warm, unending summers

Get your walk on!

2012-02-16T18:48:00.000-08:00

At around 4am or so my parents made it to our house so it was nice to wake up with them being in our house ready for action! So the sun rose and by 8am(maybe earlier) I could not lay down any longer and it was time to call Nina, Julia's assistant and tell her my water had broke. I gave her the scoop and she told me to get walking to try to help the contractions to come on stronger and more consistent since I wasn't having ANY by this time.
So the 4 of us went out for a walk around our condo complex! I had a few contractions while walking but looking back... I couldn't even really call them contractions compared to what I experienced later. But over all I do feel the walking helped bring on the contractions which was what we were going for!

I feel like in most cases labor comes on strong on it's own and women don't have to "work" to make contractions come..they just come. And usually they walk to distract themselves and work through the contractions..so already by this point in "labor"... if you could even call it that yet...things were not going as I had expected. I was thinking I would be trying to "ignore" the contractions and try to relax through them...you know..use all the techniques we learned in birth class to help with pain!

I remember being on the walks and thinking.."wow, this is easy"...little did I know..little did I know!

But, I have to say that even though I was tired from not sleeping the night before the walking with my parents and Tristan was really exciting. The anticipation was so high and I just LOVED that!

Here are a few videos of our walks:

A sleepless night..

2012-02-15T15:47:00.000-08:00

So the 21st spilled over into the 22nd. We were still awake at 12am getting things done around the house because the day before I got behind on house work and EVERY meal I made or project I started I didn't clean up. I just let it all slide. I can remember telling Kaye I had to stop doing that so I didn't go into labor when things were a mess!!! I still can't believe I said that to her because sure enough..that is what happened. It just happened to happen a lot sooner than I had anticipated!

I changed into something I thought I would be comfortable laboring in and something that would be modest enough to take pics and hang out with family in.

I had just been given a sheet of instructions from my midwife on what to do if my water broke maybe a week or 2 before. One of the instructions was to not call her if it broke after 10pm and things were ok(clear amniotic fluid,no temp, good fetal movement,etc, etc.) and I was not in active labor. Another instruction she gave was to get some sleep. So once we were done getting stuff done we decided we would TRY to get some sleep. This was A LOT harder to do than we thought it would be.

Here are a few videos from the wee hours of the morning on 11.22.11:

Take note of how chipper I look in this video...I was obviously feeling NOTHING!!! :) And we were so naive as too the long hard hours that were a head of us!

Take note of how Tristan describes my contractions in that video, "stronger menstrual cramps." That's for sure what they felt like at that time. Little did I know what I was experiencing was NOTHING compared to what the contractions would feel like later.

So at about 2:30 am after trying to watch a movie on the bathroom floor Tristan and I both got really hungry but we didn't have much food in the house and what we did have needed to be prepared, and neither of us felt like making any thing. I got a text from my BFF Kate at 2:30am offering to do whatever we needed...actually she had sent the text a lot earlier BUT my phone was being stupid and I got it late. So thinking she was awake Tristan called her and asked if she could bring us some food...not realizing that we were waking her up! Ugh..I felt so bad... but Kate didn't skip a beat and was over to our place with a spread of great labor food. I am so glad she came over because the memory of the 3(4 including Levi!) of us sitting on our bathroom floor eating together at 3am is priceless.

When Kate let we tried to go to sleep. Tristan climbed back in our bed and I stayed on the pallet on the floor by the toilet since the contractions were still making me feel like I needed to pee all the time!

I tried to go to sleep and I think I did some but there was a really loud thunder and lightening storm that kept me awake more than the contractions. Actually I don't think I was having any contractions a little after I tried to go to sleep. And there started the trend of my on and off contractions, something I never expected.

A video

2012-02-15T13:59:00.000-08:00

Here is a video that I forgot to put on the post for 11.21.11. It's a video Tristan took right after my water broke. It's a sweet memory to me. I remember just looking at Tristan thinking how we were about to go from a family of 2 to a family of 3..it just took a little longer to get there than I had expected!

11.21.11 - My water broke!

2012-02-06T14:50:00.000-08:00

Ok..time to backtrack and capture memories from where I last left off in my pregnancy..........

It was 11.21.11.

I was 38 weeks and 2 days.

Seemingly a normal day.

Me and Elijah at Whole Foods.

I had went with Kaye and Elijah to Whole Foods earlier in the day. Funny story about that..Tristan had said, "going to Whole Foods may be doing to much, you might go into labor." I laughed and told him I would be fine.
NOTE: we didn't want me to go into labor yet because in order for Tristan to get an extra 3 weeks of paternity leave added to his time off he had to have been with PWC 3 months and it wouldn't be 3 months until the 29th of November.

I took these pictures of my belly:

Fortunately I had just bought the car seat a few days before.

And..not that we needed it right away but we had put together the crib the Sunday evening before.

Later that night my water broke at 10:27 while laying in bed. I had had no signs of labor yet. Tristan had just gotten home from a short run and was walking around the room. I felt a pop and next thing I knew I could feel a gush of fluid. Fortunately it was clear with a little light bloody show. Tristan brought me a towel to sit on and it just kept coming for about 2 minutes. I felt like I had to pee so I went to the toilet peed and had to poop...just like I had read. We called my parents at about 10:45 to tell them and then called Tristan's parents at about 10:55. I then took a long hot shower, blow dried my hair, brushed my teeth and put on makeup while Tristan scurried around emptying the trash, doing laundry, dishes etc. I then started doing a bit of prep work...taking off our good bedding, getting out the mattress cover from the birth kit, taking my cal mag supplement (just like my mom did right when she went into labor), and taking some Emergen-C. Still no "real" contractions...just some light braxton hicks, a little more trickling of fluid, and good baby movements.

That was about it for 11.21.11!

what i learned from em

2012-01-15T12:29:00.001-08:00

I have this friend ..who is very organized and because she is ...she is able to (in my opinion) use the amazing gifts God gave her to the Max!

I have been so inspired by her and all that she does since I met her! She is gifted in many of the same ways I feel I am, except she has the gift of "getting it done"...jealous? Yeah...but I have been asking God to change me. To remove the selfishness and laziness that hinders me from being a good steward of my gifts ...and heck...even having more joy by planning and making time to do the things I love!

I have felt God's spirit showing me that I needed to re-evaluate myself, my gifts, my life. To TAKE TIME. To PLAN. To ask myself, "what am I doing? Who am I living for" I often just fly by the seat of my pants. Go with the flow. Let life just fly by. Without intention.

Well Emily, my friend...just happened to post several posts on her blog about how she plans, organizes and structures the different areas of her life. Eureka! Thank you Lord. Help in the very area I needed it..that came from the exact person I wanted to learn from! Thankful? Yes!

Tristan and I were very encouraged by her posts and we plan on sitting down and taking stock, planning and organizing when his accounting busy season is over at the begening of march. We have dubbed this our "new year" time.

But before then I am praying Levi takes some naps that last longer than thirty minutes so I can get started on this all...NOW! Maybe the house might even be clean and I could sip some hot tea while I do it?

OK...that's probably asking for to much....but it sure sounds nice! :)

So, what you have all been waiting for..the links to Emily's posts!! Please go visit her for awhile and leave her some comment love! Follow her even eh?

http://emilyorodriguez.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-obligatory-new-years-post-part-1.html

http://emilyorodriguez.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-obligatory-new-years-post-part-2.html

http://emilyorodriguez.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-obligatory-new-years-post-part-3.html

http://emilyorodriguez.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-obligatory-new-years-post-part-4.html

Still Alive

2012-01-08T19:18:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to let you know...inn case you were wondering...I am still alive! And we are no longer two but THREE!! :)

I have this weird mental block towards blogging until my house is clean...I guess I view my blogging time as a treat? Anyway....this past week was all about me and Levi and Tristan settling in...and honestly I didn't get much done other than a little laundry and caring for my 6 week old son.

WHAT...I have a SON...and he is SIX weeks old all ready...crazy!

So after being gone for 2 weeks over the holidays our stuff exploded when we got home and Tristan and I are still trying to clean up and re-orgainize the damage!!

But soon folks..I will return and catch up! There is SOOOOOOOOOO much to tell.

Until then, here is a little teaser:

Christmas 2010 Part 3

2011-11-21T19:02:00.000-08:00

Pictures from a wonderful evening with Angelo and Spiro at their fantastic Greek restaurant. They know everyone that comes in because they come and sit down with you and visit. We loved our evening with them.

Christmas 2010 part 2

2011-11-21T15:37:00.000-08:00

Paul and Heidi, Christmas morning.

Curly morning hair on Christmas day and eating in PJ's...perfect!

