So long, farwell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye to 2008

What a year it has been! It began with a exciting start and ended that way as well. This certainly has been a year of growing and learning. We went from my car being stolen in January, to buying a new house, to me changing jobs, to Stephen leaving for a year to be in Iraq, to us finding out that we are expecting a baby, and so many other things in between!

Christmas was a blast and I have to say, I made out pretty well. I think the fact that my husband is in Iraq and I am getting a bigger prego belly helped with some sympathy gifts! And the baby is already getting his or her fair share! Thanks again to everyone!

Even Stephen sent me a gift! It arrived the night before Christmas Eve (so Christmas Eve's Eve) and I was able to open it with him on the video chat. That man is amazing! He knows EXACTLY what I like! He got me new shoes! Perfect fit and everything! Thank you Stephen; you are THE SWEETEST HUSBAND EVER!

I have to say it was hard without Stephen here, but as always family kept me nice an busy on Christmas Day. Now as for the day after... everyone left me! Yes, both my side of the family and Stephen's side of the family left for vacation. I must say I was quite jealous that I wasn't tagging along! But saving up my vacation time for when Stephen gets home is a much better choice. Also snow skiing would not have been the wisest choice with my balance already being off!

So what did I do? I went shopping! I found the most amazing deals! Unfortunately, one of the purchases that I really wanted to make I could not. I FINALLY was going to get my dining table for Christmas! I have had my eye on this table for a very, very long time. I would go by the store and check on it frequently, sometimes every week! Hoping that it would go on sale or that I would finally break down and make the purchase. In November Stephen said that I should get it for Christmas... I loved the idea and could not have picked a better gift! So, I decided to stop stalking the store and wait. So when I walked in right before Christmas, with my tape measure in hand and on a joyous mission, I was like a kid in a candy shop! The sales people greeted me and several had asked where I had been, and commented that they had not seen me in a while... yes, like I said I stalked this table! After searching the store, I calmly asked where they put my table, as I know they keep several in stock in their warehouse. It was gone! Discontinued and sold out! Needless to say I was devastated! This was the table our little family was going to eat at and share countless memories! And it was gone! After some long chats with my buddies there at the store they agreed to try to find me one. They made some calls to the buyer and the manufacturer searching for just one. After Christmas they called me to let me know that there were no more to be found. So, the lesson learned here today is IMPULSE BUY!!! No, on a serious note, I may have been a little too excited about something so material. And that should not have been a reason to be joyous for Christmas. Jesus brings me true joy and He is the reason we celebrate!

So, I will still get my table, but instead of buying it and taking the easy way out, Stephen has offered to make it for me. If you have ever seen some of the items that Stephen and his father have made you would agree that this is the best option anyways. So I will just keep my empty dining room (or ballroom) for a while.

As I continue to try to keep my self busy I have also been doing a little sewing. I have decided to finally make the curtains for some of my bare windows. I can only enjoy the white fake wood blinds for so long. So far I have done a set for my bathroom window and for the front living room windows. The empty dining room windows are next! I forget how much I enjoy sewing! Maybe, if I get really good I can make some items for our sweet little baby! Lucky for me, the poor soul won't be able to say "Mommy, why is this so crooked?" And Stephen knows better than to say anything but that he loves it.

Praise the Lord for Christmas! Praise the Lord for my sweet husband! Praise the Lord for my wonderful sewing machine! And Praise the Lord for 2008!

Is it really almost Christmas?

It sure doesn’t feel like Christmas at our house. Don’t get me wrong the tree is up and all the presents are wrapped, but the love of my life is half way around the world. But have no fear; Stephen will be home in 44 days! Yes, I have been counting for a while now. So we will get to celebrate Valentine’s Day together!

Santa can't bring me what I need,
Cause all I want for Christmas is Stephen!

(I do find myself breaking out in this remix very frequently)

One of the great blessings that we have had with Stephen being gone is video chat. Normally I don’t embrace technology as fast as others do, but if it means getting to see my husband, I am all for it. We typically get to video chat several times a week, and boy does it make all the difference in the world! Stephen also gets to talk to his parents and sister since they too have a built in camera, so that makes things better for the whole family!

Stephen is doing well over there, just keeping busy with work. He has actually been working out and has lost about 15 pounds already! He is losing it, and I am gaining it! What a deal!

Not too busy lately; mostly just running around trying to shop for Christmas items, and sleeping (of course). I did make it to the 2nd and 3rd ornament exchange of the year, and made it out of there with some good lookin’ ornaments. Unfortunately I didn’t get any pictures of the home group ornament exchange, but was able to snap a few at the family exchange.






















Natalie and I of course had to compare bellies again. Since she is getting so close we may only have a few more of these… then we will start with the pictures of the babies OUT of our bellies.
















