Weekend...ahhhh

I cannot wait for Dan to come home tonight! It will be the start of a great weekend! I teach tomorrow until 5, then off to the ASU football season opener, then we check in to our favorite local resort, order a margarita, schedule my massage, and do nothing but relax the next two day. As Mary says, spaaaaahhhhh. ;)I hope you all have a fabulous Labor Day weekend!

Teaching

I taught my first class last night and LOVED it! It was nice to finally start after all the preparation, planning, shopping,etc. It is so much fun teaching the subject I'm passionate about! Saturday is our first lab where the students get to have fun with hands on things such as learning to do blood pressures, injections, etc. I'm looking forward to that too. :) Life is good!

Lauren

Thinking of Lauren today, images of holding her, smelling her, loving her, crept into my devotion time today. Despite doubts Dan and I have had through this winding road of 2+years, faith and these images keep us taking one day, one step at a time, toward our baby girl.

Happy Monday!

Drumroll please...

Ta Da!!





Just kidding!...here's the new do! :)

Short Hair

I recently was using my hair straightner and it somehow got too hot and burnt my hair! After conditioning treatments, etc. etc. (etc., etc. meaning I cut my own hair in desperation with the kitchen scissors)...I went to my hair stylist yesterday. After telling her what I did we tried to mend it, but is was no use, I had to cut my hair...short, shorter than I have ever had it...

As I sat in the chair thinking about how I was going to have to drastically cut my hair, I thought of it!! Wait a minute..expecting mom's always cut their hair!! This must be an omen! Lauren must be coming soon! I told my hairdresser and she totally agrees..it's definetly an omen...hehe..

8/8/08!!

Let the games begin!!



Did you catch the story of Lin Hao during the opening ceremonies? He is a 9-year-old survivor of the recent earthquake. 20 of his 30 classmates died in the earthquake. He survived, pulled himself out of the rubble, and saved 3 of his fellow classmates by pulling them from the rubble. His response to his actions that day? "...I'm the class leader, the hall monitor...it was my job."

Chapman Family

Just finished watching Steven Curtis Chapman and his family on "Larry King Live". What struck me the most in their testimony of such a tragedy in their lives is through their questions, anger, and grief...they had and have hope. The contrast was startling as they went to commercials about the campaign trail, etc., etc., that what is really important is investing in those we love and loving He who created us.

Mary Beth Chapman said at the end... "even in the deepest, darkest hours we may have landed flat on our faces..but we landed on a foundation".

Reunion

During college, I had the privilege of being a nanny to a very special boy who I grew to love like my own son. He was our ring bearer in our wedding and very special to both Dan and I. He moved out of state....time went by and we lost touch. Well, excitedly, about a month ago Dan and I saw him on a hockey site and were blown away! Here he is a young man now! We wrote a note to him on his hockey team guestbook and since than we have been reunited in our friendship and it has filled my heart with joy. More than anything, I am so happy to see his sweet heart has not been calloused by life. I believe our reuniting has been God-driven and am reminded of how good God is.

Samantha Brown in China!

I absolutely love Samantha Brown on the Travel Channel and she is doing a special on China starting tomorrow. I saw a sneak preview of it yesterday and it is awesome! Check it out on Samantha Brown: Passport to China

Great Read

I finished reading this book recently and it has had such an impact on me. I am not one for which tears flow often and this book brought out emotions and tears in even me.

It's a book about romance, but not a romance novel. If your looking for a great read this summer, I would recommend it, especially for those who are married. Lately it seems a high volume of friends and coworkers are having difficulty in their marriages. Though Dan and I have a great marriage, this book and my friends stories, as well as my own parents divorce has opened my heart and made me cherish even more deeply my marriage. It has also raised my awareness that it is the "little" things that slowly corrode a marriage.

Summertime!

I hope everyone is having a great summer so far!! We have been enjoying some cloud cover and rain recently and, although this may sound crazy to some of you in the Midwest, this is very welcome weather to us in Arizona :)

Enjoy!

Summer Update!

This is a pic of a beach in China...just a few people :)

Our Agency sent an update today. The CCAA is now finished with dossier's up to January 25,2006. We've been bumped up yet again!! We're getting closer Lauren!

I hope you all are enjoying the summer! I'm enjoying my patho class and am excited to be planning my clinical sites for next semester. It's starting to feel real that I'm going to be a N.P. Dan and I are planning a "vacation" at home next week. We both have 6 days off and we are going to enjoy walking Bailey, sleeping in and just being together.

Happy Birthday My Love!

My DH turned 35 yesterday! I am so blessed to spend my life with this incredible man. Anyone who has ever met him will agree that to know him is to love him. His energy and passion for life and people is like none I have ever known. Since he'entered my life...I've had the time of my life.

Remembering to Rely

I saw this picture on Seventh Diamond's blog and thought it pretty much summed up my morning thoughts. As I was driving back home after dropping Dan off at work, my mind was racing as to when Lauren might arrive, how much the cost of airline tickets will be by then, etc. etc. and than a thought passed through my mind. Oh yeah, God is in control. I so often forget this and take hold of the reigns myself. I like to be in the driver's seat, however, life is so much more peace-filled when I rely on Him.

Nine Years Ago Today...

Nine years ago today I showered while singing "going to the chapel" (later to find out he did the same thing). Nine years ago today my 5'1" mom was driving all of my out of town relatives around in a huge white rental van. Nine years ago today I danced the Macarena, bunny hop, chicken dance, and the Waltz with my husband. Nine years ago today, my groom and I forgot all the moves we had rehearsed for our Waltz and looked into eachother's eyes and just "winged it".

Nine years ago today I married my best friend and could not have imagined how wonderful life was going to be as his wife.

Ouch

My DH broke his left radial bone in his Jiu Jitsu class last week. Can you see the fracture in the picture? He'll be in a cast for 6-8 weeks. :(

11 Days

The past 11 days have been blissful. I cannot remember feeling this relaxed. We started our vacation by going camping up in Flagstaff. Despite it being the coldest camping trip we have ever been on, we had a blast...


Bailey enjoyed herself as well...


An attempt to get a family picture by the fire :)


We played games including Star Wars Stratego and Yahtzee. I rolled a yahtzee on my first roll! (We laughed until we cried trying to get this shot)

Did I mention Bailey enjoyed herself? She was thrilled to find that our new tent had a door just for her! ;)

The wind was howling when we left and Dan got this shot of the tent flying away as we were trying to take it down.

Life is good!

Remembering Them

Life, every moment of it, is a gift...as I age I am all the more aware of this. The recent loss's of those close to my heart have also reiterated this. Today we remember those who have given their lives for our freedom.

Dan and I are retreating up north for a week of camping today. I am looking forward to enjoying a time of reflection, renewal, and fun :)

Unthinkable Tragedy

Steven Curtis Chapman

Please be praying for Steven Curtis Chapman and his family. Yesterday a tragedy happened that is simply unthinkable. For those of you not familiar with Steven Curtis Chapman, he is a Christian song writer and vocalist. He has adopted 3 of his daughters from China and has been very active in raising money for ophans in China. It was at one of his concerts that Dan and I were sparked with the idea of adoption. It was 3 years ago on Memorial Day that we heard one of his songs on the radio and his urge to adopt that was yet another sign that adoption was meant for us.

Yesterday Steven's teenage son was backing out of the driveway in a SUV and did not see his sister behind the vehicle. She was air evacuated to a hospital, however, she did not survive.

Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.