The amazing traditional German meal Heidi made for us: Yeager schnitzel..sooo good!

Paul and Heidi's super cute place!

Goofing around and sooo in love..what's new? :)

Yes, the little towns in Germany are really this cute!

Christmas 2010 Part 1

2011-11-21T10:38:00.000-08:00

I have been reminiscing through photos as I upload new ones and I realized I never got to do a post on our trip to Germany to visit Paul and Heidi(Tristan's sister and brother in law) last Christmas. Tristan and I have been talking about that trip a lot in the past few days and we just can't get over the amount of wonderful memories that we made with Paul and Heidi last year. We had them all to ourselves for 2 weeks and let me tell you we had such a good time I don't think Tristan or I have words to express what a blessing it was to be with them and have so many adventures together. It was SOOOO much fun!

Now the four of us are embarking on a new adventure..parenting boys!! Heidi is about 25 weeks pregnant with their first boy just like us. So though those 2 weeks were some of the best times Tristan and I have ever had...I am convinced the best is before all of us!!! :)

The pictures above are from our little jaunt to Prague

the 4 us made. We LOVED Prague!! The place we stayed was awesome, Ferdenand's our favorite little place to eat was awesome, and the beauty and history of the city was just as fantastic! Oh, and I can't forget to mention that the prices in Prague really surprised me. It was cheaper for Tristan and I to go out for a full fancy meal in Prague than it is here in Austin. This really was a shock to me because when I went to Italy and France with my family in 2005 it was CRAZY expensive to eat out. Prague seems like a great place to do Europe on the cheap..if you can just get there!

Babymoon: Hanging Lake

2011-11-18T07:22:00.000-08:00

Today I am doing a little backtracking, just to make sure our memories are documented somewhere.

Tristan and I got away to Colorado the 16th-26th of August for our babymoon. We love to travel, we love Colorado, and we have a free place to stay in Vail so we couldn't resist heading up there. I don't remember how many weeks pregnant I was at that time and I'm too lazy to try to figure it out right now...but I wasn't uncomfortable at all on the drive there and back and I was able to enjoy all my fave activities..hiking, jogging..etc! It was wonderful to get away (especially since Tristan started his job with PWC on the 29th of August) and we hope we never stop doing it. Although, I could go anywhere..or nowhere with that man and be perfectly happy. Everyday with Tristan is my perfect adventure! We didn't take many pictures..as usual...but here is what we do have...pictures from hiking Hanging Lake.

Hair Cut?

2011-11-11T06:18:00.001-08:00

Normally my hair grows really slow, but since I have been pregnant the growth really has sped up. I am super thankful since February of 2010 I cut it quite a bit above my shoulders....and though it was cute and fun for a bit I quickly tired of it and longed for my long locks again. EVERY TIME I cut my hair that ALWAYS happens. You would think I would have learned a long time ago that I am most happy with my hair when it is long! Sure sometimes I see short cuts and want to try new things but since that February the urge comes and goes rather quickly. I know better now. I am a long hair girl. And even though short may seem easier to some to take care of...it's not for me..at all.

Since February I have been growing my hair out and just trim it occasionally in the shower, but I think it's time for a little professional help. I'd like it to grow out in style!! Since I am about to become a momma and shortly after hit 30 I thought it would be fun to go somewhere special to get my hair done. So for my birthday Tristan is sending me to a place here in Austin called Lucy Skyrocket . I found the place online through the salon finder on naturallycurly.com

I decided if I was going to get my hair done professionally I wanted to do it right! I wanted to go to someone who had been trained and was REALLY experienced with curly hair. Emily at Lucy Skyrocket had really great reviews, a good resume, and was the least expensive..which doesn't really mean much..it's still going to be outrageous to go there..BUT....I want a really good cut...and to do something special... so... I'm taking the plunge and splurging! She does dry cuts on curly hair which is what I was looking for. One time years ago I went to a salon on South Congress called Pink and got my hair trimmed up a bit and the girl did it dry and it was the best cut ever..even though she didn't cut much off at all.

Needless to say I am really excited to get a little more shape to my hair so I have been pouring over photos and ideas of what I want. I'm planning on not loosing any overall length....only about a 1/4inch to get off the dead ends...add some long layers...and get some bangs (maybe...it depends on what Emily says and if she thinks it will work for me and my face shape etc.).

So here are some pictures of my ideas.....what do you think???? Will this look work for me? Be honest! :)

That's just a little sample of what I was able to post to the blog...for the origins of these pics and LOTS more (including most of my fave styles) go check out my Pinterest Hair Board where I keep all the lovely hairstyles cataloged so I can easily show Emily when I go to my appointment!!!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Austin Shower

2011-11-09T16:02:00.000-08:00

October 29th we had our 2nd shower hosted by several of my dearest and nearest here in Austin. There are TONS of pictures from this party and I didn't have to take a single one! Thank you Kristy and Jana..you ladies know I love the details! These ladies know how to host one hip party..let me tell you! I couldn't believe all the time and attention they put into so many details..it was ..like I said on facebook..."Pinterest Worthy!"
Yet again we were blessed by another amazing baby shower. I left with tons of wonderful, practical gifts, lots of love(so many ladies came!), and a full belly. Thank you friends for blessing us SOO much!

There was a station to write wishes for the baby. What everyone wrote was so sweet. Tristan and I loved reading them and of course I cried. Our boy is already so loved.

Super cool S's everywhere...since that is the boys only initial right now...no names picked out yet and I am pretty sure if you ask us between now and the delivery we still won't have an answer!

T-shirt making station. They had a little area to iron on super cute decals onto little boy baby shirts!!!

Awesome yarn wrapped S that Em made. I even got to take it home and now our living room is rocking it!

Mily and Dily(also known as Dinie and Kaye)

Xylenna and the awesome carriage fruit bowl she and Tim made! So talented!

The hostesses

Amazing food!!!

Ties...he's a Jcrew meets REI kind of baby! :)

Indiana Jones Summers(and I think I am even missing part of the name suggestion you gave)...It's ok Em...I won't steal that name from you guys! You and Dan can sleep in peace tonight! :)

(: Friends :)

Kaye..you made a "taggy" for the boy?? I was really excited if you can't tell.

Me and Judy(Tristan's mom). She always says, "I'm the mom"..now she get's to say, "I'm the grandma"
And can I just take a moment to say .."bless her"... for raising such an awesome son. If our boy gets married one day and I can give his wife as awesome of a husband as she gave me then I will be one happy momma. Little boy...you have an amazing daddy and grandma! Oh and let's not forget how wonderful it was to have her and Grady come to Austin from San Angelo for the weekend. They did SOOOOOO much to help us get more things ready for baby, we had a wonderful time visiting, and they even got to go to church with us on Sunday!

A table full of chocolate for me???? Oh my!!!

Lovely artwork from Zoe and Teya

Awesome mobile Kate made me...this picture does not do it justice..you have to come over and see it! The girl knows me!

Henna Belly

2011-11-09T14:34:00.000-08:00

Addie, Molly, Efrim, and Jullian traveled all the way to Austin for my shower and they came over a bit before the shower so Molly could Henna my Pregnant belly! Molly is an extremely talented artist(Henna is only one of her MANY talents folks) so I was honored to have some of her art on my belly!! Thank you so much Molly for such a lovely gift!

Efrim and Jullian are adorable...Tristan was smitten with these two boys!!

My 35 week Henna belly!

Corpus Baby Shower

2011-11-09T14:20:00.000-08:00

While I was in Corpus several wise and wonderful women who have known me for years threw me a lovely baby shower for our little man. It was a perfect for the start of fall and our little man on the way!

I was so blessed to be in Mrs. Hallocks house yet again(she threw us a wedding shower there about 4 years ago) surrounded by women giving us priceless advice and laying hands on me to pray ...just like 4 years ago when Tristan and I got married. I am so blessed to have so many Godly women in my life...they are part of my heritage and inheritance! And I am so grateful!

We were also blessed by lots of gifts too! Plenty of clothes, books, gift cards, etc all around...and even our jogging stroller from the hostesses! It sure helped us start to feel more prepared and excited!!! Thank you ladies for a sweet afternoon! It was wonderful!

I was listening intently to Shereen tell a home birth story of a friend of hers!

This picture of myself cracks me up....I have so many like it over the years.

My lovely Grandma Ellen and Aunt Alana looking at my baby album. I think in this picture they were marveling how young my dad looked when I was born! :)

FOOD!!!!! And lots of bow ties and mustaches!

Notice the pineapple, and the man props(a vintage camera and pipe, donated by John Ryan for decor)!

Check out the adorable mustache cupcakes made by Ginny Fahl (she made my wedding cake too...pretty cool huh?)