Praise the Lord for video chat! Praise the Lord for ornament exchanges! And Praise the Lord that he sent His Son!

Busy as a Bee

Well, I haven’t been too busy… just busy sleeping most of the time! But busy none the less. I figure that on the inside, with this baby bakin’, I am staying really busy! Some amazing thing happened this past week! I had my first doctor’s appointment and my little sister had her baby, Delaney! God sure does know how to bless this soon to be mama!

Thursday, the 4th, was baby day! I got to see my baby for the first time and heard the sweet little heartbeat. My mother-in-love, Jenny, got to go with me since Stephen is on the other side of the world. What an amazing time this was for me. And so far so good! I even survived the blood work; no crying or passing out! (This was a first!) I am convinced- this baby is going to make me tough! Except for the fact that I cried several times that day just from pure bliss! Stephen, the sweetest husband ever, sent a little gift for me after the appointment. This touched my heart in so many ways! Thank you Stephen, this baby has no idea yet of what a wonderful man you are! I am so excited that I get to share the joy of raising this child with you!

And my official due date is July 11th!

Here are the pictures of our cute little one! I hope he or she has Stephen’s eyes!












So, as I said before, Anna and Jacob were married the day before Thanksgiving! Here is a picture right after the “I do’s”.

Then on Friday morning Anna went into labor. Actually I think she was in labor all night, but she went to the hospital early that morning and had Delaney by 11:39am. Everything went great and they were able to go home on Saturday.

Delaney Rosemary Brown
December 5th, 2008 – 11:39 am
7 pounds 11 ounces
20 inches long










This weekend I also went to the first of three ornament exchanges. Fun, fun, fun! There is one every weekend for three weeks straight! Let me tell you, that is the way to celebrate Christmas!










Here are me and Natalie showing off our prego bellies and enjoying some yummy fried pickles! She actually looks cute with her belly, I just look pudgy!












It has been so much fun being pregnant at the same time as Natalie. She always has great advice. And I am so excited that our kids will get to be great buds! Natalie, I am very blessed to call you family and a friend!

Praise the Lord for sonograms! Praise the Lord for baby heartbeats! Praise the Lord for Delaney! Praise the Lord for ornament exchanges! Praise the Lord for family and friends! And Praise the Lord for fried pickles!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all! What a fun day it was! Although I am suffering from a head cold, morning sickness and complete exhaustion, it was a great day. We have so much to be thankful for! I got to enjoy it with both my family and Stephen’s family… I am sure I was quite boring considering I slept most of the day.

Last weekend we had my sister’s shower to celebrate the soon to be birthed Delaney Brown! Anna’s life is changing so much this month! She also got married yesterday!!! Congratulations to Jacob and Anna Brown! Jacob we are so excited to have you in our family.














Stephen is doing pretty well, at least from what he will tell me. They moved him again; he is back in his own room and enjoying it. In the chow hall today they had Mexican food for lunch and he thought that they might get some turkey for dinner. What’s Thanksgiving without turkey?

I can’t wait to get to talk to him again tonight; it is the highlight of my day!

Praise the Lord for family! Praise the Lord for new family! And Praise the Lord for turkey!

The Subway Special

Well we are rounding the corner on another week! I have been talking to Stephen about everyday, but usually it is in the middle of the night, like 10 o’clock, when I have already been asleep for at least an hour. No, really sometimes it is 12 or 1am when he calls. But when baby says sleep, I sleep! Poor Stephen probably has not been enjoying the conversation as much as he would if he were to be talking with someone that was more coherent. I swear he said the other night that he went to Subway with 2 guys from Romania and 1 from Kosovo. I mean, that sounds like one of those jokes… you walk into a bar and there are two Romanians and one Kosovonian (or Kosovoan?)... But it wasn’t, he really did… I can only imagine the stories he will have when he gets back. And do you think the menus at Subway in Iraq are similar to ours in the U.S.?

Well Stephen had a room of his own, until they had him switch rooms, again! Now he shares a room with another guy, but he said it is not too bad. He did have a broken bed when he got there, but they got it fixed so hopefully he will start to be able to settle in. I finally got his address, so the care packages will start soon. Stephen said that he did not want a lot of junk to have to deal with, but I think he knows better than that… honey- get ready for some serious junk! I figure it will just make him feel more at home.

Honey, keep up the hard work! I am so proud of you and love you so much!

Praise the Lord for roommates! Praise the Lord for my late night calls! And Praise the Lord for sleep!

Late Night Call

Well Stephen finally called late last night, which helped me to sleep much better. He sounded very good and is just busy with getting up to speed on everything. As for me, he is not missing too much... I am a zombie. This morning, I was putting my make up on so very slowly as I watched the news and fell asleep! Yes, this pregnancy is slowing me down! Those of you who don't know me well, I am a huge morning person and some what of a night person. I usually go to bed late and wake up early. Now this little baby that is only a quarter of an inch big this week is sucking all of my energy. I have to say that I am very willing to give it up; anything for that sweet little baby. And I am sure that once he or she is out of my belly will suck my energy as well! Other than that I have been feeling pretty good. I have had only two mornings where I felt a little sick, but nothing too bad.

