First Christmas

This is going to be my first Christmas as a married woman. So many changes since last year...I can barely keep track. Now with a little baby on the way, my mind races with all the stuff that will happen NEXT Christmas! I'm tired, but excited. Sometimes I think we take this for granted but to have family that are close and care about each other is becoming a rare commodity. I feel so blessed this Christmas.

God is truly amazing!

Twelve Sleeps until Christmas and Counting!!!!

The countdown has begun and I'm really starting to get excited about Christmas! Now married and a baby on the way, Christmas is never going to be the same again. It's a little sad to say goodbye to some of the old family traditions, but there's so much excitement and anticipation as we are getting ready to start traditions of our own.

One of the most exciting things is to be able to ensure our family doesn't get caught up in the commercialization of the holiday and truly remember Christ and His birth! Reminding everyone to take time this season and think about why we celebrate this joyous occasion.

It's Christmas time!!!!!!!

Okay...I've been falling behind this year. Usually by this time I'm totally into the decorations and my place looks like Christmas. I haven't totally finished Christmas shopping and I think we have two or three decorations up. Mind you, I've been a bit busy with work, my new marriage and being...well...5 months pregnant and all. Tomorrow is the first day of December so I need to get my butt in gear!!!!

Also, on December 1st, I start wearing my "special hat". From now out until Christmas I wear my Santa hat whenever I go outside. This is the one time of year where I say that tacky isn't necessarily a bad thing.

I love being a bit silly at Christmas. The holiday has become over-commercialized but that only makes me want to celebrate more! The most important thing is not to lose sight of the reason for the holiday, the birth of our Saviour, Jesus. I have been thinking how exciting it will be in the years to come. We'll have a child of our own to celebrate Christmas with and be able to teach them the Christmas story. Gives me goosebumps!

21 Weeks and Counting...

Man...I thought the second trimester was supposed to be the time to get caught up in your sleep!!!! Last week was BRUTAL!!! Anyway, I'm getting back to feeling like my normal self again after the weekend.

Pregnancy hormones are interesting...especially when you're tired. As if PMS didn't make me feel crazy enough...now my emotions are all over the place sometimes!!! I'm finally starting to develop the official baby belly now and really feel pregnant. However, this past week for the first time I looked in the mirror and wondered if I looked pregnant or just "fat". Some of those old feelings I had dealt with when I was overweight came flooding back. I suddenly became very aware and self-conscious with my physical appearance. It actually seems silly now because I'm at a point where I really am feeling comfortable with my body and I'm proud of my baby belly. Weight issues and body image will probably always be something that I will have to struggle with at times, but I honestly now feel that food will not control my life.

I cannot believe that I am already over halfway through this pregnancy! The baby is moving at times. I'm feeling little bubble-like movements, or what I would call "abdominal palpitations" from our little baby inside me. It's so amazing. I feel these movements and it makes me giggle... just falling more in love with this little baby growing inside...a real live baby. I truly believe that I am so blessed by God to be experiencing all of this.

Sluggish, Swimming, Shopping?

Tonight I am exhausted mostly from traveling over the weekend and then working in the hospital. I hate feeling drained of energy because part of me wants to get up and do things but I lack motivation. My body doesn't handle traveling as well as I did before my pregnancy. I'm tired...but not nearly as exhausted as I was in my first trimester. In my first trimester, there were days where I wasn't sure how I was going to make it from one day to the next. By the time I was 12 weeks pregnant I was so frustrated that I had been constantly tired and nauseated for several weeks. Despite reassurances from others that it would get better, I felt like it would never end. I have to say, I was blessed that the nausea and tiredness did fade away as my second trimester started! Some people feel sick through the entire pregnancy.

I hope I feel better by tomorrow because I'm determined to do some exercise of some sort tomorrow. I've started swimming at the gym...a great cardio workout. Unfortunately, now I need a new swimsuit! I've got to figure out where to go to get a maternity swimsuit this time of year!!!! I'm really not your typical woman when comes to shopping. I'm a bargain hunter, but only if it takes less than 30 minutes to get the deals! If I go with other people, sometimes I can be in the mood to browse and try things on. Otherwise, I make my list, get the stuff on the list and get out AS SOON AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE!!! It is starting to get to the busy time of year for Christmas shopping. There's WAY too much congestion for my liking. I no longer work shift work as an RN and although night shifts were tiring, the best thing about that shift was going to Walmart or the grocery store in the morning right after work. Virtually no one else was there and it was so much less stressful to do Christmas shopping! I have only just started my shopping this year. Maybe I will just order everything online!

New Year...New Life....

Wow...it's been over a year since I posted on my blog. I think it's about time to resurrect this site so I'm starting fresh! I have SO many things I want to write about that it's insane! So, I'll update briefly on my life since my last post.

In the last year, my life has undergone a complete 180. I've fallen in love with the man who, as of June 2009, is now my husband. I've moved and started a new job in a new city. Now, I'm embarking on a new journey through even more unfamiliar territory. I am now about 19 1/2 weeks pregnant and we are expecting a little baby in April 2010! So much has been going on in my life that I haven't taken the time to write and I've miss it desperately. I've been feeling a tug in my heart that I need to start this blog again, so...here we go!

Hunger for Him

I think one of the coolest yet humbling things is that we as humans are so far from perfect yet God loves us! I am so sad that I haven't been spending time with Him lately and I'm really feeling it. We went to a women's brunch today at church and God convicted me. He is faithful and knows exactly what we need when we need it. God has truly blessed my life and I've just taken all He's done for me on my life's journey for granted. I'm generally happy with where my life is going. I have a job I love. I have some great Christian friends. God has also blessed me with a wonderful boyfriend. However, I have been struggling with night snacking again lately. I focus on the food part, but the interesting thing I've realized is that I'm not hungry at all. It might sound strange at first but my "hunger" is for something deeper. What I'm REALLY longing for is spending time with the One who is the closest and truest Friend I could ever wish for. God is the One who truly satisfies. He loves us and wants to use us just as we are. I think that's why I feel led to write this particular blog today.