maryn has her "life song," and our special song. So that means all of you should have it, too!

Maryn Louise

Maryn has arrived!

She was born on September 26 at 3:06 AM after many hours of natural childbirth followed by a C-Section at North Collier Hospital. She was 8 lbs 7 oz and was 20 in long at birth. She and Amanda are both doing really well. Amanda is recovery well from surgery and 30 hours of natural labor. She is very sore and worn out but doing great.

Please feel free to come and visit us at North Collier Hospital today from 11 AM till 8 PM and probably most of the day tommorow starting at 11 AM. We still not sure on when the checkout date will be.

Here are a few pictures for those who can't visit

Amanda holding Maryn for the very first time shortly after arriving in our room recovery.

Here is a close up of her finally sleeping. She loves to be awake she doesn't cry she just wants to look around and see everyone. She tries her best not to fall asleep.

Posted by John look for more photos and updates on our facebook pages.

We're having a baby today!

My water broke at 9:20 lastnight, so the midwife asked that we come in today by 6 am regardless of contractions. So that's what we're doing now. Please pray that the contractions come back soon! I will have to have her within 24 hours of my water breaking.

Apparently, walking on the beach may stimulate labor. So that's what we did tonight. Gorgeous! We too often forget that we live about 10 minutes away from it.

What's Happening NOW (update!)

What's happening now? Nothing. I guess I'm having the regular Braxton-Hicks contractions, which I've been having regularly for a week now, but that's it.

When I first found out I was pregnant, the date September 25th lit up in my head, so maybe that will be the day. Just like the baby being a girl lit up in my head in the same way. Maybe I have the gift of prophecy. :) My mom, either way, will get to experience my labor. I think she was trying to avoid that!

Little Maryn's daddy was three weeks late, so maybe she's just trying to be like him already.

Not a bad person to model yourself after, Maryn. But you're going to drive your mother crazy!

What's Happening

I was in the stages of "early labor" all night lastnight. It's lasted about 12 hours, so it looks like I'll be taking after my mom and her first pregnancy (which was moi!). This is actually a good thing, because when actual, active labor comes, my body will be a bit more acclimated and things should start moving faster and less painfully than if labor had begun suddenly. At least that's what the doula, Annemarie, said.

Lastnight was a rough night! I slept about four hours, so I'm going to try to sleep a bit more today and do some of the normal things I do. Right now, I'm going for a walk.

This is the stage where the hospital would give me pitocin to speed things up. However, pitocin makes contractions more painful and unpredictable (they start piggybacking or lasting much longer than 1 minute). I know I've said it here tons of times, but please do your research on pitocin if you ever plan on having a (or another) baby.

R e i n v e n t i o n

This one young man I know has decided to "reinvent" himself. It made me laugh (jealously) because teenagers can do these things, just change their style, so simply. Me, I'm stuck in rut. It would take a lot to reinvent myself. This guy wants to start dressing differently because people have apparently been stereotyping him unfairly. I don't know if people are stereotyping me, but I've been watching What Not to Wear quite a bit lately, and it's making me think.

I'm the type of girl they sometimes have on the show that is stuck in high school/college. Sigh. It's embarassing to say that, but it's true. I guess I'm so used to having this "cute" persona, I just rode with it. But it's time to grow up.

I look in my closet and honestly, the only things that Clinton and Stacey would approve of are Christmas gifts from my mother-in-law. She's much more stylish. She bought me the fitted jacket they would love, the dark skinny pants, perfect for short people like me, dark jeans and the nicely fitted collared shirts. But everything I choose is girly and juvenile.