I love this picture because I don't think I have nay pictures as an adult with Mrs. Lyons. I just love that woman.

33 weeks

She was trying to stick out her belly to imitate what my uncle Sam(my mom's younger brother) and I do both times we saw each other while I was pregnant.

Mother, daughter, and boy!

Our little family!

Avery's Bachelorette Party

2011-11-09T13:53:00.000-08:00

Since my last post on October 13th ALOT has happened! Here's a quick re-cap and some pictures from Avery's Bachelorette Party!

October 11-16th I was in Corpus!

October 14th Avery's Bridesmaids(which included myself) threw her a Bachelorette Party(pics of the party below).

October 15th my sweet Ave became Avery Smith! Her wedding was lovely..perfect in every way really.. and I couldn't be happier for her and Geoff. I couldn't stop the joy I was feeling seeing her marry the perfect man for her, while I was standing there pregnant with our boy and Katie was standing there pregnant with her second. I just couldn't(and never want to) get over God's goodness, faithfulness and beauty to all three of us over the years. For those of you who don't know my parents and Katie and Avery's parents have been friends since 1977 and the 3 of us grew up together. I can honestly say I don't remember a time in life without them. Though distance and busy lives makes it difficult to for us to stay in touch like I would like they will always be dear to me in ways like no other.

October 16th We had our first baby shower in Corpus...more on that in another post!!!

October 18th, 19th and 20th I got a crazy cold that basically had me bed ridden for three days. All I could do was sleep. My parents and my Grandad and Grandma left the 19th(??) to go on a Safari in Africa and and a cruise to different spots in the Holy Land.

October 25th we traveled to Floresville for Tristan's Grandma Mills(Judy's mom) funeral on the 26th. She passed away after a long battle with Dementia/Alzheimer's. It was a lovely service and amazing to see all the offspring that came from Marjorie and Judson, MANY of which are musical and sang at the funeral! Judson and Marjorie have 5 children, 15 granchildren(8 boys and 7 girls), and 15 great grandkids(14 boys...which includes ours and Paul and Heidi's on the way...and 2 girls..including Abigail who passed away as an infant). And that does not include all the spouses of the grandkids! It was wonderful to be with everyone..I feel so blessed and honored to be a part of the Mills family!

October 26th(1am)- woke up with vomiting and diarrhea that I had for about 10 hours straight. It was not fun and it took me at least 2 days to recover. Apparently I was one of about 7 family members that got sick after we were all together at the funeral.

October 29th- We had our 2nd baby shower in Austin. More to come on that in another post as well.

That about sums up most of what's gone on...come on back though for there is more to come in other posts!

Now enjoy the pictures below of Avery's party!

32 Weeks

2011-10-13T08:38:00.000-07:00

Saturday was 32 weeks which means counting down the weeks is in the single digits! This is fun yet crazy unbelivable. In birthing class Monday and in the apointment with my midwife I heard again that the average gestation period is 41 weeks and 1 day so I decided to start telling everyone my due date is the 10th or 11th of December. I know first time moms are generally over due anyway and I have been saying "December 3rd, give or take a few weeks" when people ask when I am due but I kind of feel like saying "I think around December 10th" from now on since it's more likely to be around then anyway. Whatever the case at this point I don't feel attached to any time period or date....I know he will come when he is ready!!!

Below is 32 weeks by the numbers(an idea I got from one of my fave blogs right now, http://babynhm.blogspot.com/)

1. Weeks Pregnant: 32

2. Days Pregnant: 228

3. Blood Pressure:106/58

4. Baby's Heart Rate: 152bpm

6. Weeks left till "due" date: 8

7. Days till due date : 52

8. Items packed in hospital bag : 0-no need to pack a bag if we are staying home!

9. Hours I predict to be in labor: 8-30 hours...I'm trying to be realistic!

10. Time I went to bed last night: 12am (I am in Corpus, so I am living it up with the fam!)

11. Hours of sleep I need to function: 7-8, but sometimes I take an 11am nap..although I haven't done that in a week!

12. Time of day I am most exausted: 7am and 11am

13. Must finish items on our to do list : 1293745747283726372!!!!!!

14. Most miles run at once the past week: 2

15. Times I got a morning workout in the past 7 days: 0(does running up and down the stairs cleaning the house count????)

16. Amount of keegles I am suppose to be doing every day: 200-300!!!

17. Number of Maternity Clothes I have outgrown : 0 (although I have outgrown almost all of my regular clothes by now except for a few tank tops, some large size T's I bought early on, and 3 pairs of pants I can still wear with the Bella band)

18. Stretch Marks: 0!!!!

19. Times I think about the little guy: countless!!!

20. Showers I take each day: um...I think I was made to live in Europe folks...that's all I'm saying! If I haven't worked out or don't feel like I need one..it usually doesn't happen. I'm very "green" with my showeing habits that's all!!! :)

21. Items of clothing I have bought to wear post baby : 0 (I don't really plan on buying anything until I get back to my pre-preggo weight..then I might give myself a little treat shopping spree! Although, I do plan on buying some steller nursing bras 2 weeks after the baby is born once my milk has come in.

22. Squats I do a day: 129057348347...... Any time I do something where I would typically bend over I have been squatting...I love it! It's so much more comfortble and hopefully it is a habit that will stick post delivery since it's so much better for your back and thighs. I also maintain a sqautting position for several minuites before I go to bed and when I wake up. It's a great exercise to prepare for labor and help the baby to not be breech.

23. Number of Bradley Classes attened: 4, with 6 more to go! I LOVE our Monday night classes

24. Average number of times I get up to pee at night: 0-2. I know...I know..I'm lucky...remember folks...I'm a nurse and I have super bladder skills! I also pee like 3-4 times before bed and several times right when I wake up!

25. Number of races I have registered for post baby: 0..so far..but I plan to register for this :http://zoomarun.com/texas/ and maybe even this: http://republicoftexastri.com/athletes_course.asp

26. Days till our first baby shower: 3!!!!! I am SOOOO excited!!

27. Baby Classes Down: 2(a cloth diapering class and a la leche league meeting)

28. To go: 0..although I will probably keep attending the begening of the month la leche league meetings.

29. Midwife appointments left before D-day: 6 I think

30. Maternity leave length: I'm a stay at home mom now folks so ....indefinate for a while!!! Although I would like to do a little soemthing on the side to make a little extra money!

31. Times a day the little boy gets hiccups: 2-3...and it's adorable! He is such a cutie already guys...really! Espically when he plays games with me. I poke and move my hand around in different places on my belly and he "pokes" back...ohhhhhh....I love it so..he is SOOOO cute!!!!

32. Times I have been sick with a cold while pregnant: 0. SO thankful for that!!!

33.(since I am almost to the start of my 33rd week): Pounds gained so far: 22

Pregnacy Reading

2011-10-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

That is the stack of books that currently resides on my nightstand. Notice a trend? It's pretty much all about baby care and natural childbirth! We are really trying to get ready over here and make sure we educate ourselves as best we can. Sometimes it seems like a lot and sometimes I feel like I want more to read. Below I am going to give a little snipit of each book from top to bottom.

1. Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way. If you are interested in natural childbirth I highly recommend this book. True, I don't know from experience that it's great but the process of reading it with Tristan and attending a Bradley childbirth class has been AWESOME! The book teaches you all about your body, and everything it does during labor and delivery(the 3 stages of labor, anatomy stuff, etc). It also teaches you relaxation exercises, and exercises to help your body prepare for labor. But one of the things I like most is the way it involves the father(or "coach" as he is referred to in the book) in the whole process. I could go into more detail about this book but I'm saving that for a whole post about our childbirth classes.

2. The Happiest Baby on The Block. I honestly haven't read much of this book yet. I have really only skimmed it. It seems mostly about quieting a fussy newborn and tips to help them sleep longer. It's a pretty practical book and not as controversial as some other books I have read about newborn sleep. To me it's a lot of baby basics that the author calls the 5 S's swaddling, shushing, side stomach laying, swinging(walking/bouncing while holding baby), and sucking. It also shows different positions for relieving gas, and how to burp your baby,etc. My mom taught me most of this stuff when I was young while helping her work with babies at church so I felt the book was not too ground breaking....BUT if you haven't spent much time holding and soothing a newborn then I think this book could be REALLY helpful!

