A new kind of Christmas

Christmas 2012 was so different. While it wasn't our first 'married Christmas' it was our first Christmas alone... Just me, my husband, a ginormous stomach full of baby, and our pup. As much as our hearts were homesick, they were so very full. Full, happy hearts. Thankful for each other and thankful for the birth of our King Jesus. I cannot wait until Christmas 2013, when there is a sweet little crawling girl to share this time with!

Of the 5 Christmases that I've spent loving this man, I think this one takes the cake.

Home Sweet Michigan

It's the first day of December, and I sit here wearing a comfy sweater with hot coffee warming my hands.

Winter and Christmas songs play in the background and soothe me while I write.

"The branches have traded their leaves for white sleeves...
All warm blooded creatures make ghosts as they breathe....
Welcome, December, with tireless hope."

I just want to take a minute to say that I love home. I love being in Michigan and being surrounded with family. I love feeling at peace while I sit next to the wood burning stove, breathing deeply as I walk around outside, and falling asleep on the couch watching movies every night.

This is home.

But this place is not mine anymore. I have grown, I have married and left, trying to connect and build a a life in a different state with different people, different places and different feelings.

It's a very strange feeling, belonging so greatly in one place but also knowing that God has you somewhere else for a time. A time that is not defined, and for a reason that is ever-changing. It is a heart-torn feeling that I can never explain perfectly, but one that I hope never goes away.

Belonging somewhere.

Happy Weekend

It's a quiet and chilly morning here.
The weather is pulling my heart back to Michigan and its cozy fall days.

So, before hubs wakes up and before I start the cleaning list and before I shower and before I choose to get busy, this baby bump and I will make Homemade Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls. Sounds incredible, right?

Have a happy weekend, won't ya!

A Babe

Throughout the 21 years that I've been on this planet, I have had many dreams.... Whether they were big, small, whimsical, impossible or simple. I've always had a dreamer's heart.

Some of these dreams came true, and I met some of my goals. I was Pocahontas in my backyard, or Ariel on the big rock out front. I set up a museum in my playhouse for all the plants and 'artifacts' I would find on our property. I video taped my own cooking shows and sang with my karaoke machine like I was on a real stage. I had my first kiss, got my drivers license, my first job, fell in love, and earned an Associates Degree. I married my absolute best friend.

Some of my dreams came true, when others faded away.

But, as long as I can remember, one single dream has been a constant in my heart. It has filled my head more than any other dream. I ached and longed for it.

I prayed, begging God "Pease, one day, please..."

I have always dreamed, ached, prayed to be a Mama.

Throughout Middle School, High School and College, the question "What do you want to do?" was always answered very easily... "I just really want to be a stay at home mommy".

That's my dream. It is one of the true desires of my heart.

On Monday, July 16th, Matthias and I sat on our bathroom floor... Anxiously enduring 3 entire minutes of waiting on the results of an at-home pregnancy test. I knew already, in my heart, that there was a baby. But seeing my husband's face when he looked down at that plus sign is one of my favorite moments of my life.
Not being able to breathe has never been so sweet.

 "For I have prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give it to the Lord. For his whole life, he will be given over to the Lord ." And she worshiped the Lord there.
1 Samuel 1:27-28

So, little baby, here I am...your Mama.
I've loved you for forever. I have been waiting for you, but it feels like you've

always been here. You have always been mine, and I cannot wait to kiss the sweet skin that

I've been dreaming of for so long. Oh, sweet baby.

 

Thanks be to our great God, and my sweet husband...
For they are making my dream come true.

Weekend with Michigan Best Friends

What do you do when your best friends are in town?
Well of coarse, you stay up into the wee hours of the night... To crazy, unheard of and ungodly times in the morning.... Just so that you're able to spend as much sweet precious time as possible with them.

 

You go to Goodwill and find great deals, drive around with nowhere to go, spend 2 hours debating what to do that day.... only to wind up at a Chinese Buffet. You skip church and explore the Antique Mall, grill out, sit around listening to boys with guitars...

You hold those moments closer, hug your friends longer,

laugh a little harder, and cry a little longer when they drive away.

Gosh, having friends is good.
Really good.
I've missed the feeling of a best friend around me.

So very thankful for Leneigh, Kayce and Anthony for coming down and spending time with us.

This is what a house looks like after 6 weeks of complete crazyness.

I will slowly update and write posts about the past month and a half... So very much to say.

But for now I will hide away in my bedroom, read Harry Potter, take another nap or two and totally ignore the catastrophe and never-ending cleaning and laundry that awaits me.

An update in photos

There you go. There's the past 2 weeks. Kind of.