Baby Billington's newest photo shoot

Here is today’s ultrasound picture. The technician said it was our “alien” picture. The head is on the left and the face is turned to face you, so you can see the two eye slots and where the nose is. Below those are the ribs on one side.

Today the technician was just checking the heart and facial features. They could see the 4 ventricles of the heart pumping perfectly, the cavities in the brain and all sorts of things. When she was trying to get a picture of the baby’s lips and nose the baby kept moving it’s hand in front of it’s face, I think we have a tease in the family. Wonder where he/she gets that! LOL! It was neat to see his/her arms and legs moving!

Our summersaulting Baby B.

I've thought a few different times in the last weeks that I've felt the baby move, kind of like a large bubble moving around inside, but Sunday night I was absolutly sure! It was really neat acutually. I had helped lead worship and when I sat down I was hot and tired. I got comfy in the pew (if that is even remotly possible) and settled in to listen to Chad preach. I don't know if it was because the baby heard his/her Daddy preaching or what, but I could feel the "bubble" rolling and rolling around in my belly and it went on for a long time. I kept staring down at my belly, and putting my hand on it wondering if I could feel the baby moving from the outside yet, but nope, just on the inside, but did he/she ever turn and roll! it was really neat and it will only get more neat I think as the baby gets bigger and moves more often! It is hard not to get more excited now that I'm getting bigger, seeing ultrasound pics, hearing heartbeats and feeling movement. What an interesting, strange experience! Maybe the baby will do some flips for us tomorrow at our ultrasound! I hope we get some more neat pictures!

Compression Socks

So last Tuesday I had a follow up appointment after our intial ultrasound with our Doctor. We got to listen to the baby's heartbeat again and he measured my uterus, interesting fact, the amount of centimeters you measure should be very close to the amount of weeks you are pregnant! Anyway, we had all the other check ups including my blood pressure which still remains nice and low etc. We also discussed my "swelling".

Ever since Angela & Adam's wedding my feet have been swollen, to the point where most of my shoes don't fit. I don't want to stretch all of my good shoes out so I've been wearing mostly flipflops--very lovely! Anyway noone has said anything to me at work, I honestly think I can probably get away with a lot now that I'm pregnant. Anyway, the good ol' doc. tells me that I one thing I should invest in for the summer is compression socks, which he assures me are very fasionable and can be found at Shoppers Drug Mart. These socks are used to help against varicose veins, swelling etc, by pushing the blood back up into your legs. So especially where I'm on my feet a lot at school and stuff we decided it would be a wise investment. Now, I'm not so sure about my doc and fashion but I've got to say these socks aren't quite "MY" style! oh well. Now I'm an old grannie with compression socks that rise up to my knees!

Angela's Wedding

Angela is now a married woman! Although tired and sore in many places I am also so happy. Angela and Adam were married yesturday and what a beautiful wedding it was! There is so much I could say, but I am still so tired and not even really sure where to start. Angela was definitly the most beautiful bride, just radiating smiles. I know people always say this, but there was something so special and glowing about her. Adam too, was so happy, smiling and adoring Angela. He seemed stunned at her beauty and even overwhellemed at what they were committing to each other, but as the Pastor even said of both of them in the cermony several times they were both "so ready".

Saturday morning went relitivly well. None of us slept as late as we could have, all of us a little anxious to get the day started I guess. We were staying with Nanny & Grampy in town and Nanny had made us all a huge breakfast of juices, coffee, tea, milk, breakfast casserolle, some sort of maple toast casserolle thing...we were not walking away from there hungry!

Chad (the photographer and my husband) headed off to meet up with Adam for some early morning photo's and Angela, April & I headed off to get our hair done for a couple of hours. I always love this, having someone else do my hair! Angela's looked so sweet and I think we were generally all pleased. I took so long of course, as the hair dresser said "you have so much hair!" it amused her to find out I had had none for so many of my first years.

We arrived back at Nanny's around 11:30 to finish getting ready and Nanny (of course) had a pile of lunch sandwiches, cookies etc. for us to eat. Mom, Dad & Kaitlyn, Trevor and Chad had also returned so it was a full house! We ate up and then all started getting ready. Unfortuntly for me the new bra I bought with 4 different ways of using the straps was not working for this dress at all, in any of the strap positions! So Trevor (great brother-in law that he is) actually drove off to walmart to get me transparent straps just a half hour before it was time to go (did you know that was even possible! I certainly didn't) Besides that, things were running close to on time and April was highly amuzed that we had both bought the same black shoes without knowing it to match our dresses, and similar eye make up. Angela gave us both the cutest "bow" necklaces and earings, for standing up with her as she "tied the knot".