3. Babywise. Where to start with this one? To me the book is mostly about getting your baby to sleep well by getting your baby on a good feeding schedule which they call Parent Directed Feedings(what babywise says I gather is the opposite of On Demand feeding that is talked about in Attachment Parenting...I had no idea what a hot issue this stuff was till the last few months...YIKES) . I feel like the book is the how's and why's of accomplishing good sleep with baby through the schedule and feedings. I love this book and then I don't. I feel like the scheduling and full feedings make a lot of sense. I like how from the beginning of the book they place emphasis on the importance of parents providing security for their child through nurturing their relationship with each other and not neglecting it. I also thinks it's true that little ones need the structure they talk about in this book. The book also talks about Child Centered Parenting and how it can hurt the family. Tristan and I don't desire for our son to grow up thinking he is the center of the universe so naturally we agreed with their caution against letting your child call the shots. And of course I LOVE LOVE LOVE the idea that my child could eventually sleep through the night and nap during the day. There were a lot of other concepts in the book I appreciated as well and a lot of this book we may some how apply. What I did not like about the book is how it acts like their way is the only way! I also don't like how they discourage rocking your child to sleep and baby wearing. I understand not wanting to use sleep props such as these and wanting your child to self soothe but I think you can still throw in some baby wearing and rocking here and there and it won't hurt anything. And then there is the whole VERY controversial...dare I say..MOST controversial part of baby wise: letting your baby cry it out. I'm not even sure I want to comment on this part. Let's just say that I don't think it kills your child to let them cry or that it damages them for life but I do think many times your child just needs your comfort and attention. There..was that vague enough? :) All in all I am glad I read this book . I am thankful for how much it made me think and pray and ask the Lord for guidance.

4. The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. I am not very far in this book yet but I think I could safely say it's the Bible of breastfeeding books since it's put out by La Leche League. It is full of GREAT breastfeeding tips and seems to answer any problem a breastfeeding mom may be trying to troubleshoot during the stages of breastfeeding. I really don't have much more to say since I haven't read the whole thing but from what I have read it seems to be more of an attachment parenting book and in a lot of ways would conflict with a lot of Babywise stuff. No matter what your parenting preferences and convictions are this seems to be a GREAT book if you are planning on breastfeeding!

5. Vaccinations, A Thoughtful Parents Guide. My midwife just gave this book to me so I haven't even opened it yet. I'm not against vaccinations but I am not sure if I am for ALL of them either...we shall see. I have a lot more research to do on the subject.

6. Natural Childbirth and the Christian Family. I'm only a 1/4 of the way through this book so I haven't really got into the meat of the natural childbirth section which is what the book is mostly about. My mom read this book back in the day and found it really helpful so she sent it our way a few weeks ago. The approach of the beginning of the book is pretty cheezy. It teaches a lot of concepts by going through this Christian couples story. That said though the concepts are solid and actually the part where the couple goes through premarital counseling and talks with the counselor about sex is by far better than any of the books we read before we got married. Even if your not interested in natural childbirth the beginning of the book is a good read for couples about to get married. I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of this book!

7. Spiritual Midwifery. This book is a trip! Originally published in 1976 this book was birthed during the hippy/ free love days of yore. I think I am a 1/3 of the way through this book and I just LOVE it! It's quite entertaining. The first part(which is where I am at still) is basically just story after story of women and their natural childbirth experiences. They are lovely, encouraging, and make me so excited about Labor and Delivery. They are pretty psychedelic too. :) Many of the women talk about L&D like they are on a drug high. Not sure what most of these people believe but it's pretty spiritual. They are all over the board from talking about the Holy Spirit, to changing bodies with their midwives during rushes(what every woman refers to contractions as), to everything else in between. They describe the hormones and the intensity of laboring and delivering is like a natural and spiritual high like nothing they have ever experienced. Though a lot of their talk is pretty far out there I love the women's perspectives. They all believe in the process, in what their bodies can do, that their bodies were made to do it, and that it's a natural and beautiful experience that can be enjoyed even though incredibly trying and difficult. It's so different than the modern American perspective of labor and delivery. I peeked through to the last half and it's more technical, more of a guide to midwives, which should be pretty helpful and informative. And I mean this book is written by Ina May Gaskin who is pretty much the Queen of all things midwifery in my book so how could it not be awesome? This book was also another book my mom sent to me to read.

8. What to Expect When Your Expecting. Pretty sure most people have heard of this book. The title pretty much says it all. This book tells you most everything you could experience during every week of pregnancy. It's the first book I started reading. I haven't really read a lot of it ....mostly just the week by week stuff that talks about what's going on with your baby. That's the best part....and it's really exciting when Saturday rolls around and we get to read a new week. I guess you could say this book is kind of a classic for pregnancy.

9. The Baby Book. This book is HUGE and full of ALL kinds of info on newborn care, breastfeeding, allergies, circumcision, vaccinations, feeding solids....etc...etc..etc. I don't know if this is for sure but I kind of gather that Dr. Sears who wrote this book is the attachment parenting guru?? Not sure. This book does talk about attachment parenting but it's so much more than that. It talks about newborn breathing patterns, what to expect for babies first poos and so much practical and medical stuff that parents need to know. It's a great reference book and could help a lot of parents avoid trips to the doctor.

So that's all of them. Reading in preparation for our son to come has been LOTS of fun but I noticed a few months ago that I was getting overwhelmed(which I think is normal even if you aren't reading a table full of conflicting books), wondering what really are the right things to do, questioning the instincts I feel God has given me with babies and children, and rethinking everything I had ever thought about parenting.... so I actually stopped reading for a while. During that time the Lord gave me a lot of peace and reminded me that He is my guide and that if these books had all the answers I wouldn't have to turn to Him and follow the Holy Spirit. HE gave me confidence, encouragement, and renewed my joy about becoming a mother. So I am back to enjoying my reading and thanking the Lord for how he has already used this parenting journey to turn me to Him. I know this is only the beginning.

If you have kids or know a lot about them, what books have you read? Read any of the books above? What did you think about them? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

And here is a pic of my belly I took last night. Notice how you can't see my feet? Yup, the boy and I are growing!!! :)

Diaper Bags

2011-10-06T07:17:00.000-07:00

So for some reason, finding just the right diaper bag has been a big deal to me. I guess I keep thinking about how I won't be carrying a purse with me anymore(unless the boy is not with me). My wallet, keys, phone, nalgene, and lip balm will just be thrown in whatever I choose for a diaper bag and for the next few years until the bag wears out I will be using it everyday. That in mind, I want to REALLY like the bag. And well...I just love bags...they might actually be my favorite accessory.... so having an excuse to buy a new one is just swell.

I started looking on-line at the stores I had registered at and didn't really find anything I liked...which didn't surprise me..I can be super particular so off to my other favorite places on-line I went: Etsy, Jcrew, Madewell, and Pinterest.

Etsy was too overwhelming. TONS of pages to look through and lots of stuff to wade through that wasn't my style. Jcrew and Madewell had a few options but the best results came from pinterest. It really has become my favorite place to search for anything I am looking for. Pinterest yielded the highest amount of bags that were interesting to me without spending hours wading through Etsy. I just clicked on the bags I liked and it took me directly to the shops with all the good stuff on Etsy. So much easier.

Now I have lots of options to choose from....which I love. I really like to know what all is out there before making a decision. But now I also have the problem of having to make a decision. This is something I don't like to do. I'm really not good at decisions. So I figured I would get some opinions and help from my blog friends.

Check out all the bags below and vote for your fave or top faves in the comments. OR, introduce me to a new option!!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62751878/water-resistant-nylon-bag-in-chocolate

http://www.etsy.com/listing/64543293/2-tone-tote-in-hemp-and-olive

http://www.etsy.com/listing/64769487/grey-water-resistant-nylon-all-purpose

http://www.etsy.com/listing/60075889/the-market-bag-in-provincial-blue-w-an

http://www.etsy.com/listing/67683695/beauty-tote-bag-in-khaki

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62478426/s-a-l-e-express-shipping-promotion

http://www.etsy.com/listing/78297027/sale-bonus-pico-in-dark-grey-with-zipper

http://www.etsy.com/listing/81290172/diaper-bag-gray-and-ecru-ticking-striped

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83012843/water-proof-diaper-bag-messenger-bag

And the links to the Jcrew and Madewell selections:

http://www.jcrew.com/mens_category/accessories/bags/PRDOVR~51654/51654.jsp

http://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/handbags/fabricbags/PRDOVR~30776/30776.jsp

http://www.madewell.com/madewell_category/ACCESSORIES/bags/PRDOVR~53242/53242.jsp

28-31 Weeks

2011-10-03T12:47:00.000-07:00

So Saturday was 31 weeks which means I have been in the third trimester for about 2-3 weeks now. I still can't believe it. It seems to be going by so fast. The first trimester was SOOO slow. The 2nd trimester seemed like a whirlwind because we were so busy and now ...well it's speeding by but I feel like so far this is the trimester I have enjoyed the most...so far anyway.

