WIFE

No, I have not fallen off the face of the earth. I can't believe it's been 2 months since I last posted! But then, I have not spent much time in the last 2 months on the computer. If you would like to see some new pictures of Andrew, we have been at the Seven Sisters' house twice in the past month and they've been to our house just 2 weeks before that. You may have to read the last 2 months worth of posts on their blog, but they have a LOT of pictures of Andrew on there, like in this post (at just 7 months). :)

I am currently going through Elizabeth George's book A Wife After God's Own Heart (and gleaning lots of good things that I'm working on putting into practice) and I wanted to share an acronym with you that I intend to put on my bedroom mirror!

"Four biblical elements to help us apply God's teaching:"

Warm up his life with your love

Improve his life as a helper

Follow his leadership with a willing heart

Esteem him highly with utmost respect

Wedding

I love weddings and today we attended my cousin's wedding. Unfortunately, my camera does not take very good indoor pictures and so I didn't get any of the lovely bride and groom. I just love seeing two people so in love and with every wedding I attend I also offer a prayer to the Lord on their behalf. Marriage is not easy, but it wasn't meant to be easy. Our culture is such that it not only looks at divorce lightly but applauds it. No one is encouraged to work for their marriage, especially if it has gone down a rocky road. The truth is (if only people would see it!) that marriage is well worth the work! Marriage is not about what *I* get, how it effects *me*, how happy *I* am, it's about the other person. What can I do for *him*, how can I serve *her*. When we are putting ourselves first and are only happy if everything is going "my way" then we are not trully happy. Just like we can only be fully satisfied if we are putting Christ first in our lives, we can only be "happy" when we are looking at our marriage with a Servant's heart.

On a different note, here is a new "pregnancy picture". I am now 33 1/2 weeks along! That means less than 7 weeks until my due date! I'm so excited! I have come to love this Little One so much, and every time I feel it move it just fills my heart with joy and I can't wait to hold it in my arms!

And here is a picture of my wonderful husband! The most amazing man in the world!!!! :) (No, I don't care if anyone disagrees with me... (-; ) While we were waiting for the Bride and Groom we had passed the time taking pictures!

Missing my Hubby (and a challenge)

Well, it has been over a month now since my dear, sweet, wonderful, loving, kind, amazing, incredible, serving, caring, giving, hardworking husband went back to work at the factory. Oh, how spoiled I am!!!! I knew before that I was spoiled but didn't realize just how spoiled I was until the past month. I mean, I figured that since we only needed one cell phone because we were practically ALWAYS together and because we only needed one car because we were always together then I was no doubt getting to spend a whole lot more time with him than other wives get with their husbands. I knew I had much to be grateful for, but still, I didn't realize just how much! Having him gone for 9 hours a day definitely brought that realization full circle! (Please note, I'm not complaining, just sharing from my heart....) I mean, I have been greatly enjoying my time at home, at OUR home, but it's not so much because I'm by myself as it is because it's "our home". Oh, I am cherishing and treasuring my time with him more than ever these days! (Hence my lack of posts and pictures.) I love my husband so much and my heart just thrills at the sound of closing doors as he heads for the front door when he gets home from work. I know it seems so silly because he was working at the same factory the first 3 months of our marriage. But remember, we've been married for 12 1/2 months now and that means that for the past 9 1/2 months I've had my Hubby all to myself. I mean, when he's home he's always working on something book related, but when he's home I can get a kiss in much more frequently throughout the day than when he's gone for most of the day. :) Besides, just his presence in the house makes me so happy. I love knowing he's working on the couch while I'm doing dishes, cooking, cleaning, organizing, going through boxes (the baby's room is still 1/3 full of boxes). It's nice just to see him as I pass through the room. '

Over the past few weeks in our own place, especially since Scott is working 2 jobs (writing/being an author is always a full-time job) God has been reminding me of all the sweet aspects of being a housewife. I mean, I was still a wife for the 7 months before now but we didn't have a place of our own. It was challenging because I had to work hard and be creative to make wherever we were feel relaxing and restful but nothing beats having a home of our own that I can make a "haven of rest" for my Man (and soon to be, family). It is nice to have pictures up (even if they are mostly of *us*) and to have my candles and all the familiar things that were in our first place of residence as "husband and wife". I know Scott would say (and I agree), "it's nice to have our books out again!" :)

I love being married. I love having my own place to cook and clean in. I love learning all that God is continuously teaching me. I love planning snacks to surprise my Hubby with when he gets home. I love being pregnant and thinking that one day very soon I will have a little baby keeping me very occupied while "Daddy" is at work. :)

I don't know if any of this mumble-jumble has made much sense. But to change the subject I now have a challenge for all of my blog-readers:

I know I have not posted in almost 2 weeks and am planing a post with lots of pictures within the next week. But how about a little trivia in the meantime?