Do I have the money to reinvent myself? Absolutely not. Plus, it's not like I need business wear anymore. And I don't think John would go for me suddenly shopping exclusively at Macy's and Ann Taylor. It's more of a JC Penney/Kohl's/Target life for me. And I already know how things work out in those stores. The women's clothes look old and frumpy. Plus they're too big for me, so everything needs to be hemmed. The juniors clothes are cute and fit me well. I need my very own Stacey and Clinton, plus $5,000. Maybe I should submit my application for the show.

the shower is the best place to cry

every night for the past two weeks, i've had contractions that feel promising. i go to sleep, hoping to wake up in a few hours with contractions so strong i can't sleep any longer. but then i wake up and there's no contractions, no sign of maryn. i pull myself out of bed later and later each day, and nearly cry in the shower. but i don't cry about it because i have a cold and that would make me miserable. and my phone rings and rings and rings and i want people to talk to me, i want them to distract me, but i don't want to talk, either. i don't know what i want people to do or say. i don't even know why i'm so sad because i know i'll have a baby soon no matter what.

Our midwife, Dawn, thinks that I am "teetering on the edge" of labor and wants me to try the castor oil today. I just mix two ounces of it in a fruit smoothie and drink away. It's a pretty aggressive approach to inducing labor and I hear it usually does bring on strong contractions. If you read this before tonight, please pray that it does bring on strong contractions that lead to labor, not strong contractions that lead to nothing, which is another possibility.

We may not be able to update here on the blog for a while, but John may try updating my facebook now and then to let you know how I'm doing. Or he might not. We shall see.


Dear Maryn,

Waiting for you is difficult. Please come soon.

Love,

Mommy

Short Hair, Big Belly

This is me, 41 weeks and two days pregnant.

Just a bunch of random thoughts

I got my hair cut off today! I love it. I was absolutely hating having all that hair on my head. I think John likes my hair better short even though he says he doesn't care.

I was worried about this mole that I have, but I have discovered that it's probably a wart. Grrrroooosss. Now I must get rid of it immediately. Any helpful hints would be appreciated.

John hung up the curtains in Maryn's room today. Maybe she was just waiting for them. I hope so.

My mom is coming on Wednesday. Maybe Maryn is waiting for her to come. I hope not!

Rosa has become recently obsessed with the quilt Grandma Erdman made for me. It's weird.

I am now taking almost 40 pills every day. I'm really sick of it.

I went to Whole Foods to get some pills (the Borage Oil) yesterday and I love it. I want all the smelly stuff. Someday when I have 20 million dollars I might buy groceries there.

John and I are eating pizza three days in a row.

John bought me a pumpkin spice latte yesterday. I love him.

We bought the 33 Miles CD and think you should, too! Most of you, I know, would probably like it. You can go here to listen to the whole CD: http://www.33milesonline.com/listeningparty

I bought some veggie "chik" patties made by Morningstar Farms and they are SO good!

I finally found some fabulous French dressing called Ken's something French with honey. I love the way French dressing tastes with cheddar cheese.

John took me out for breakfast this morning to Skillets, which has the best breakfast potatoes ever. I love him.

And...I have a cold. It's a weird, different kind of cold and I hate it. It's not comfortable coughing and sneezing when you're practically 10 1/2 months pregnant. I'm going to try the netty pot today. I hate it. But it makes me feel better. At least for a little while.

What would make me feel really great is a pumpkin spice latte, a large Coke and a large order of fries from McDonald's.

Midwife Tricks

We are officially 8 days late now, but our midwife is kind of changing that because apparently I told them the wrong date of my last cycle. So maybe I'm only 5 days late, which would be a relief. At least I don't feel quite as pressured. If she isn't here by the two week mark (September 28), I'll have to go to the hospital and be induced, so pray that doesn't happen. Induction is, in my mind, the WORST thing that hospitals do.

There are some more natural tricks in the whole labor game, and I've been doing a few. But if Maryn isn't here by Wednesday-ish, we're going to get more aggressive. Here are a few things that we have tried so far (it's a little graphic, so if you're not into it, please stop reading now! Guys...STOP NOW! This is for educational purposes only.).

Christopher's Pre-Natal Formula: These are herbal pills that make me have Braxton-Hicks contractions. It's like exercise for the uterus and helps it become strong and ready for the biggest workout of its life.