As of today we are 2 months from said due date. TWO MONTHS!!!! Saying that we get to meet our boy in two months is just mind blowing to Tristan and I. I often hear that life seems to fly by faster once you have kids and let me tell you this boy isn't even out of the womb and boy is that true!!!

We still don't really have any of the baby necessities yet BUT we have 2 showers this month so that will be changing soon! I am so excited and thankful to be having showers and I just can't wait for them to be here!

Tristan and I got some new home projects started this weekend that hopefully will be finished on Saturday. The more we get done, the better I feel. I know we can still get stuff done after the baby is born...but it will be so much harder then and I would much rather have as much settled as possible before then. We shall see.

I have been feeling pretty good but I will say it was like someone flipped a switch when I got into the 3rd trimester. All of the sudden I started having some lower back pain when I wake up in the morning and some during the day too. I also have found that moving around in bed, getting up from places, etc have started to not be as easy as they use too. It often times feels much better to be walking around and staying active.

Speaking of being active so far I have exercised more this trimester it seems than the others. I guess I am kind of getting into a routine...which I love. Our gym membership at 24 hour fitness expired and since it's not really close anymore we decided not to renew. Unfortunately there aren't any gyms with pools close by and within the past two weeks our pool has gotten SUPER cold so I am not sure how much swimming I will be doing. I was running....no really just jogging... 2 miles at a 12 min pace but last week I changed up my routine a bit. I felt like I could get a more rigerous workout for now and be more comfortable if I did intervals instead of trying to run 2 miles without stopping. And it seems to be much better. I speed walk for the short part of the condo block(I stay inside the complex so I can stop and pee as needed) and then run as hard as I can for the long part of the block, then switch back to speed walking, then back to the run. I get my heart rate up much better this way and I actually cover more mileage because my walk is about as fast as my jog was anyway. And...it's much more comfortable to not be running the whole time. I do it for 30 mins and by that point I can tell it's time to be done. I am hoping to do this about 2-3 times a week and just walk the other days.

I have started to have the need to pee more which I feel I haven't had too bad the whole pregnancy.

I also started noticing that I get Braxton Hicks a lot more. I had them in the 2nd tri but didn't realize them until my midwife pointed it out to me while she was measuring my belly a month ago. I still don't notice them unless I am touching my belly or looking at it.

The stretch marks have still stayed away thank goodness. Not sure if it's my religious body oiling or that I'm just not prone to them. Whatever the case I am thankful.

Oh, I can NAP! I have never been a napper but not so anymore. I don't nap every day but some days when I really need it I can nap 2 hours. And they are the good "drool all over yourself" type of naps. I really love them.

The heartburn and indigestion is still there. I don't have it all the time but sometimes it's horrible and it makes me feel bad and burp like crazy all day. I alternate between taking AC vinegar, drinking baking soda, papaya extract, and Tums..but sometimes nothing works. Even doing all the "right" things to prevent heartburn doesn't help. I have never had heartburn before so it quite the new thing for me.

At my 30 week appointment I had gained 22lbs total..hoping to only gain 3 more but seriously doubt that is going to happen.

I haven't noticed myself being crazy hungry or having any weird cravings at all....I actually don't have much of an appetite sometimes because of the heartburn.

Tonight we have our 4th birthing class. They are one of my most favorite part of our week. We are doing the Bradley Method for natural childbirth and so far we really love it. I'll have to do a whole post on it and share what we have learned so far.

Oh I can't forget to mention that this little boy is VERY strong and moves all the time. Although I feel like I can tell when he is asleep and when he is awake. So far he settles down shortly after I do at night so I am hoping that continues!!! I can also tell when he gets the hiccups...it's sooo cute!! And we still don't have a name.

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks. I am kind of caught up now! WooHoo!

Tristan completed a sprint triathalon...go daddy!!!

Guess my shirt from the harbor half last year is too small!

I got to go home to Corpus for a few days last weekend for Avery's bridal shower. It was soo good to get to spend some time with Katie and Hadley getting ready for the party, to see Avery, and to catch up with people. I stayed with my parents at my Pom Pom and Grandma's house which is where my parents have been living since my grandma passed away. It was good to see my Pom Pom and I even got to visit with my Aunt Evelyn.

My Pom Pom has a hard time remembering things and staying in line without my grandma so my mom has done TONS of awesome things EVERY day to help him out. Her and my dad are so wonderful for completely changing their lives to take care of him and they are doing an amazing job! I know it's hard for them but they do it gracefully and joyfully. Below are a few pics I snapped of all the sweet things my mom does for my Pom Pom since she can't be at home with him all day.

Breakfast, meds, and a sweet note.

The paper and more meds placed in my grandma's chair for him.

He could nap all day if you let him, so it's good to remind him to eat first!
Lunch and note prepared every day and left in the fridge.

Little reminders EVERYWHERE!! :)

My mom's great notes for my Pom Pom so he applies his MANY eye drops correctly.

Books that Tristan's friend Jarrett from grad school
bought off our registry and has sent to us!

Trying to figure out how to display Tristan's hotwheels collection!

Our new Home

2011-10-03T08:43:00.000-07:00

On July 15th Tristan and I closed on our first home, a 2 bedroom 2.5 bath condo on south east central side of Austin. We had been looking and praying at buying a place since fall 2010. At first when we started looking we ere looking at homes in central Austin and we quickly learned that buying a home in central Austin wasn't an option. Real estate in central Austin is sooo expensive. So we kind of quit looking because we knew we wanted to stay central since PWC could send Tristan anywhere north, south, east or west of Austin to do audit. Then one day we were talking with my grandad and he encouraged us to look at condos so we started looking again. We found that he was right and that it was possible for us to find a condo with in our means. I think we looked for about 6 months before we found the one we are in now. We had at least one other that we put an offer that we didn't get, but in the end the one we ended up with has been the best fit for our growing family! We are so thankful for how smooth and painless the process was because we know that is not always the case. God really has supplied everything we need with this home for us. It has everything we were praying for:
1. Not huge, something just right with well thought out space
2. An open floor plan
3. Practical kitchen for 2 people that can spend hours in that one room!
4. Would fit our furniture so we didn't have to replace or buy anything new
5. Great storage
6. A garage
7. Close to our church family
8. Accommodating for guests
9. A great space for entertaining and opening up our place for others

ETC....ETC....ETC....

So far we have really loved it here. It's the quietest place we have lived since we have been married, and the ease for Tristan of not having a yard to take care of in this phase of life is AWESOME! We have a low HOA fee that covers the community yard work and they come EVERY Friday..it's such a blessing. Having a pool during this scorching hot summer has also been GREAT! Hopefully next summer we can use it even more since the boy will be about 6 months and totally ready for swim lessons! The location has been great and we feel that no matter where we need to get around town there is any easy way to get there and often options that allow me to avoid taking I 35!!!! I avoid 35 whenever possible!

The hardest part so far about our move here was the painting we did. We painted the WHOLE place ceilings, baseboards, walls, ...EVERYWHERE!!! Fortunately the Lord provided a way for us to hire someone to paint the crazy tall stairwell, bathrooms, and upstairs hallway. Tristan and I and friends and family had already been painting for 2 weeks(yes, we have some incredibly servant hearted and committed friends and family!!! SOO blessed and sooo thankful!) by the time the painters come and needless to say we were SOOOO OVER PAINTING!!! We decided that next time if we have THAT MUCH painting to do we will hire people from the beginning to do it! With calking, taping, priming, etc for so much space by the time you get to actually doing the paint(and then having to do 1-3 coats) it's just exhausting!

Below are some pictures of the place before we started painting. Eventually I will post pics of the place all fixed up...we are just not there yet! But oh we better be by December!!!! :)

We just can't thank our friends and family enough for all their help..we couldn't have done it without you.

Last preggo pic I took in the apartment

2nd Trimester in Pictures

2011-10-02T13:48:00.001-07:00

Tristan and I at the bottom of hanging lake
after we had completed the beautiful hike(This picture is out of order!)

Saying goodbye to my Pom Pom at Snoopy's restaurant
before I headed back to Austin after being in Corpus
2 weeks for my Grandma Betty's funeral.

The secret gender reveal envelope.
Tristan and I were so good, neither he nor I took one peak!

I think I was 18-20 weeks in this pic?
This was at our apartment before we moved.

22 weeks

The boy at 20 weeks.
Everyone thinks his profile look just like Tristan in this picture

---- weeks??

In Vail at the Betty Ford Gardens. 26 weeks??

On top of Vail mountain. 26 weeks.

Belly Love. Tristan and I in Minturn for their free community music night.
Probably one of our favorite Vail summer activities.

The onsie Tristan HAD to buy when we were at a baby store in Vail.