Can anyone guess how far along I am in my pregnancy and how many weeks and days are left till my due date? Rate how far along I am (weeks+days if not exact) as of today, June 23rd. If you can guess that correctly, than you'll have no problem figuring out how many weeks and days it is until my due date (that is of course, if you remember how many weeks a full-term pregnancy is). Sometime in the next few days (as long as someone has guessed correctly) I will do a Pregnancy update post as well as a "new home" post with lots of pictures.

I have been reading The Mom Walk by Sally Clarkson and I would like to share a couple quotes with you.

"I realized that one of the roles God wants me to play in my children's lives is a conductor of joy, happiness, and celebration. After all, God designed our need for these things into our hearts. We were made to enjoy life and our Creator, and we were meant to choose to live in His beauty and provision.
"This doesn't mean I won't have difficulties or times of depression. But I do have choices I can make as a mom that will determine the environment in my home." (Sally Clarkson)

This does not only apply to the role of mother, but also of wife. When I am joyful and cheerful, looking for opportunities to praise God, the whole atmosphere in my house changes. We don't have children in the house just yet (although Little One is frequently reminding me that it is on it's way :) ) and I can only imagine how much my attitude will effect the environment of our home, because I know that it does now, and once the children are coming along it will only be even more important and vital that I am not always downcast, focused on all my "duties and responsibilities" instead of focusing on the gift of my children and all that the Lord is doing. Now is the time to be practicing this because it is just as important and vital that we look at our responsibilities with delight, especially for the sake of our Husbands (or families if you aren't married yet).

I will end this post with one more quote:

"To neglect enjoying God and His own wonderful ways in my life is to not really know Him or grow in Him. For at the very basis of His character are love, life, beauty, and joy. To know Him is to know goodness. To walk with Him is to walk in lovingkindness, pleasure, and delight." (Sally Clarkson)

9 Month Anniversary

9 months since I said "I do!" 9 months since my new husband carried me over the threshold into our first home. 9 months since my entire life changed. 9 months since my life became centered completely around my husband. 9 months.

As I look back over the past 9 months, I am just in awe as I see all that the Lord has done (knowing that there are things He's done that I can't see and may never see). I also feel strange thinking about how much I've grown in such a short time. I feel so much older and yet I find it hard to think that I'm old enough and mature enough to be a parent this year. That alone scares me. But God wouldn't give us this baby if He didn't think we were ready, and I rest in that knowledge.
So much has happened over the past 9 months and through it all I've grown in the Lord, grown in my relationship with my husband, grown in my relationships with my family, and grown in my roles as wife and homemaker. God is doing so much and sometimes I think I take too much of all that He's doing for granted.

It is so amazing to me how He has used the past 3+ months to teach and grow me in little things along the way. My routine is so different from what it would be if we were more stationary. It's more like I don't have a routine right now. :) One thing that I think has become part of my routine is that when we arrive at our next destination I "let things go" in a way. I know that once I need to start preparing for our next trip, I'll be packing things totally different, and I stress less over things by not worrying about keeping it all neat and organized for a week or two. Now that is NOT me! I am always so organized and keep everything so neat. But right now, until we get back to Connecticut, I am much more relaxed letting things just go until I need to prepare for the next trip. And, because of our consistent travelling and being on the go pretty much every day, that is what I need. When I was trying to keep it all together every day, I was stressing myself out and not getting much of a chance to relax. I've always been a perfectionist and although I thought I had been growing out of it, God has been working particularly on that area in my life. As I think about it, this is probably a good thing for me to be learning right at this time, because as our family starts growing, I am not going to be able to keep everything perfect every day. Now mind you, I'm not learning that it is okay to just leave everything here or there and not pick up after myself, I'm learning that everything doesn't have to be absolutely perfect all the time.

One thing is for sure, I'm always learning. There is always something new that the Lord is teaching me, and when it comes to marriage, that seems to be more true than ever! I know I will always be learning and growing in my marriage and I am just so thankful to have a Husband who is just as eager to learn and grow and is determined to keep our marriage focused on God. Marriage is not always easy because you have to communicate with someone else and you have to be willing to give up your selfish ways to include your spouse, but it is definitely the most wonderful thing in the world!

I am so excited to see all that the Lord has done just in the past 9 months and can't imagine all that he has in store for us in the next 9 months!

The above pictures were taken while we were waiting for some lunch after a signing last weekend.