Borage Oil: I was taking 12 of these giant pills per day and now, for the next two days, I have to take 25! Borage oil is normally used as an anti-inflammatory, but pregnant women can use it to soften the cervix and pelvic bones.

Stretching...of the cervix. This is what my midwife did to me today...manually...and yes, it hurts as much as it sounds.

But now that she did the stretching and all this other stuff, I am dilated to 3 centimeters! This is very good news, as active labor begins around 4 centimeters, and sometimes even 3. Here are a few more midwife tricks we might be trying eventually:

Breast Stimulation: Ugh. I know this sounds weird. From one article I read, this is, apparently, the only thing that actually does work aside from drugs. And it's not what you think. You just hook yourself up to a breast pump and let it go at it. Simple enough, I guess.

Castor Oil: This is what I'm supposed to try around Wednesday, kind of a last resort. I just put some of this nasty stuff in a fruit smoothie and drink away. Eck.


So basically what I'm trying to say is: Pray, pray, pray that this baby comes this weekend!

Clean House

Have you ever seen the show Clean House? I've watched it a few times and it always motivates me to clean, organize, and declutter.

The show is about families who tend to collect a lot of clutter. But really, it usually ends up to be about families who have some deeply rooted emotional or mental issues. They are attached to material things for all sorts of reasons. The show's hosts try to get the people to sell as much of their things as possible in a yard sale, but it's a huge battle.

It's hard for many of us to get rid of sentimental things. I know I wish I still had a few things from my childhood, like my dollhouse and maybe some of my little dresses. But holding on to things can get way out of hand. Watching the show reminds me that I need to take about a monthly or bi-monthly inventory on my house. If I haven't used it in a month, I need to consider getting rid of it. After watching the show Clean House one time, I marked a day each month on our calendar as "O&D Day" (Organize and Declutter Day). At least this way, maybe I won't even have a chance to get emotionally attached to material possessions.

John and I have a problem with books. We like to keep our books just in case we need them for future reference or want to loan some of them to our friends. But amazon.com has helped me get rid of some, and the rest we may still use...but after a year or so of not even paying attention to them, we try to get them out of the house. Plus, some books are for decoration purposes, since we have very little decoration in our house, and they make us look smart and well-read!

Another area that often needs decluttered is the bathroom. Mostly empty shampoo and lotion bottles. Useless clutter that I think I'll use but I know I won't--so in the trash it goes. Then there's the refrigerator. Gross. Definitely need to declutter that at least once a month! Cleaning supplies. I limited my cleaning supplies significantly when I started using Shaklee products and other all natural cleaning methods (think baking soda and vinegar). It's sad when you realize you have five different types of shower cleaners. Totally not necessary or safe.

I encourage you to watch the show, and, if you're looking for a good book that will make you rethink your perspective on money and possessions, read the book Money, Possessions, and Eternity by Randy Alcorn. It's sitting on our shelf right now. I can loan it to you if you like!

Happy Decluttering!

Dear Maryn,

Waiting for you is not easy. Please come soon. I will sing to you, rock you, cradle you, cuddle you, kiss your little nose, and hold your tiny hand. I even dusted and vacuumed and made everything as clean as possible so that the air is nice and clean for you. It's not too hard to learn how to use your lungs. You'll be great at it because you've been practicing so long with your little hiccups every day. Gravity is going to be an experience for you, but it's not so bad. We know that you are big enough and strong enough, so you can come anytime! Everything is ready. Daddy worked so hard on your bed and your little bassinet. It looks so adorable. Your car seat is in the car. It's been there for weeks! You'll only have to be strapped in it for a few minutes. And just wait till you meet Rosa! You will love her when you're a little bit older. You will love your colorful bedroom and your soft, soft blankets. You'll love all the people that are going to come to see you. You have so many grandparents! Everyone is so ready to see you!

My Links

Maybe you've clicked on some of my links and wondered how I know some of these weirdos. Just kidding. They're not weirdos. They're my friends! So I'm going to introduce some of them to you.