We arrived at the church about 10 minutes late (which really isn't bad at all, you have to keep the groom waiting a little while). But Kaitlyn was not in proper sorts (and likely way way over tired). She was quite cranky and wanted to walk down the aisle with Mom (Grammie to her), but then changed her mind. It didn't look like she would walk down with me (she just wanted Grampy) until the last minute when she grabbed my hand and started yanking. The pastor was trying to hold me off until the music started and I should have just taken Kaitlyn and started but I waited. The grand organ started and scared Kaityn to death and she started howling and only wanted Grampy, so much for that, she was not coming with me. I went down to the beautiful organ music and Kaitlyn's howls, then April followed and there was no way Kaitlyn was coming with her either, then Mom started back up the aisle a bit and Kaitlyn saw her, and howling she ran down the aisle for Grammie. Not ideal perhaps, but she got down there and Dad walked the beautiful Angela down to Adam. It was a beautiful cermoney (especially after Kaitlyn calmed down and began playing around the altar).

Then we took off for pictures. I'm excited to see them. Chad was doing their pictures and I think he did a fabulous job. When he gets home from church today he's going to unload the memory cards and we'll see what we have, but he definitly got some good stuff. It was such a treat to just watch Angela & Adam together, especially after everyone else left and Chad was just taking pictures of them. Really it is such an intimate moment (one of the most intimate that anyone else gets to see) and Chad just got to nearly pretend he wasn't there in some cases and just take lovely pictures. It also gave us a bit of time with them alone which was special.

Then to the reception for lovely food and some laughs at Fishermans Paradise. I had never eaten there before but it was great! I had the Steak dinner, wow it was nice and the soup and salad beforehand was amazing. There was Cheesecake for dessert with coffee but Nanny had made Angela's cake and it was far better. What a load of beautiful work Nanny did! Adam passed around the most unique Hershey's chocolate bars, that said HereTheyAre and their names on the front. Then on the back the ingrediants list was all percentages of love, laughter etc. Even the barcode on the back was their wedding date--- too cute! April & I did a combo speach thing with funny Angela stories and welcoming Adam to the family which was fun! April, I think should take up a job as Mediator or Contract Negotiator, you should have seen her trying to get everyone but herself up there telling stories about Angela! Soon enough we decorated the car with lilacs and toole and they were heading off for a few last pictures with Chad out with the sunset and river-- totally gorgeous! And the last Carson girl is married off, and very happy!

Tired, but happy Chad and I headed off to Nanny's where I got into my pj's for the drive home. I realized that there is a different tired when you're pregnant and lugging a nearly 5 month baby in belly around with you all day at a wedding, up early, down late. As I crawled out of the car into Nanny's to get into my pj's my body nearly spoke out loud to me with a "we're done", more of a statement less of a question! LOL! It was neat because although Chad was taking pictures for Angela & Adam he was showing me love by doing so. I was so proud of him, and so filled with love! Of course he is also amazing at what he does, he has a real talent for it, and I love to see him doing something he loves, even if he was exhausted and then had to head off to church early this morning.

A beautiful end to a beautiful day.... me snoring in and out of sleep on the drive home.

Guess Who? :) and ultrasound stories

I decided it would make the most sense to give myself some much needed rest the morning of the ultrasound. I had to have 4, 8oz glasses of water in by 9 o'clock, but I thought that shouldn't been to difficult as I drink a lot of water (of course I wasn't taking into consideration just how hard holding all that water for 2 hours was going to be). So at around 8:30 I got up and started drinking. I did really well actually. I figured after I got the water and some breakfast in I would take a nice, soothing, long bath to focus my attention on something other than the fact that I needed to pee.

Now upon further contemplation I can see the lack of wisdom in taking a bath and sloshing around in warm water when ones' bladder is full, but at the time it seemed like a great idea. Anyway, needless to say I could hardly stand myself while taking the bath and decided that although it was a definite battle of the will and I would be victorious, I should nonetheless cut the bath short. This description hardly expresses the emense discomfort and selfcontrol I was trying to excercise at the time, as I spoke harshly to myself, prayed to God for help, it was quite the moment!

So I stood up to shower and when I did, I peed. It is mortifying, but I'm sure (NOW) that I'm not the only Mom who has peed, but at the time I was so upset with myself, giving myself a tongue lashing about being a terrible parent with no self control, and if I couldn't even do this right, and we got a terrible ultrasound picture because of my lack of self control, how would I ever be a good parent. As is often the case with me it was quite dramatic.

So i got out of the shower and for penance made myself drink all of the water again, hoping it would have time to fill up my bladder in the next hour before we had our appointment. Upon further reflection, again, I could have figure out that my bladder would probably still be full of water and this step was not so necessary, but in the heat of personal disgust, it made sense to drink it all again.

We arrived at the hospital just on time to sit in admitting, my bladder quickly filling, only to find out we should have gone right to radiology. Arriving in Radiology they have that pull tab process of getting signed in. We pulled tab even though there was noone in line and Chad was muttering, ok it was too loud to be considered muttering, about not needing to stand in line. I was trying to hush him down when another patient came through and took the next number and they called his. Chad then proceeded to flip out saying loudly "wait! we were next, wait!" Iw as mortified, as I believe the next patient was as he quickly said "oh, ok, you go ahead." Ah my overexcitable husband. he wasn't angry, just excited.