Awesome matching set of clothes, shoes, blankets, etc from Gymboree that my cousins wore.

The closet starting to get filled thanks to my Aunt Katie and Uncle Sam

2nd Trimester Re-Cap

2011-09-22T06:46:00.000-07:00

-The first trimester started at about May 28th(or June 4th ish) and ended at about September 10thish.

-Nausea started subsiding.

-I could brush my teeth without vomiting.

-Only threw up once the whole second trimester!

-Started to get energy and began sleeping better at night.

-Made a list of 6 midwives to interview. Interviewed 3 and they were all awesome so we decided not to interview anymore. Quickly decided on the first midwife we interviewed-Julia Bower. n the Tristan and I instantly connected with her in the interview and just new she was "the one." Be sure to click on her name and visit her website! More info to come in other posts about what we love about having a midwife!

-went to an awesome cloth diapering class at Baby Earth for free taught by our friend and cloth diaper expert Sarah Brown. Came away knowing exactly what we wanted to use, and had every tip we needed to be successful!! She made the whole cloth diapering world seem so much less overwhelming.

-Worked summer school.

-Spent most Sunday evenings with friends going to the Symphony in the Park series.

-Tristan started training for and participated in his first sprint Triathlon!!!

-Started exercising more. Mostly just running and swimming.

-My grandma Betty passed away unexpectedly on June 29th.

-Slipped and fell right on my butt while watching fireworks on the seawall in Corpus for July 1st. Fortunately it didn't really hurt...just kind of took me by surprise. I think I scared my daddy though who saw the whole thing.

-Started to feel the baby move at about 16-18-weeks.

-Had our sonogram to find out if it was a boy or girl on the 13th of July but waited to find out what it was till July 30th when we had our gender reveal party(more to come on that too)

-Closed on our first house on July 15th!(pics to come and more info about the place in another post)

-Painted way to much of it for hours on end for a whole week.

-Moved into new place.

-Resigned from my job. This was harder than I thought it would be to do...but so VERY exciting at the same time. This is the first time since becoming a Registered Nurse 6 years ago that I haven't had a job. It's weird and awesome all at the same time. I'm still getting use to it.

-Found out on July 30th that we are having a BOY! I was an awesome moment and made things feel so much more real!!

-Went camping on the frio with Tristan's family. We had a great time...even though we couldn't float the river and the water was nasty.

-Took a lot of pride in the fact that even at the end of my 2nd tri I could still school Tristan when doing sprints in the pool! :)

-Went to the dentist. If you need a dentist in Austin we HIGHLY recommend SoLa Dental. The whole staff is awesome and they run a great natural and modern practice!

-Got really convinced that Tristan and I both needed to start flossing daily(we NEVER really flossed before that). Started a much more vigorous dental care regime and have stuck with it!

-went to Vail for our babymoon...if you are lucky we might share more about this than just pictures.

-started getting heartburn.

- by the end of the 2nd tri bending over started to not be as easy as it use to. as well as moving in bed, getting out of bed and getting in and out of my car.

- still no stretch marks.

-still not wearing maternity clothes.

-was SOOO hott the whole 2nd tri.

-wore the same shorts and tank tops almost EVERY day.

-started getting really overwhelmed about becoming a mommy.( more on this in another post)

-Tristan started his job with Price Waterhouse Coopers on August 29th.

-gained about 10 lbs.

-despite the sadness, crazy changes, and my growing self...the second trimester was MUCH better than the 1st. There were a lot hard days for sure where I cried a lot, I didn't feel good, or just wasn't motivated to do much of anything. But my hope, excitement and joy really began to grow!!

AND....The Lord brought us through the 2nd trimester. He was with us every step of the way. And again, I can't say enough how thankful I am to be experiencing pregnancy and carrying our little boy. We love him so.

First Trimester in Pictures

2011-09-20T12:41:00.000-07:00

Barley pregnant snowshoeing in Minturn...maybe a day or so old embryo!

It's no wonder we got pregnant in Vail!

Capital 10K -6 weeks pregnant

Sno-cone love!

Raw Vegan Tuna-It was so good, but didn't sit so well with my 1st tri self!

What is that??... gas?

Sticking it out....trying to look pregnant! Not sure how many weeks I am.
Also, take note of the length of my hair.
It has been growing so much faster since I have been pregnant.

And that's all folks. Not very many pictures from the first trimester! Tomorrow I will be sharing a 2nd trimester recap...which means...I am no longer in the 2nd trimester....right now...which means I am in the last trimester!!!!!

First Trimester Re-cap

2011-09-20T11:14:00.000-07:00

My first trimester seems so long ago now. Maybe because it was. My first tri was about February 26th-May 26th. It seemed like an eternity. Much longer than than the second tri seemed.

Here are a few things I want to remember about the first trimester of my first pregnancy:

-I really didn't think I was really pregnant. It seemed to unreal.

-I wasn't always thinking about the fact I was pregnant..probably because it didn't seem real...but I think it was in the back of my mind all the time.

-I felt guilty that it didn't seem real. Like something was wrong with me for not feeling an instant connection to the little life growing inside of me.

-I wasn't horribly sick but I sure didn't feel good most of the time.

- I didn't start feeling bad till about 6 weeks.

-I only threw up about 5 times. Mostly when I was brushing my teeth in the morning.

-Sometimes I needed a trash can in front of me while I was using the restroom because even that made me nauseated

-I didn't have real specific cravings all the time. I just loved food the same as I always do...except maybe a bit more!

-I craved hotdogs once and Tristan and I went out and bought organic hotdogs and I had one for breakfast.

-Oh, I was CRAZY about Popsicles, drinks with ice....anything really cold I LOVED!!!

-When I felt nauseated many times NOTHING really helped and I tried everything. Sometimes you just feel bad...heck..your pregnant and growing a human. I didn't give myself much of a break though mentally. I just felt guilty that I wasn't the super woman I wanted to be.

-I ate a lot of saltines, and beans.

-I barley worked out. I was too tired or unmotivated to when I got home from work. The couch was calling my name. And in the morning I had a hard enough time getting going and out the door for work I couldn't bare the thought of waking up an hour earlier to go work out too.

-I often felt nauseated throughout the day and if I let my stomach get empty it burned like crazy and made me more nauseated. Hence I was eating little snacks ALL day long.

-I gained about 6-8 pounds which is above the average gain you should have if you only want to gain 25-35lbs for the whole pregnancy.

-I was kind of depressed about the weight gain because I had expectations for myself that I didn't live up to. I'm over it now though. "It's in the past"

- I was pretty depressed most of the first trimester..which made me more sad because I felt bad about being sad. I was pregnant and having a baby.....I wanted to be joyful, motherly and excited at ALL times...isn't that how you are suppose to be? That's what I thought at least. I was tired, wrapping up the school year at Austin High, lots of things were about to change, I had many unmet expectations for myself, hormones were changing, I wasn't being productive, and most of all wasn't walking closely with Jesus....all that added up to a hard few months. A mom on a blog I follow posted recently about her depression during pregnancy and how it was more common than people let on...REALLY? I had no idea...I thought I was the only woman ever to feel sad during a time when I should feel so happy. Thankful God did not make us to live alone.

-Tristan did ALL the laundry, dishes,etc. He was an angel. He never complained once and joyfully served me. He is an amazing husband and loves me more and better than the day before EVERY day. I love him so.

-I was bloated and gassy all the time.

-I started reading TOO many books on infant care and feeding(everyone thinks their way is the right way, the only way...so confusing!)

-I thought I knew what a baby bump was during my first trimester. HAHAHAHA!!!!

-You couldn't tell at all I was pregnant the whole first trimester. Sometimes that was frustrating...I wanted to LOOK pregnant!!

- I could wear all my regular clothes.

-It started to get REALLY hot at the end of my first trimester. My tolerance for being hot totally deteriorated. I told Tristan that it felt hotter than when we were in India. He said no way...it was much hotter when we were in India. I didn't believe him.

-I was only seeing my OBGYN that did my surgery during the first trimester. I was still only in the searching for the right midwife stage.

-I already knew I wanted to do a home birth.

-Tristan was on board with the homebirth thing but REALLY got excited about it once we watched the Business of Being Born(lovely documentary on birth in America today).

-I tried going Raw Vegan for a week and it was a disaster. If I had been doing it before I got pregnant I might have been able to do it for some of the first tri but oddly enough it just made me feel super sick. The worst sickness I had was after the 2 days of trying to do it.

-I couldn't stand raw veggies especially kale, spinach, and broccoli. I never really wanted a salad unless it was made with Romaine or Iceburg.....what???? Who was I. Fortunately that went away when the first tri was over. Fortunatly I could still do green smoothies to help me get my greens.