One sad part is that Stephen and I have decided to get rid of our sweet dog Liberty. So anyone reading this that knows of a good home for her please let me know. It is not that we don't love her and want a dog, priorities have just changed. Since she is a puppy (about 7 months old) and already 50 lbs, it is a lot for me to handle. She is so playful, but this causes her to about knock me over every time I let her in the door. I was already not the most graceful and now with being prego it won't get any better. Unfortunately this will only get harder the bigger I get. She is a lab mix and completely housebroken. Has had her shots and has been spayed. She is a great dog and will make a great addition to some one's family.












Praise the Lord for my late night call! Praise the Lord for puppies! And Praise the Lord for 1/4 inch little babies!

One Week Down

As I find myself with mixed emotions this week, one minute ecstatic because I AM HAVING A BABY, and one minute saddened because I want so bad to be able share it all with Stephen right now, I realize that I am blessed. I have more in this life right now, at the age of 25, that I could have ever hoped for. God is not just good, He is great!

Stephen is doing good, but the camping trip lasted a little longer than he had anticipated. He just got into his room a day or two ago, but it is much nicer than he anticipated... this is a huge difference from the military. He will have internet in his room, so we should be able to communicate much more - now he will just have to get a laptop. Right now I have been hearing from him at least once a day... except for today. I am not worried because I know that Stephen is smart and good at what he does.

We also found out some more good news... He will get to come home twice. Once at about 4 months into it for about 2 weeks. Hopefully that will be about the time we find out if it is a boy or a girl. And then again when we have the baby for about a month. Yeah! This will make things much better. So the longest I should have to go without seeing him is 4 months.... that sounded selfish... 4 months will be the longest that he will have to be over there at one time.

Fortunately, before Stephen left we got a chance to get some family pictures done. I may be a little bias, but these are some cute pictures.

Anyone that would like to communicate with Stephen, e-mail is the best. I cannot guarantee that he will respond in a timely manner, but he would love to hear from everyone.

Praise the Lord for the camping trip to be over! Praise the Lord for communication! Praise the Lord for family! And Praise the Lord that He helped me through this week!

Happy Veteran's Day Stephen!

Stephen, I am so proud of you! Sometimes it seems weird that you are a veteran, but you are... and you make me the proudest wife. You are so giving to be willing to sacrifice it all for your country. I wish I was a fraction of how selfless you are.

I love you and hope you have an amazing day!

I talked to Stephen this morning, twice! He called about 3:30 this morning and I hung up on him - not on purpose, just half asleep. Thank goodness he called back. He made it to Baghdad and already had things to do. Unfortunately his room won't be ready until tomorrow, so he will be in a tent tonight... just like a fun little camping trip, right? This call was great even if it was the middle of the night! Then I got the greatest wake up call at about 6:30. He couldn't talk long, just called to say good morning and I love you! But this will sure make my day better!


Praise the Lord for our veterans! Praise the Lord for phone calls! And Praise the Lord for my husband!

Just when you thought the adventure couldn’t get any crazier…

It has.

We got Stephen to the airport yesterday morning and said goodbye. What a rough day! I am trying to be strong, but I just sent my best friend away for a year. He arrived in New York Sunday evening and then arrived in Amman, Jordan today at about 9am our time. I talked to him once he got to his hotel and he was doing pretty good considering he hasn’t slept. He was going to shower and sleep and his flight leaves in the morning (Jordan time) to Baghdad. They are about 8 hours ahead of us, so this will be our night tonight. I hope to hear from him again tomorrow morning. We continue to pray Psalms 91 over him!

I am in awe and amazement as how the Lord works. While we were so wrapped up with this work thing and everything not going as planned we failed to realize that God may be doing something bigger. And He was. Wednesday we found out that we are pregnant! Yes, Stephen got me knocked up and now is leaving for a year. We had actually talked about this before he took the job and decided to leave it all in God’s hands. Apparently God thinks that I can do this on my own. We just have to thank the Lord for allowing Stephen to be delayed so that we could find out together. I am still so very early in the pregnancy (about 5 weeks) but we cannot contain our excitement. Stephen will now only come home once, for the birth, and probably stay a full month. This way when he goes back he will only have a few months left before he is home for good.

So while my emotions are at an all time low with Stephen being gone, they are also at an all time high about the baby. I cry about every few hours, sometimes a happy cry sometimes a sad cry... I pity anyone that spends an extended period of time with me.