Then we had to wait, and wait we did, for 45 minutes. My bladder at this point hurt so much, I put my hands down my pants to pull my pants away from pressuring my stomach (cute picture eh?-right) anyway, I had decided that this was the ultimate test of parenthood and if I couldn't do this, I couldn't really be a good mother at all, so I was determined. Meanwhile Chad is trying to get me to have my picture taken infront of the ultrasound sign, or discuss some article, or what I would like for lunch, I could do nothing but concentrate on not peeing myself and the agony I felt. So instead, Chad makes friends with all the people in the waiting room, finding out when they are due, what their stories are etc.

Finally! they called my name, I went in and laid down on the bed and it is true that it really isn't so painful when you're lying down. Anyway it only took the technician a minute before he informed me I was way too full (I explained what I had done and he shook his head telling me I would have likely still been full enough had I not drunk the second load of water) and he told me to go pee it off. I thought, with fear and trembling, he was going to tell me something crazy like I've heard them tell others about just peeing a bit off, I knew there was no way I could do that.
When I returned, feeling much relieved, actually like a new person in may ways, he proceeded to do his work for 20+ minutes until he called Chad in. Then he showed us the baby's hand and arm, foot and spine and head, also we saw his/her heartbeat beating nice and strong around 160 beats. It was pretty cool, although it felt way too short, I would have liked to have seen more. he then printed us off these two pictures and booked us for another ultrasound June 20th, because he didn't get as good a picture as he wanted of the heart. Pretty neat eh!

Baby Billington 17 weeks, 6 days: June 5th, 2007

Look! A dream come true! I have my own lilacs!

so tired

It's been an interesting week and I'm tired. Tuesday and Thursday night the choir was out at the studio recording. What an interesting process. I realize that some people really are not open to constructive criticism... I wonder how they make out in their jobs, relationships etc... I'm the strong opposite in this situation, I firgure if someone isn't telling me how to better do whatever I'm working at they are doing something wrong! that doesn't negate of course, the importance of delivery...but I'd really rather know if I'm doing something wrong then find out later in a worse way. So recording was interesting, and a very very long time to stand on your feet!

We saw yet another finale of the Marriage Course Wednesday night. It has been such a privilge to make this happen and offer it to people. It is a good course, the trick with everything is getting out of the rut and busy with putting it into action!

Tomorrow Chad & I go to a breakfast, usually a monthly mens breakfast in Upper Kingsclear but this time it is for wives as well. Chad is speaking at it. Should be a neat experience. Then friends of ours have a house warming in the afternoon.

There is more but...
I'm sleepy...I think I need a nap.

The Baby Bump

I woke up this morning with a baby bump on my left side. It was so weird! Sometimes I can tell where the baby is in my stomach just by pushing on my stomach. The area the baby is in is usually very hard and kind of tender...I think would be the word you would use to describe it. Anyway, today there was no pushing necessary. Just by putting my hand on my stomach I could feel exactly where the baby was. The left side of my stomach was huge (well it felt huge to me) and hard and full feeling, the right side, sqwishy. Weird eh? This pregnancy thing is really quite strange. I've got a leaner!

Next tuesday we have our ultrasound, that should be neat! I'm looking forward to it. I just hope we can make some features and things out and it's not just some sort of blob on a screen and the technician is trying to make us see things. We'll see soon enough I guess! Hard to believe that I'm already at 17 weeks!

Shelley's Birthday

We had Shelley in for her birthday supper last night. We had all of her favorite foods, fiddleheads, squash and banana bread instead of cake LOL! I think she had a good time, even if it was just with us! LOL! here's a pic of her and her fake birthday smile!

Singing Singing Singing! and the baby moving?

Today was a Singing, Singing, Singing day. At 9am (ok 9:15 for me) the choir gathered for the day to practice our songs for the new SSC CD coming in the fall. We go into the recording studio next week. This should be a neat experience. I wasn't a part of the last CD recording at SSC, so I'm looking forward to the experience. At the same time, it is going to be an exhausting week.

This week Chad and I are busy Monday night(birthday celebrations), tuesday night (recording), wednesday night (final night of The Marriage Course), thursday night (recording), Saturday morning Chad's speaking, saturday afternoon we have a housewarming party and then sunday is all day church again. talk about a wild week, even for us!

