(especially bored on bed rest)

The Rules:

1. Post the rules at the beginning
2. Answer the questions only about yourself
3. At the end of the post, tag five people and post their names, then go to their blogs and leave them a comment so they know they’ve been tagged. Ask them to read the sender’s blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know you’ve posted your answer

What were you doing five years ago?

I was about to start college…and for the life of me I can’t remember where I was working! : )

What are five things on your “to-do” list for today?

1. Rest
2. Sleep
3. Not get my blood pressure up : )
   
4. Pee into a jug for the doctor… gross!
   
5. Wait for the baby!
   

What are five snacks you enjoy?

1. Icedream from Chick fil a
2. Cereal… Cheerios
3. Cheese and Crackers
4. PB & J
5. Fountain Coke… I don’t know if that counts as a snack?

What are five things you would do if you were a billionaire?

1. Pay off last bit of our car and pay off our house!
2. Mark could work for free with Canvas… and of coarse we would give to Canvas!
3. Would find some other young couples or families who are working to get out of debt and pay off there’s.
   
4. Go on Vacation… a couple times!!!
5. Ok then I would have to go shopping…new clothes and redecorate the house…. buy some books… I don’t know… we are far from the Billionaire mark!
   

What are five of your bad habits?

1. I am a worrier…

2. I can be bossy… ask Mark or more so my sister.

3. My car is usually messy… it drives Mark nuts.

4. Sometimes I would rather get more done than doing it right… but I am working on that one!

5. I love to eat out… too much!

What are five places where you have lived?

1. Bradenton, FL
2. Macon, GA
3. Memphis, TN
4. Collierville, TN
5. Powder Springs, GA …. hopefully soon I can add Savannah to the list!

What are five jobs you’ve had?

1. Nanny
2. Chick fil a
3. Spotlight Dance Director and dance teacher
4. After School Worker
5. Substitute Teacher

Now I tag people:

1. Just Talking

2. Livin’ for today

3. Betsy and Adam

4. Life with the Tanners

5. Livin’ with Layla

Well, we went to the doctor yesterday and got some good and bad news… but mostly good! It looks like my blood pressure is back up! This is not too good and weird because I have been on bed rest now for two weeks. I get to do another 24 hour urine test…fun stuff! The good news is, because of my blood pressure and threat of preclamsia, they are scheduling us for an early induction!!! It looks like we may have a baby by this time next week! We also get to have a sonogram Thursday which I am really excited about but I guess that is nothing compared to the possibility of seeing him in person very soon!

We should know a lot more by tomorrow! 24 hours seems like such a long time!

I had to link this to my site! This is a video from my sister-in-law’s blog of our niece and nephew. Layla is so smart and full of personality! Tanner is so sweet and will soon be Trey’s buddy! This video is adorable! I love them both!

This word has haunted me over the last three years. It is especially haunting me right now as I am on bed rest awaiting the arrival of our first baby. It has been two weeks into this venture that it finally occurred to me that I might should ask God what He wanted to do with this down time I was now facing.

I thought maybe there is some exciting project I could work on while down… maybe I could help Mark get some things rolling and on paper for Canvas, maybe I need to try to devour every parenting book there is …. maybe that’s why God hasn’t allowed Trey to come yet…. I need to be better prepared.  So I threw the question out there to God and waited. The weekend came and went and I forgot I asked Him about it. Then this morning God answered me… not in a way I expected… in fact I thought it was my husband’s voice resonating in my ear because he has said this many times before….

God simply said … “I want you to rest and I want you to enjoy it.“

Why is it so hard for me to accept the fact #1 that rest is good and #2 that sometimes God simply wants to bring joy into our lives? I forget so many times that God is my Father. He acts out of love. The other day I came across a passage in Deuteronomy. It reminded me of the gentle and caring nature of God.

“For the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted inheritance. In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye,” Deuteronomy 32:10

(especially if a 9 month pregnant woman)

I write this mostly as a reminder to myself later of things I will not say to another girl who is pregnant.