-I got all my pre-natals with DHA from the Dr. for free. His nurse told me to ask for free samples every time I went..so I did. I still am using up my stash from my last visit with the Dr. July 13th!

-I couldn't sleep very well.

-I could not believe we were having a baby. That we were going to be parents.

-I LOVED(and still do...I always have really) talking to other moms and hearing about their birth story, what kind of feedings they did(schedule, on demand, etc)..anything and everything I could soak up.... I did.

First trimester...you were hard.....and yes I am so thankful you are over! BUT, I am so very thankful for EVERY bit of the hormones, sickness, sadness, and weight gain because the Lord sustained my boy and I through it(and my sweet husband). I often hear(and my Dr. even told me) that if you are sick and tired it just means your hormones are doing the right thing and that you are having a healthy pregnancy(although I sure didn't feel "healthy"). Many babies don't make it past the first trimester but you did little fellow, so it was all worth it and I am so thankful the Lord brought us through. He was with us every step of the way! Jehovah Shammah!

Grandma Betty(Betty Lee Martens)

2011-09-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

She was the best babysitter ever. We rarely stayed with anyone else since my Pom Pom and Grandma lived in town.
She cut my hair for me, washed it in the kitchen sink, and put my hair in sponge rollers so it would look like Shirley Temples when I woke up.
She made the best biscuits and gravy I have ever tasted. Fortunately she taught me how to make the biscuits and gravy, although I doubt mine will ever be as good as hers.
Many times when I spent the night we would sleep in her bed just the two of us and stay up talking and reading drama in real life from Reader's Digest.
She always made bath time so much fun and would even powder our bums when we got out.
She always had something to feed us when we got to her house.
There were always cookies in the cookie jar or pie, etc sitting on the cake plate.
Her and my Pom Pom went to EVERY dance recital, play, and performance I was ever in. And often had flowers for me!
She made amazing Mexican food, and let me help her every step of the way at the Oak Park Mexican Suppers.
She never once made me feel rushed or like I was a burden.
She LOVED when Tristan or I played the piano for her.
She just plain LOVED music and loved it even more when it came from her kids or grandkids.
She made Christmas simple and perfectly memorable.
She sent me hand written letters with newspaper and magazine clippings all the time. I saved every one.
Email is my favorite way to communicate(besides visiting in person) and she was my most consistent e-mail friend.
She never missed giving me a birthday card..I saved those as well.
She spoke her mind in the funniest most unique way.
She made me laugh.
She was an amazing friend to all of her friends. She always called people, wrote them letters, or visited them.
She LOVED her family.
She LOVED people in general and did it well. Especially the hard to love..she knew how to love them better than I could ever hope to.
She was a servant to all.
She made me feel like I could do anything.
She loved to hoot and holler for the Aggies and Cowboys.
She gave me lots of old things that I cherish. Hats, jewelry, vases, doilies, etc. I think my favorite is the quilt(I think her momma made it) I ended up with. Not sure how it became mine exactly. I think I accidentally made it mine. Sorry momma and JR!
She had a great memory.
Her mind was sharp and when she died she was still mentally just how she had always been to me.
Before her arthritis got bad she was quite the busy bee and was a real fast one.
I heard my first curse words from her. She liked to say crap a lot and as a kid who was raised to not say those things I got a real kick out of hearing her say it and watching my parents cringe.
She had an amazing green thumb. She always had beautiful roses in her back yard, along with delicious tomatoes, and berries she would let us eat from the vine. Inside she always had ivy growing in her kitchen along with other lovely green plants.
Her house always felt like a home. It was the perfect "Grandma's House"
She always put placements down and set the table nicely for dinner. Of course this was always my job to help her with when I was there.
She had awesome red lipstick..one tube in particular that I still want to confiscate. It's the perfect orange-red color.
She always let me play with her make-up.
She kept toothbrushes in her bathroom just for me and John Ryan.
She let us eat ice cream and never had fat free stuff in her house.
Her house was always clean and tidy.
She was crazy.
She could dress elegantly or wear jeans and a plaid shirt and pull both off equally well. I love denim and plaid...I blame it on her!
There is an old picture of her with her sister and brother in which I think she is the most beautiful woman you will ever see.
She was really laid back.
She worried a lot.
She didn't like to drive or really be in a car....it made her anxious. Ask my husband, I inherited that.
She could sew although she didn't do as much of it during my lifetime.
She loved serving her church and did so for who knows how many years.
I hope I didn't forget to mention how amazing her food was???:)
Her home was my second home. It was always a safe, loving, and nurturing place.
She lost her vision in one eye a few months before she died and signed her emails, "one eyed grandma."
After she found out she was going to be a great grandma, she signed her emails to me "great grandma."
She loved our boy so much already and called him her "Avocado."
She taught me so much about life, loving people, servant hood, selflessness, working hard, and thoughtfulness.
Verbally she may not have shared her faith to me much but she demonstrated the gospel by the way she lived.

June 29th 2011

2011-09-17T11:14:00.000-07:00

Blog world, we are still alive and well. Our God is good, He is faithful and we are alive in Him which makes us so much more than just "alive and well."

Many of you may be wondering why the sudden stop in blogging. There are several reasons but the biggest of them all was my Grandma Betty's(my mom's mom) passing on the 29th of June, 2011.

You see, getting back to blogging meant I had to write about her passing, which meant trying to write about her life and who she was and still is in my life, and write about all the events surrounding her death(funeral, watching my Pom Pom grieve and talk about the love of his life,etc,etc.) This has seemed like an insurmountable task that would take hours and several posts. And it also meant that I had to be "in the mood" to write such a post. Ask my mom and my husband...I am a mood worker! The moods have changed and come and gone and so much has happened in the past several months. So many things that I wish I had been cataloging about this pregnancy, our new home, Tristan's job, and about our gracious Savior. I realized I like staying on task. I don't like trying to play catchup. And I have a hard time remembering and figuring out how I am going to write about it all in a non-overwhelming blog savy way. It's just to much. Hence, I have been paralyzed so to speak.

Another reason I have not wanted to write is that this post will get automatically sent to my grandma's e-mail. I know I can change it to not do that...so that's not really it. You see, EVERY time I made a blog post usually within the day I would get an e-mail from my grandma about what I wrote and for the next few days her and I would talk back and forth over e-mail. It was such a joy to me. One I will greatly miss. She could make me laugh with those emails like no other. I never deleted a single one.

So what brought the change after days of telling myself I should sit down and blog....after all those sleepless nights of writing posts in my head? I am not really sure. It could be that a dear friend and family member encouraged me to get back to blogging. She said, " you will be really glad you did." I know she is right, because I LOVE reading her blog and keeping up with her sweet family.
Or maybe it's because of the oh so sweet and meaningful past 18 hours I spent with my Grandad and Grandma?

I am not quite sure. But here we go.

How we told our family

2011-06-22T07:01:00.000-07:00

So there we were having our first "family moment" in the bathroom when we realized we had to decide how we were going to tell our family right away. You see, yet again I had always thought I would do something creative for how we told our family. A creative surprise handcrafted for each of our immediate family members: My parents, Tristan's parents, John Ryan and Bethany, Paul and Heidi, and Heather and Holly. That sounds lovely doesn't it? Did it happen that way...not a chance.

See, Heather, Tristan's sister from Colorado was staying with us, as well as Tristan's sister Heidi and her husband Paul(who just got back to the states and would be far away in virginia in a matter of days)...then later that evening we were picking my parents up from the airport, the next day Tristan's sister Holly was coming to town and then that weekend Bethany was coming to Austin to do the Capital 10k with me and my mom and I knew I wanted to tell her and John Ryan at the same time and there was no way I could keep it from her all weekend.

That's a lot of people all at once huh? How could we pass up the opportunity to tell so many of them in person? We couldn't. So rather than keep the excitement to ourselves for a while we decided to go a head and tell EVERYONE before the weekend was up(Remember it's still Wednesday March 23rd 2011 and Tristan and I are still in the bathroom).

After we decided to go a head a tell everyone we had a few more moments in the bathroom and then rejoined Heather in the kitchen making our sushi dinner. We sat down to dinner with Heather, Paul, and Heidi and I am sure I barley said a word. One, because my mind was spinning, and two because I was afraid I would let something slip. Heidi even asked me if something was wrong or if I was just tired from a long week. I don't remember my response...but I am sure I was awkward about it!

We made it through dinner and we were off to the airport to pick up my parents. We waited at the bottom of the escalator for them for what seemed like an eternity. Finally we saw them and we just stood there waving with the biggest smiles on our faces. My dad said that while they were coming down the escalator he turned to my mom and said we looked gitty! Well we sure were! They got down to the bottom,we hugged, I was quiet and made an awkward moment for all of us for a sec by looking back at Tristan and then back at my parents and then blurted out..."we're pregnant!" It was a sweet moment. Very surreal. And, I think my parents were as much in shock as we were about it!