Update

Well, I think it's time for a little update. We arrived safe and sound (and without too much sickness on my part) in Atlanta, GA on Monday afternoon about 1:30. We are greatly enjoying spending time with our hosts and it is nice to be staying with another couple who likes to stay up as late as we do! :) We have had lots of fun learning new games (Ticket to Ride and Carcassonne) that they have been kind enough to teach us, and I have a feeling that the next time we play, there will be much more of a "competitive" attitude in everyone. :)

I was very happy to get a bunch of yarn in the yesterday for a secret project and can't wait to get started on it!

The next 3 weeks are pretty full for Scott as far as booksignings and school events go and so I know we will be pretty busy. :) Although busy is good, I can honestly say that we're both looking forward to when we get back to CT and aren't having to always keep in mind that we have to "pack up and go" in a couple weeks!

The pregnancy is going well. I am now into my 11th week and hopefully heading towards the end of the intense sickness. The baby is approximately 2 inches long and I am just constantly in awe as I read about the baby's growth at the awesome creation of our incredible God.

Well, I think that about wraps it up for now. I hope all my readers are having a nice week and not getting burried in too much snow as that is what seems to be happening in so many states right now.

New Jersey

Wow, does time get away from me! I can't believe we're already about to leave New Jersey! It has been 5 days since we left our beloved Connecticut. I am pleased to announce that there were no tears. They came very close to breaking through, but I held them back and made it out the door without allowing them to fall. Albeit, the last 2 minutes of saying "goodbye" to my family was a bit "rushed" as my Sister put it, but I did not want to start crying when we were so close to the door. I hugged my parents one last time and almost broke down, but I smiled and said "see you soon." :) God definately knew what I was going to need, because as it turned out, at the time that we were ready to say goodbye to my family on Thanksgiving night, my 11 cousins, 2 aunts, 1 uncle, and Grandparents were all there and half of the family were watching a funny movie and everyone else was playing games, playing with toys, or whatever. It definately helped that everyone was a little distracted. 5 months isn't that long, and with the technology that we have, it is very easy to stay in touch with our loved ones. Besides, it is always better leaving everyone with cheerful attitudes than being emotional and all sad when there really is no need for it.

4:oo Friday morning came very quickly for me, but I was up and in the shower by 4:05. Scott was up and ready for the day by the time I was done and we got what little stuff was left all gathered up before taking a few minutes to eat breakfast and chat with his family before we left. However, being SO early in the morning and the fact that although my body was functioning, it wasn't fully awake, I was not able to eat more than a few bites of oatmeal before feeling a little sick. Scott went outside to hook up the trailer while I finished getting things ready, and we discovered that it was POURING outside! We said goodbye and made it to the book signing in Waterford safely, and by 2:45 we SOLD THEM OUT! We did take a long break mid-morning for some breakfast. :)

We arrived safely in New Jersey around 6:15, quite tired! :) The past 5 days have been great! Our Hostesses have been terrific, and we are so blessed to have been able to stay with them.

Tomorrow morning we'll be heading to Beaver Falls, PA and then on to IN on Thursday!

Over the past week I have been thinking about how blessed I am to have my Husband. I love him with my whole heart and can't thank the Lord enough for putting him in my life. I love watching and listening to Scott as he talks to different people about his book and I am so proud of him for following his dream. Back in the begining of our relationship we were researching the possibility of starting our own Publishing House and what that would mean for us. I am SO glad that I encouraged him to follow his dream and not to let anything deter him from doing what he needed to do even if it was a risk. To all you married women, I encourage you to take a moment and thank God for your Husband. And be specific! Don't just say "thank you Lord, for my Husband." Think about the things you appreciate about your husband and be specific in your prayer.

Love Your Husband... Titus 2:4

My time this morning is limited, as I have a full day ahead of me (when don't I?), but I could not let the day go by without sharing this with you.

Titus 2:4 says, "That they may teach the young woman to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children..."

The love in this verse is phileo, meaning friendship love - a love that cherishes, enjoys, and likes our husband. We are to value him and build a friendship with him. We should see our husband as our best friend and want to be with him more than any other person.

I am not saying that I have a problem with making my husband my best friend. He is my best friend. The above is from part of my devotions this morning. (Yes, I've finished the chapter on Submission and am now on to "A Heart That Loves".) The thing I wanted to share with you today was the following, by Elizabeth George.

"How can a wife nurture a heart of love, a heart prepared to support her husband in practical ways, "until death do us part"?
Decide to make your husband your number one relationship! Our relationship with our husband is meeant to be more important that the relationships we enjoy with our parents, friends, a good neighbor, a brother or sister, a best friend, and even our children - and the way we use our time should reflect that rank ordering!"

May you all have a blessed day, and to any wives reading this, I encourage you to ask yourself throughout the day if you're making your husband your number one relationship. Who are you eargerly sharing things with? That's what I'll be asking myself today.