Then next tuesday we have our ultrasound. That will be strange and neat. I think I may have felt the baby move for the first time last night. I was laying on my side, finally cooling down (thanks to Chad's ingenous ideas and thoughtfulness) and I felt this blourp, blourp feeling. It didn't really feel like hunger, or butterflies, or even gas like everything I've read told me it would, the only way I could explain it was with a sound "blourp, blourp". The first blourp I just laid there, wondering, the second I thought, "wait a minute I don't have gas :) (I know you wanted to know that), I'm not hungry...that was different"... The third one I said to Chad, "I think I just felt the baby move." It was neat. I'm sure that soon enough I will know for sure. Betty Anne assures me that when I have to stuff the little foot back from between my rib cage, I'll remember back to these days of wondering. :)

Lemonade escapades and other weekend adventures

It's been another busy bunch of time.

Wow, so much has happened, here's a run down. Chad's Nannie Whitaker from Bar Harbor came up to stay with us for a week (we love having her come visit, she is so much fun!) and the whole Billington-Whitaker-Howell crew took off to PEI for Doug's graduation cermony Mother's Day weekend. We managed to put a good many kilometers on our car the first week we had it and it has treated us so well, God has been good to us. While there we also manged to squeeze in 10 minutes at "Cow's" so I could get an icecream and a baby onesie with "Don't cry over spilled milk" for our little one on the way. I was soooooooo excited about this, you can't even imagine...unless you know me and know how crazy excited I can get about the little things.

Mothers day was that Sunday and it was really strange for me. They always give all the mothers a rose on Mothers day, but I didn't figure I really qualifed yet this year, but someone brought me over a rose...then several people made different comments on the way out...some thinking it was sweet I was a mother, others thinking it was a bit premature, I found it confusing. So I went home and had a nap while Chad got ready for his sermon.

The next Saturday Chad & I attached the house....AGAIN. Basically we finished what we had started a few saturdays ago and got the sparebedoom moved over to the study, the stuff from the study moved around, throw out or put in storage and left an empty baby's room...a blank slate for later creativity. What a huge job! We just kept pushing and pushing until finally at 10pm when I bent over and wasn't so sure my back muscles were going to pull me back up, I decided to hit the sac for the night.

Monday was Angela & Adam's wedding shower. We went down to Mom & Dad's Sunday night after Chad finished preaching. Monday morning Mom fitted me for my bridesmaids dress...which, honestly, I'm wondering how stunning I'm going to look, not because the dress isn't nice...the material is beautiful, the colour is stunning...but I just am sooo big. I don't look pregnant yet, just FAT...anyway that is another ramble altogether. Kaitlyn on the other hand is LOADS of fun! I love that little kid so much! What a blast she had out in the strawberry patches with Grampy, and flowerbeds with Grammie, I got some great pics! The shower was great too. Angela & Adam had a great show of support from family and got some lovely gifts, I think they were pleased.
We came home last night for a lemonade escapade. I sat a glass of lemonday down on the coffee table beside my laptop, sat on the couch and reached for my glass only to knock it over, it went for the floor but I thought I would try to catch it, splattering lemonade all over my keyboard. I gasped and was speechless, Chad heard the gasp and flalling around faster than I could even think he jumped from his seat, hung my laptop upside down and pealed out the battery throwing it on the floor (it is at times like these that I see just how very different we are!) So all night and all day today we left it upside down drying out and praying....

Tonight I am happy to announce, Chad took my computer all apart and it looks like it is fine and is opperating quite well. It was a long day wondering and hoping....although I did manage to do all the laundry, fold and put away, go through a bunch of clothes, disgard and reorganize and spring clean the bedroom, walls, windows etc. in the interm!

So that's up to now....so much going on.....

Baby Billington's Heartbeat

Today Chad & I got to hear our baby's heartbeat for the first time. What a strange experience. Don't get me wrong, it was neat, but so strange. All this time we've known we're pregnant but now, now it seems a bit more real. At times I have thought, ok, there is something growing inside of me, but today it was like, wow, there is a little person with his very own heartbeat growing inside of me! A very very different feeling. So Chad & I are just kind of in the "wow" fase I'd say.

Chad of course recorded the heartbeat so we can listen to it as aften as we want. The next big appointment is the Ultrasound, now that will be really strange I'm sure. It was weird though, I have prayed endlessly for this little person since we found out we were pregnant, but today, today I felt like I was starting to love him, it's just so surreal to think there is a little someone, with his own little heartbeat growing inside of me....I guess I hadn't put much thought into it before...I wonder who this little person will be?

We have growth!

I'm soooooooooOOOOOOO excited! I went out to dig around in our flowerbed this afternoon, this was one of last years projects that I started before we went off on our huge vacation and left it untended for about 3 weeks, well probably more like 4 or so, and of course we don't have a clue about gardening, and we have GROWTH!

I had noticed the other day that the rose bush looked like it was going to come back, or at least a part of it, and the bleeding heart that I was sure and completly died off is shooting up and, the yellow bush thing is flowering beautifully, our lilac bush as some major blossoms happening and the tiny dead roots from Sharon's last years daffodils have sprouted into the sweetest tiny little daffodils I've ever seen..... then as I was pulling up weeds and pushing around multch, low and behold 5 shoots of lilies (I think)!!! You should have heard me hollaring to Chad, "Chad, Chad come here I found another one!" I'm just sooooooOOOOOO excited! I've always wanted my own garden and I have absolutly no clue about any thing gardening whatsoever, but we might get a couple flowers yet! Woooooppeeee!