Other than those two big events it was a pretty low key week/weekend. We also went to Peyton's 3rd birthday party (Happy birthday Peyton!), dinners with the fam, I got in a car accident (not my fault & not bad at all), a date with my sweet husband, got Libby Lou spayed and a few of norm routines.

Sweet baby in my belly, we love you and have prayed for you for so long. We can't wait to meet you and get to know you!

Praise the Lord for safe plane rides! Praise the Lord that I made it through the first day! Praise the Lord for delays! And Praise the Lord for the sweet gift of a baby!

New Prez...

So, now that the election is over... Obama has been selected as our 44th President. While this is not the candidate that I voted for, this is the one that I will complain about. All seriously, we just have to remember that our trust does not lie in man, but in the Lord Almighty. That is why we will pray for this man over the next four years and trust that the Lord has His hands all over this, just like He takes care of everything else, big or small.

You can't mess up the country that bad in 4 years, can you?

Praise the Lord for our new President! (This is me attempting to be thankful in everything.) Praise the Lord that He is in control! Praise the Lord for our government's checks and balances!

Patience

Patience is a virtue! Well, Stephen did not end up leaving for Iraq on Saturday… apparently there were a few things to be cleared with DOS (Department of State) before he could catch his flight. As of right now we still do not know when he will leave… I have been told it could be tomorrow, or it could be next week. This is sounding more and more like the military, I had to quiz him to be sure it wasn’t. This time is a little bittersweet for me. As I am so joyous that I get more time with my sweet husband, I am feeling the need to know when I will have to say goodbye. I am a planner and when things don’t go as planned I feel the need to readjust, but it makes it hard to readjust when you don’t know what you are readjusting to. I mean let’s hurry and get this year over with!


















Fortunately for me, I was able to take some time off of work so that we could hang out. We enjoyed the extra sleep and all the extra fun. We got to take Reed and Ellis to lunch, met John Austin at school for lunch, and met Nicci at her work for lunch… I am not sure if you got the trend here… but we like lunch! And dinner, we did some of those too.


Friday we invaded the waiting room at the hospital. My mother went in for her hip replacement surgery and had a successful one! Apparently she had worn down an inch already, so this was much needed. We are just so excited for her and hope that she will have a speedy recovery and finally be out of pain!

You will see my sweet nieces here Eden and Faris.

My Uncle Troy and some of his band also stayed with us this weekend. Check them out at http://www.crosscountryministries.org/. They won Entertainer of the Year at the CCMAs!


Praise the Lord for lunches and dinners! Praise the Lord for new hips! And Praise the Lord for Patience!

Wonderful Weekend

Well, this has been a wonderful weekend and we have enjoyed it from beginning to end. Friday was my sister Lis' birthday... Happy birthday Lis!!! It started it all out with me taking some time off in the morning to run around with Stephen for a few hours. We "made freedom count" and went to vote early. Now you can be sure that if the wrong person gets into office that I will be sure to be the one complaining. I figure you can't complain unless you vote, if you vote you can complain all you want, right?





Friday evening we spent sometime with the Law... well the in-laws that is. We had a wonderful dinner at Don Mateos in Roanoke. Yum! I think that our favorite thing to do is eat and hang out with each other. And we are so good at both!












Saturday morning started with getting the house ready. Since Stephen will be gone for a while he feels the need to get everything done for me that I might not be able to do. So his dad came over and we made a fun trip to Home Depot. They have so many fun items! As you can see here I thought these items might be nice ear muffs. Apparently the guys were not as enthusiastic as I was with this find. They are actually covers for the outside faucets that I will need to put them on in the winter when it gets cold - well that is their main purpose... luckily I have a great imagination! Well we got a lot of items marked off on Stephen's honey do list. So it was very productive. And I love productive days!













Then there was another great Red Socks game which they won again!















Later that day we all gathered at Tiff and Marc's for the Pumpkin carving party. There were some serious looking pumpkins out there. We took on a tough 100 piece puzzle and we won. Fall is in full swing!




















Today we took it pretty easy... well at least I did. Stephen had breakfast with the guys in our home team at I-HOP. And he was so sweet and brought me home some yummy harvest nut pancakes. I told y'all he was sweeter than sugar. We made it to church this evening and went through Luke 15. What a great word! We followed it up with dinner... of course! We had a great dinner at Patrizio's. Me, Stephen, Mom, Dad, and Nicci chowin' down. It was all good... I know because we rotated plates so that we all could have a little taste. I think the waitress might have thought we were nuts! Then topped the whole thing off with dream bars from Potbellys and coffee from Nestle Toll House Cafe... yes we hit all the main spots. And man was it good. The weather was perfect and the company even better!


Praise the Lord for birthdays (again)! Praise the Lord for Pumpkins (again)! Praise the Lord for family! Praise the Lord for good yummy food! And Praise the Lord for versatile tools at Home Depot!