10. “That’s funny…I think your nose has gotten wider“

9. In response to I feel sick, my back hurts, my hips hurt, ect … “I’m sure that’s normal” -Mark only said that once!

8. “How much weight have you gained?“

7. In the early months… “well your not ‘that’ pregnant” - what? how does that work?

6. … “I had the worst labor and delivery….let me tell you about it…“

5. “Did you know sometimes epidural s don’t work?“

4. “What if your baby is a hermaphrodite?” - who wants to think about that?

3. ” What if your baby really isn’t a boy? What if the sonogram was wrong…wouldn’t that be funny? - NO! You know what any comment starting with “What if” is off limits!

2. “Big people have big babies” … and yes my doctor said that to me… I will spare you the comments that went through my head after that one!

And the #1 thing not to say to a pregnant woman….ESPECIALLY a 9 month, due any day pregnant woman (hint hint : ) …. “How far along are you? Oh…you still have weeeeks to go… in fact I was 8 days late with my first one…  first babies never come on time…. oh yeah…. you have a while!” - to someone who is pregnant all they hear is… “You are going to be pregnant forever… I hope you enjoy not sleeping… needing a crane to get you out of bed… going to the bathroom every 10 minutes….not being able to see of feel your ankles….only being able to wear one pair of shoes…. having random contractions that add up to nothing… and feeling as big as a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade balloon … because you have weeeeeks and weeeeeks more of it!”

If you are pregnant or have been I know you understand! : )

I have had a lot of time to read lately. I am not a huge reader. I don’t read for pleasure. I have to be reading for a purpose otherwise I get bored. I am also one of those weird people who read like three and four books at a time. Once again, I get bored with just one. It depends on what mood I am in as to what I read.

I always have a book that kind of themes what God taught me that summer. I thought I would share and recommend some books I have read during the summer over the last couple of years….

This summer I have been reading “Walking with God” by John Eldredge. I am almost finished and this one has been great!  He takes you through a practical journey of what it means to talk to God on a daily basis. John is very open and honest about his relationship with God. It is an easy read. You feel as if you are sitting at Starbucks having coffee with a friend.

Last summer, I read through Donald Miller’s Blue like Jazz. I heard him speak at a conference last summer and decided I had to get one of his books. Once again this one is an easy read. Each chapter is unique and he freely writes with little structure. I really enjoyed the book though. He made me think. I don’t know if I agreed with him 100% but I love to read things or listen to people who stretch me outside of my comfort zone. This book is an authentic and unique conversation about Christianity.

In the summer of 2006, I read Making Room for Life by Randy Frazee. If there is any book that changed my perspective on family, community and the church this is it! His ideas are at times idealistic but as a whole the principles out lined have the potential to transform and truly “make room for life”. Mark is reading this book now and has been blogging about it here.

In 2005, I read what is now my favorite book Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. The book is (some what) modern twist on the book of Hosea. Hosea is my favorite book of the Bible and Francine Rivers brings the truths of this book to life in a beautiful way! I have few words but to say this book was amazing! I finished it a little over a week at 4:30 in the morning. It is one of those books you can’t put down. If you have not read it… go and get it today!

These are just a few great ones I thought I might recommend. Happy reading!

In a couple of weeks or days (if we are lucky), Mark and I’s friends and family will be crowded in a small waiting room awaiting the arrival of our baby! In the meantime, I feel like Mark and I are trapped in the eternal waiting room of you know where….sorry just have to be honest. I feel like we are waiting for everything right now (the baby, selling our house and Savannah) . I am feeling restless and anxious and very pregnant! Yes, I know God has a purpose for it and I know all things work in his timing but my goodness! I am restless!

Anyway… no more complaining! This baby will eventually come out right?! : ) The good news is we are ready! We even have the car seat buckled in the backseat just in case! We have had some awesome showers! Our friends and family have given us more than we need! He has more clothes and shoes than we do but I hear they go through those fast!