Our New Car

At long last we have a vehicle again! thanks to God for getting us a great one in our price range and keeping up away from others that wouldn't have been so good.

Chad's Birthday

The Billington Egg Family

My crazy sister April made Chad & I the Billington Egg Family for Easter. I absolutly LOVE them! Check them out! Baby Billington in the back seat LOL!

Preparing for Baby Billington!

Well Chad & I have been busy these last two days. Last night we got right to work after BUYING A CAR!!!!! Wooopeeee! We've now got a great little Corolla-- praise God! I think it will serve us well. We were so blessed to have everyone helping us out these last 2 months but I must say i am SOOOOO happy we now have our own vehicle!

Anyway, as I was saying before that aside :) Shelley came over (good ol' Shel, always there to help) and we tackled the heavy furniture I'm not allowed to lift (they say nothing over 10 pounds when you're pregnant!), so we got the living room in order and the study furniture cleared out. I washed walls and windows as well, so the living room is in great condition. Today Chad and I tackled the kitchen, pantry etc. Basically we went through and reorganized and cleared out the junk, making room for the baby. It was great, well it wasn't fun at all, and I did take a mental break and physical nap in the middle, but it is great now that much of it is done. So the next big thing to tackle is the odds and ends in the study that need to find a home, then we'll move the spare bedroom furniture into the study to be the new spare bedroom, then the old sparebedroom will be blank slate for a baby's room.

Sounds like a plan....anybody have any great ideas of nursery decorating? We're taking ideas, oh and baby girl names....we haven't been able to find anything we like yet....

Progressing from continual naseau to sporadic projectile vomit?

This morning started off interestingly.... after having 2 days 'sans travail' last week with this blasted sinus, chest cold thing and unable to take anything, I thought I was feeling better, although a far cry from my usual self...but will I ever really see that person again? Anyway, I was actually running just a touch early which is exceptionally strange for me considering my absolute distate of early morning, UNTIL I decided to brush my teeth. For some strange reason, was it the baby, the cold-sickness, the orange juice, the toothbrush or the thought of going to work, I don't know but I started vomitting profusely right in the sink with the running water and toothpaste. I mean this was serious stuff, and I hadn't had anything to eat since 4:00 Sunday, so it was just 1/4 cup of orange juice 10 fold. It must have multiplied in there...anyway my 1st trimester of nausea has stopped I'm just hoping that is not opening up the doors to a 2nd trimester of actual vomit. It really is a disgusting thing!

Having said that, I did manage to get to work this morning, and by 10:30 was feeling somewhat human. What a difficult proffesion to be involved in when you're ill though, really, trying to put on a happy face and teach all these impressionable children, yikes it can be tough stuff!

I made it through the day, came home had some supper and nearly lost it down the sink again and then started playing the piano. It was wonderful! I haven't just stopped and played the piano in so long. What a wonderful way to spend 1 hour 1/2! I haven't felt this refreshed (spiritually) in a long time. How wonderful to just sit peacefully in His pressence, singing and playing for just Him and me.

I am suprised at how much I'm missing Chad, don't get me wrong, I knew I'd miss him, it's just that being quite self sufficient and independant, living on my own for years and I think, ah well, I can handle it, and I can but...I prefer not to. Life with Chad is good, it's great actually. I couldn't have imagined a better husband and friend. He loves me like I never imagined anyone would, he makes me laugh constantly, he loves God wholeheartedly, and he just makes my everyday better. It is sad that it takes him going away for a week to really remind me, or at least make it more obvious to me. I am anxious to have him back home with me (he flies in Thursday night). I am at the same time so excited for this opportunity for him and so anxious to hear all of his stories. At present he is at some retreat in the mountains of Calgary, I imagine it is beautiful and he isn't able to contact me, but I spoke with him Saturday night/Sunday morning at 1am and he had lots to share. Pray for him, that God would speak to him in a special way, if you think of it...

Well I should really head to bed, am I cautious to have more water before bed because I'll have to get up in the night to pee, but at the same time I've been soooooo thirsty! ah the dilema! Tomorrow I've got cleaning, laundry and a sleep in in the works, oh and grocery shopping! sounds like a day eh? and maybe I'll make some more time for me and God at the piano.... tootles for now!

The BIG update

It has been a long time since I've last blogged, mostly because I haven't been feeling well and I've been so tired. As most of you know by now, Chad & I (well me physically I guess) are pregnant, yup 12 weeks. What an interesting 12 weeks it has been! Morning sickness that lasts all day, smells I used to love turning my stomach into absolute upheaval, crackers replacing so many meals (I never want to see another cracker again!), reoccurring naps that last for hours, and yes I want another one! And other physical changes that noone talks about or greatly underexagerates! Now THIS, is an interesting adventure! Certainly not the plan at this point in our marriage, but I'm holding to the fact that many of the best things in life aren't planned.