First, World Vision is one of those places you can sponsor a child with. Our lives have been blessed since sponsoring Joseph Kiyingi from Uganda three years ago, and I encourage you all to try it.

Next, we have John Piper. He's not my friend because he doesn't know who I am, but John and I have been blessed by his sermons, which you can listen to free online. He also has great links to other people's sermons, books, etc.

Then we have The Infinite Cat Project, which my cousin, Autumn introduced to me through her blog links. It's a pretty crazy little website and you just have to see it to believe it.

After that you see a link to my cousin Autumn's blog. She is infinitely cooler than me, and a very good writer. Her blog is pretty laid back and honest, and at times hilarious, which I enjoy and appreciate. And she needs to post more often, by the way. ;-)

Then you see the Crawfords' link, which is written by Blake Crawford. He and his wife are good friends of ours and in our little "home group" where we "do life together." He just started blogging and we are proud of him!

Next you'll see Jeff's link. Ah, Jeff. Jeff has been my friend since I was 16. He and several other friends had great significance in my life as I figured out my life in Christ, and I am so grateful that he and other friends introduced me to things Christians like and do, like listen to ska and punk music, watch Bruce Lee movies, and sing songs like "Don't Judge a Man by the Hair on His Butt." He's a very talented writer and artist, and his blog is always interesting (when he updates it).

After Jeff you see Nathan and Bethany's links. Nathan is our worship leader at church. That's how I first knew him. And I first knew Bethany from working in the youth group with her. Now they are in our home group as well. They are both very talented artists, both in music and Bethany in photography. Nathan leads our youth choir as well, and John and I were able to be chaperones on their trip this summer. Some of you might recognize Nathan from the group TrueVibe as well.

Erin is next and our story is a little strange. We met her and her husband, Dan, in our natural childbirth class at the birth center. Bethany found out we were all in the same class from a picture, and it turns out they know Erin from when they lived in Tennessee (right?) because her brother was a member of TrueVibe. Weird! She just had her adorable little baby, Hope. And now we're pretty much blog and Facebook friends.

Cherie is after Erin, and I know Cherie from a lot of things. She and her husband were in our Crown Financial class before they were married, she worked with the youth group for a while, and now they are in our Sunday school type of class at church. She works with babies in a day care center and is at a crazy stage in life (new marriage, new house, new job, trying to have a baby), so her blog is always interesting.

Teri is pretty much, right now, a blog friend that I tracked down because I heard from others at our church that she had her baby at the same birth center. She has two young boys and her husband is a police officer. So naturally, her blog is very entertaining. Especially since she became obsessed with coupons.

Then comes the Pattersons! This is a weird relationship because I don't even really know how I know them and hardly do know them at all, but wish I did. Does that make sense? Jennifer and I met through friends and Southern Living parties. And now I keep running into them because of Nathan and Bethany...and Target. Jennifer and I always have things to talk about because she used to be a teacher and she is the sweetest person I think I've ever met. I wish she was my big sister. Have you ever met someone like that?

Kara is my Avon lady! She actually started me on selling Avon. We met in our new Sunday school class. We have a lot in common because she used to be a teacher, she likes makeup, and she adopted a little boy a few years back (which I intend to do someday).

I read lots of other blogs but like to make sure that I have permission to put your link here first, or at least know that you read my blog. Otherwise, it's kind of awkward. So if you want your link here too, let me know!

Pumpkin spice lattes remind me that...

...Jesus loves me.
...everything is going to be all right.
...fall is sweaters and birthdays and crunchy leaves and school and pies and apples and pumpkins.
...I can't wait to be in Heaven with Jesus and free pumpkin spice lattes.
...cold feet and warm hands aren't so bad afterall.

Cheers to you, Starbucks!

Pumpkin spice latte, you make me imagine myself in a red sweater, in a winter hat, staring out a big picture window at the falling snow, cuddled up with my sweetie, a hot cup of this latte in my hands. Oh how I adore your, sweet, sweet goodness, my lovely latte!