Hopefully we will have more exciting news to report soon!

Well we are finally here! Some days I feel like I have been pregnant forever and some days it feels like we just found out. I must say I have never been more impatient about anything in my life! Something about hitting that nine month mark has made me crazy! I am ready to have this baby!

The doctor put me on bed rest : ( He is pretty sure I have toxemia, which is apparently some kind of blood pressure problem. According to my “What to expect book…” it is found in only 5-10% of pregnancies, usually with older women or African American women…so I am not sure how I struck this jack pot! All the symptoms match up though so I think once again the doctors know what they are talking about : )

God’s timing is so good though. Mark and I have been wrestling with the whole ordeal of selling our house. We have come to a complete stand still on it. It is a good thing though. Having people look at the house right now would not be very convenient  to say the least! We also had an Open House a couple of weeks ago which no one came to but pushed me to get the baby’s room finished! So now his room is mostly complete and the little things I want to do can be done sitting down!

I realized the whole issue with timing on selling our house is not as much a trust issue as a surrender issue. I know God is big enough to do it but will I surrender to His timing? That is really the issue! He has all this in control…including when I will have this baby…which is hopefully soon!

Well I did say that I wanted to make something…. this is what my mom and I have been working on. I am proud to say I overcame my fear of the sewing machine and did make the flags for his curtains and the bumper pad. It is not quite complete but I couldn’t help but share : )

Whenever I check my blog stats, there is always a google search for the three words above. I think this is so interesting. I have found almost everyday I have someone going to the previous post I wrote on being called to ministry. Two things: First, I find it crazy people want to read what I have to say about ministry. Second, seriously… EVERY DAY people are googling this topic! That is crazy?! God must be working on some hearts out there!

Any way, I digress, God has been teaching me something else about ministry. The ministry He calls you to is specific to you. He calls us as individuals with different passions, personalities and abilities for a reason. I have come to realize there is a specific ministry God has called me to that no one else can do because I was created for this purpose.

Let me explain…

I used to feel guilty about this but I am learning not to. I love the church! Mark and I really do. I love people who don’t know God and really do want them to know the joy and peace found in Christ. But if you want me to get really pumped up about something, give me a small group of girls to disciple or kids to teach! Mark and I love working with other couples! We love small groups! What we are most passionate about is equiping the Church be the Church! What upsets us most (especially Mark) are unhealthy churches…. inward churches who care only about themselves. I think it is just an indicator of where our passion lies. Mark is a prophet and I am a teacher. We just plain love the church.

I think when you get into church leadership you feel like you should have a “passion” for everything from feeding the homeless to setting up chairs on Sunday to leading the youth group. Maybe some do but I believe God gives each one of us a specific passion, desire, and call that only we are equipped to do.

We had a Core Group meeting for Canvas on Sat. My dear friend Erin was talking about her heart for the homeless people down in Savannah. She was so passionate in her speech, it lead her to tears. Obviously this girl has a heart for the action! Now me, (this may be way to much of an open honest look inside my heart) I thought, “Hmm those people really need to just get a job. Wait… I mean, did I just think that… No… we need to help them get jobs…yea…okay that’s a better thought” : ) God has helped me to boil down my ministry with Canvas to these three things: #1 My family… creating the best home environment for Mark and Trey. #2 Building Relationships! I cannot wait to meet other moms at the park, meeting neighbors, developing small groups etc. #3 Partnering with Mark in ministry…protecting him, helping him and kicking his butt when he needs it : ) For one way or another, God is glorified when I serve him in these areas. They are what He has called me to do and these three things fire me up! For so long I thought these things were unimportant or pretty weird areas to be called “ministry” but they are my ministry and I love it!

In closing, (I know this has been long and appreciate you reading it to the end) remember as Christians we have all been called ministers. We all have a ministry from glorifying God in your workplace to just being a mom to leading a church! So if you typed in “called to ministry” in a google search bar, know the answer is “yes” if you are Child of God! So ask God what your ministry is, get going and serve passionately!