Honestly though, this last week, with a couple of exceptions, I have been feeling much much better! Hopefully I am one of the lucky ones and at 12 weeks can say goodbye to all-the-time sickness! Of course I do have a list of things to stear clear from: cheese, raw onions, curry, red meat, anything greasy, icecream (can this kid really be ours?)....slushies are where it's at!

I've taken my two choirs (Grade 1 & 2, and Grades 3 & 4 & 5) to the music festival in the last week! What a blast! I was soooooo proud of them! What dollies! and a fun expereince for me. The last time I was at the Music Festival I was competing myself, in Moncton! it's been awhile.

Last weekend, Chad & I went to Moncton to help my sister Angela move. It is hard to believe she is married in just a couple of months! I am so excited for her and pray she has a wonderful marriage. It was nice to be able to help her with some cleaning at the new place, and of course Kaitlyn was a blast to play with, what a fun little girl! She worked tirelessly along side of us, cleaning with her own mop, broom and dustpan! I love to hear her laugh and giggle!

Doug (Chad's brother) is down staying with us for a few days. He graduates University in just a few weeks and then is headed off to Europe for a few months with his girlfriend to see the world! How envious I am! He has quite the route planned out! It should be exciting for him!

It seems every evening for the next while is full with the next run of The Marriage Course, the choir preparing to record it's new CD, family events, wedding showers, moving, getting ready ourselves for our own little one on the way, graduations, the music festival, lesson planning, Chad is away much of May on conferences and staff retreats....sooner than we realize summer will be here!

Well I'm sure that's enough update for now, maybe I will be able to update a little more regularly now that I am feeling better. Later!

My Classroom: The Final Product

As you know I've been working on decorating my music classroom for quite some time. I finally got the pics back, so here's the final product!

Farewell Car

Here we are in Houlton ME, saying farwell to our good ol' Nissan on March break.

Books: so many books, so little time

You bold the books you have read and italicize the books you want to read.
(you'll have to use the "format your note" to find the codes for it)

1. The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. The Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
.50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb))
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller's Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ann Brashares))
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marqez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According to Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

Only 39 out of 100, and I thought I was pretty well read...I guess not according to this list!

but EASTER is here!

I don't have much time tonight because I've wasted enough, managed to not clean the bathroom yet again, and it's getting toward the later hours of the evening and I must hit the sac. BUT EASTER IS HERE! Well it certainly is for us Smythe Street Cathedral people. Easter is certainly a highlighted time, to say the least, as SSC. We're in full swing toward our first production tomorrow night at 7pm. If you haven't planed to come as of yet, COME!

Tickets are cheapo and productions are Sunday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7pm, with an extra matinee Friday at 2pm. Come see Jesus again for the first time! and I'll be sure to update with pictures etc, as time allows!

check us out on You Tube!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84RuYer-zWo

Watoto Ugandan Children's Choir

Sharon, Autumn, Savanna and I went to the Watoto Ugandan Children's Choir tonight at Brunswick Street Baptist Church. These children have all been orphaned by AIDS and then adopted into the Watoto village in Uganda. 8 children are given to a family with a house mom and dad and they are taught school, sent to collage, there is a nurse and doctor for each community, and of course they learn about the hope found in Jesus. They are beautiful children full of life and joy despite the hurt and trouble they have survived even though they are so young, it was hard not to be moved by their stories and shinning faces.

For Sharon and Autumn of course, the evening brought back many memories of their time in Uganda several years ago. It is obvious they both left much of their hearts with the Uganda people's. I hear that even the locals believed Autumn was Uganadan when they would hear her come chattering down the street with the other children. I can only imagine all of the stories and moments they have cherished in their hearts.

What beautiful voices they have! and man can they move!

It was interesting watching them with Savanna after the concert. Autumn and Sharon went up to say hello, one little girls Grandmother was from their village or something, and she immediately took Savanna in her arms and then passed her down the line of children to oogle over. Sharon tells me that in Uganda children love children and are expected to be a part of taking care of them. Autumn said that when they were there, although she was only 6 the children would ask why Sharon and Gary didn't have another baby for Autumn to take care of. Interesting isn't it.

How I wish I/we could do more, epecially concerning this AIDS epidemic. What Watoto is doing is really wonderful. Check out more here : http://watoto.com/

Bam fumes!

So yesturday, prior to hearing about Mom being in the hospital, I decided that tuesday should be "clean the house day", I don't usually work on Tuesdays. So I ran through vacuming and cleaning the bathroom with this bam stuff that burns in your nostrils for hours later. After mopping the floor it was quite wet and I had a friend coming over for a visit so I decided to open up the door and let the nice warm air help dry the floor quicker. Then I hopped in the shower to get cleaned up after my cleaning extraveganza. Crawling out of the shower I realize the floor feel cold, and low and behold I check the kitchen and I'd left the door open. Absent minded or what? As Dad said when I told him the story. Even a robber knows better than to walk in on a cleanly scrubbed floor! I blame in on the Bam fumes!

Mom

Well Mom gave us all a scare, including herself I'd bet, yesturday. I recieved an email from my sister April yesterday around noon saying Mom had gone into the hospital with severe chest pain first thing that morning. talk about scary. There is a huge amount of heart history in Mom's family and even though she is just 47, heart disease seems no respector of age when it comes to her family. Needless to say we were all very concerned. Chad & I borrowed a car and headed to Moncton in the mid afternoon. They had the pain under control by the time we got there and she was more tired than anything but they kept her overnight and gave her a stress test this morning. She passed and they sent her home with more tests booked for next week and instructions to rest at home until Monday. It is so scary, makes your life stop up short and quickly reevaluate what really matters. Thanks for all your prayers, please continue, it's hard to get much rest with a baby in the house.

International Dinner strikes again!

Last night we got together for our Internation Dinner again, it was a little sooner than usual with Easter quickly approaching on all of our day timers. It was Jamaican night and I must say I think Chad's Jamaican Jerk Pizza was a huge success! although a touch to spicy for some :) a couple of the men started hacking and turning beat red! but the rest really loved it. We had quite a spread: cocunut curry chicken, some sort of Jamaican root pancakes, a fish dish, Jamaican salad Chad's pizza and an amazing sugary cake--sugar high! The food was really great.

The guys eventually worked their way downstairs to the hockey game where Chad informed me they discussed deep issues, and us girls sat around a Cranium game, laughed and shared stories. It was a great night! We didn't draw for where we're going next time... I wonder. None of us realized last night until we got together that it was St. Patricks Day and we should have been going to Ireland! LOL! Oh well. Jamaica was great!

Unfortuantly I spent the rest of the night in bed feeling very sick and unable to sleep, so this morning I'm home resting up for tonight's services (we've been going going going ever since our Holiday in Bangor and even Chad is really really tired, which is saying something!) Another week is on hand and I haven't had enough time to prepare for it at all. Faster and Faster she goes!

Well I best clean up the kitchen, it looks like the kitchen ferries that help Chad make such wonderful food didn't clean up the tornado that has struck in there!

tired eyes

so we're still looking for a car, but thankful for good friends and family who are helping us get around town to work and things. Hopefully tax returns will be able to be processed soon! Photo's of my ever so cool music classroom are soon coming this way, I just have to take a pic of those piano keyboard curtains before I stun you all with my amazing decorating abilities. Easter's on the rush, just a couple of weeks to go! and more exciting adventures to come. This is a short post but I am sleepy--night.

Always an Adventure

well it seems that no matter how hard Chad & I might try, adventure awaits our every turn. as much as we longed for a quiet, uneventful 3 days away, it wasn't in the cards I guess. It started off all on the wrong foot.

Sunday morning Chad woke up late and running. usually he gets up around 6:30 to be at church for aproximatly 7:30-8:00. he work up at 7:29am--yikes. So he was running around frantically and got me out of bed to drive him into work. Stuffing his cherrios down his throat we took off for church. the lights were all red so I took the side streets to get there. I wasn't going quickly at all, but rounded a sharp corner and hit some black ice and slid us way up into a snowbank. Not the prettiest start to the morning. Chad did manage to push us out quickly and get to church.

Then Sunday afternoon as Chad put the finishing touches on his night sermon, I frantically tried to get our house in order, washing laundry and dishes, straightening up my curtain projects, making the bed, packing for myself and Chad, who because he got up late hadn't had time to pack for himself, buying the head light bulb for the car that needed to be switched, we thought, actually it was a messed up wire, loading the car at 5pm I was running late for my 4:30 practice for worship for the night service, and a touch flustered, and actually not feeling well.

We did get through service without any casualties and we were both excited to get on the road and out of town for a relaxing vacation. from then on in things were great until we got to our destination, Bangor, at 11pm Canadian time. Then, almost as soon as we got to the hotel (a step up from the hostel last summer) I got sick, and remained sick, running to the bathroom every few minutes all night and into the late afternoon Monday. Ah well. From then on in we watched lots of t.v. and slept, we even skipped out on breakfast (which is saying something with Chad along) just to lay around.

Monday afternoon (as I ran to the bathroom) we went downtown for some yummy padht tai for a late lunch and then wandered around a bit in the freezing cold. Bed, Bath & Beyond was next on the list of places to see and Chad found a really cool knife block for our wedding set that doesn't have slots but little rubber things-pretty cool, he was very excited. Then to Burlington Coat Factory where Chad had to pull me away from all the cutsie childrens clothing for our neices, we did come home with one little outfit for each of them. a little more wandering at Borders bookstore where we both found books we wanted and talked ourselves out of and left on the shelves and we found ourselves at Chili's for supper--oh yum! I love Chili's and we had the most amazing chocolate lava cake for dessert! Then back to the bookstore to buy our books and back to the hotel to read and watch House and I fell asleep pronto- Holiday is so exhausting! :) A perfect day (minus the running to the bathroom!)

Tuesday we were up a bit earlier and got some continental breakfast in and then watched some more cheesy Hallmark channel before we headed out the door. yes, we had to go back and look at Chad's knife block at Bed, Bath & Beyond and Linin's and Things to see if they had it, then to the Olive Garden for a yummy lupper. We did then go wander around the mall where we found the Yankee Candle Shop and I COULD have spent tons of money, if we'd had some, instead I got 2 votives, one smells like icing! That was it of interest at the mall, so we went to Starbucks for a Chai and Carmel Machiatoo and then to the Movies, where they have this amazing tuesday deal, a ticket for $5.25! We decided to go see Wild Hogs and I couldn't recommend it enough! LOL! I laughed so hard I thought I might pee myself and I will definilty have to see it again! Go See it!
We went back to our hotel/hostel and lit my icing candle and ate some ringolos and watched some t.v. before we called it quits for the night.

Wednesday came nice and pleasant with no signs of trouble (foreshadowing) and we pulled out after our contenential breakfast to hit the road early for home. We left bangor around 10am and made plans to be home around 1pm. We decided to stop off in Houlton after a pleasant drive to gas up with cheap US prices. Stopping at a red light I put the car in first gear, well I tried, and it wouldn't go, so I rolled into the Irving. There we messed with the car but to no avail. Chad found a little shop around back the Irving so he pushed it back there where we found out that the clutch had gone and they weren't able to fix it until thursday, and it would likely cost us $300-$500-- yikes. Money we didn't have. The guy was great and showed us how to drive without a clutch, our goal was to just get the car home and we'd make a decision about what to do with it once we got it on our own turf.

We FILLED THE CAR WITH GAS, yes FILLED IT, to the top, right to the brim, and got in to pull away and bam, the clutch blew all the way and the transmission may have gone as well. Things were not looking good. Long story short after a run in the cold to walmart for a calling card, a rediculous amount of phonecalls to find my dad at work for his opinion, we realized we just weren't going to be able to afford to fix the car and as a '92 it didn't really have much of a leg to stand on anyway. So in the freezing cold we cleaned out our car and said our farwells (Chad a little distraught it hadn't rolled over to 300,000k --it would have had we made it home) and got ahold of Good ol' Shelley who was on March break and agreed to come to Houlton to get us.

Waiting in the Irving with all of our belongings as they towed away our car for the crusher, face pressed up against the window, I will admit I had a moment of extremly overwhelming financial worry. Wow, we hadn't planned on paying for a car with our income tax return, we have weeks to wait for it to return...what do we do until then? yikes. happy holiday. Hard not to wish we hadn't run away to Bangor to hide out in a hotel for 2 days, hard not to wish a lot of things, but glad of a lot of things too, it didn't go on the highway when we were miles from anything, it hadn't gone in Bangor, farther from home....

So it was after 6pm when Shelley picked us up at the Irving. We pulled into a Tims for coffee (and maybe we'd roll up the rim and win a car?!) this side of the border only to have a transport haulling crushed vehicles come in behind us-- ironic? I think.... like rain on your wedding day, and a free ride when you've already paid.....

So that's our holiday adventure. I blogged I wouldn't have anything to blog about when we got back, I was so wrong. Adventure follows us.

A Mini honeymoon Retreat

I'm excited! Chad & I are escaping the snowy business of Freddyville tomorrow night after services for a few days of absolute NOTHING! literally that is our plan. People say to me, what's in Bangor??! NOTHING! yeah! We are going to go and sleep sleep sleep, eat at a couple of our favorite Bangor restaurants, and sleep sleep sleep, maybe do a bit of reading if we get enough sleep in to allow us to keep our eyes open long enough! maybe a swim at the pool, and of course a mini hunt for some adorable clothes at the Burlington Coat Factory for our adorable neices! That's it! yeah!

It works out really well for us that Chad is able, or is making himself able, to take a couple of days off while I have march break and before things get really really crazy with Easter practices etc.(they've already begun to be quite busy). I can't even begin to express to you just how much I am loving the thought of getting away to somewhere we can't possibly do ANYTHING!

I'd tell you I'd blog all about it but I'm sure there won't be ANYTHING to write about! YEAH!!!!

PS: all the painting of my classroom is DONE, COMPLETO! so I've got one last piano keyboard curtain to finish and the classroom will be fini! On to bigger and better things! I'll be sure to take pictures (I'm just way way too proud!) and post them!