When we got home Heather, Paul and Heidi greeted my parents and then we all sat down to visit. Tristan shortly after got up to make the announcement. For the past several years when he has an announcement to make he always says, "I have an announcement to make...and no..we aren't pregnant." So he decided he wanted to tell them in a similar fashion. He got up and said, "I have an announcement to make...and no..we aren't pregnant(a few seconds pause)....well...actually.....WE ARE!!!" It turned out to be quite the confusing announcement. But eventually they all believed us!

Holly came to town the next day and when she arrived I gave her a package and told her that I had picked up a gift for her while I was in Colorado. It was the pregnancy test wrapped up! She let off a big.."wahoo" and pretty much jumped off the couch!

A little after that we told Tristan's parents via skype. Tristan told them we had an amazing dinner the night before and I proceeded to lie about what we had saying, "we had baby carrots, baby peas, baby back ribs." etc.... they caught on pretty quick and it was awesome!! I think Heather got a video of their reactions. I hope to get it from her and post it on here because it's amazing. The way they simultaneously threw themselves back on the couch in laughter and glee was priceless. We were all laughing!

Finally we got John Ryan and Bethany on Skype and told them the news. John Ryan is on his way to becoming a world class wine Sommelier and the four of us have been talking about taking a day trip across Texas to visit several wineries. We all got talking about wine stuff on Skype and I said, " you know John Ryan, I don't think I am going to be able to partake in all the wine tasting and such for the next nine months." He was confused and gave his classic shocked crazy brow weird eye face...and then I think he asked, "Melissa, are you pregnant?" I said yes, and his response was one of my favorites...crazy of course....followed by Bethany's squeal. It was awesome!

Baby of mine, you are VERY, VERY, loved!

Restroom Freakout( with never before seen pics of "the moment")

2011-06-20T07:07:00.000-07:00

As I sat in the restroom looking at the stick I had a million thoughts running through my head. Possibly the most thoughts I have ever had in there at once! :) "Is this what this moment feels like?" Honestly it was kind of underwhelming because it just didn't seem real and I couldn't believe it. I still don't some times. It felt like an eternity that I was in there by myself with my thoughts, but knowing me it was only a few seconds.

I had always thought I would tell Tristan in a really cute special surprising way that I was pregnant. But, as I said before God's ways are not ours and the way this moment was going there was no way I could not tell Tristan RIGHT NOW!!!! And now that I think about it....a fun and creative surprise reveal would have been cute and fun to blog about but it's just not me...and it's not Tristan either. So I ensued to tell Tristan in just the way I should have known I would always tell him. Like a lunatic!

I calmly(since Heather was there) called out the bedroom door, "Hey Tris, can you come here for a sec?" Tristan came to the bathroom and I was jumping up and down waving the stick in his face going crazy! He gave me his crazy eye look, grabbed the stick and then grabbed the box. Then he looked at me again and we jumped up and down, did some freak out dances, and whisper screamed. I remember looking back at each other several times with crazy faces, saying things like "Oh my Gosh", "your pregnant", "no way"! We were both freaking out and in shock.

It's amazing how scary and beautiful that moment can be all at the same time. I cry at a lot of things but in this moment I didn't. Kind of like when we got married. You would think that I would cry...nope....weird. I think I was just so in shock. We just couldn't believe it was happening. And so soon. We were...and still are..... amazed!

Naturally, a Enter the Worship Song comes to my head when I think of how blessed we are and how good our Father is:

The song is called God is Good. You can listen to it here:
http://grooveshark.com/#/album/Third+Circle/787686

Or just read the lyrics:

God Is Good lyrics by Enter The Worship Circle
You give good gifts to me

I pray that I receive them well

So pass the cup of suffering

And let the oil of joy be poured I'll say

God is good, God is good

God is good, God is good

We love your purpose, Father

We want the glory to be Yours

So pass the cup of suffering

And let the oil of joy be poured

we'll say

God is good, God is good

God is good, God is good

His ways are not our ways, trust Him

2011-06-19T05:43:00.000-07:00

Before I get to the rest of the story let me just say one thing... I am so ready to be caught up with my back stories because I have so many current things I want to blog about and it's killing me. ok. done.

SOOOO....Tristan and I went back to see Dr. Reue in February to see how my dear ovaries were doing. They did a sonogram and everything looked great. The fallopian tubes were straight and intact, and the ovaries looked very well healed already AND one of my ovaries had just ovulated a few days before! Dr. Reue seemed very pleased and so were we. He told us if we wanted to we could start trying again to get pregnant(I say again because we had started trying in October and things got postponed...for obvious reasons). He made sure to tell us the odds against us; Melissa you are almost 30 and fertility decreases, it takes the average couple at the very least 6 months to get pregnant, you just had surgery...etc.

We were very aware that it could take a long time and we were ok with that because we were both so grateful that it was even a possibility to still have children of our own. We left excited but with low expectations, just to be careful.

Well March 23rd rolled around and it was 3 days before I was suppose to start my period. I was feeling, "different" than I usually do at that time. Mostly I wasn't bloated, I hadn't broken out and I thought that was strange. I totally could have waited a few more days to take test but I just had this feeling. It was evening and Tristan, Heather and I were in the kitchen working on a sushi dinner I believe. Paul and Heidi were in town too but I think they were out running errands maybe? Anyway , I told Tris and Heather that I had to go to the bathroom. I would have brought Tristan with me but I didn't want to look suspicious.

I think I was pretty nervous. I had taken a lot of tests since we had been married but this was the first time I was actually nervous. It seemed like forever until anything showed up on the stick and even then I wasn't sure if what the stick said was true. A plus sign came up and my heart started racing, I grabbed the box out of the trash to make sure I was reading this right. I was in shock and just couldn't believe it I guess. Yeah, I had read it right. I was in shock and kind of just sat there for a moment dumbfounded with my heart racing and my mind going crazy. Was this really happening???

Yesterday, as Tristan and I were driving around town I was thinking about how I often have low expectations or try to have none at all with many things.....just to be SAFE. To guard my heart(which we are suppose to do). You know, it seems like the right thing to do. But I kept wondering what my Abba Father thought of that perspective I take. My Jehovah Jireh, God who provides. And I just kept hearing Him say "your ways are not My ways, trust Me."

Maybe the way I am about expectations makes me not trust Him? Maybe it makes me forget that His ways are not my ways? Maybe instead of trying to be a practical safe person who doesn't get her hopes dashed I should be a person who when faced with situations, events, and people issues that I could carry my heart away , I say, "Your ways are not my ways, I will trust You."

Growing up(mostly when I was a teen and starting to like boys) my mom always reminded me of Proverbs 4:23, "Above all else guard your heart for it is the well spring of life." I think in my fallen humanity I have applied the verse the wrong way all these years. I tried to be careful, to not get my hopes up, to not let my mind get away with me. To be careful with my expectations. All good things I guess. But isn't the best keeper of our heart the Lord? Maybe all this time I should have been giving my Jesus my heart, letting Him help me guard it. Remembering and living out that His ways are not my ways, and I just need to trust Him.

The oranges (beware of nasty pictures of my ovaries below)

2011-06-11T06:25:00.000-07:00

When we first moved to Austin(we were both officially living her by August 2010) I figured it was a good idea to find an OBGYN and go in for my yearly routine exam. As I started to make friends with other Seton/AISD school nurses and asked around and the two people I asked both highly reccomended Dr. Reue. He was on my insurance plan with Seton, his office was just down the street, and I heard he was one of the best OBGYN's in Austin, so I set up an appointment to see him in mid November.

I instantly felt comfortable with Dr. Reue and could tell he was a great Doctor. While he was doing my exam, I could tell that he all the sudden noticed something. He calmly told me he felt something on my ovaries and wanted to bring in a sonogram machine. I was a little alarmed, but I know cysts are very common on the ovaries so I wasn't too concerned, mostly just curious. He examined the ovaries and told me I had some large tumors on my ovaries and that I needed to set up an appointment to see the sono tech, and get a more detailed sono of my ovaries. He said he was unsure what type of tumor it was but that it was possible the growths were from endometriosis or they were possibly dermoid tumors. And he said most likely I would need surgery. He might have told me more at this appointment, but I don't remember. I set up an appointment for the beginning of the next week to come back and get a more detailed sonogram.

I don't remember being too upset or disturbed even though I knew this could probably have big effects on our future of starting a family. I just remember feeling at peace, not being worried, and knowing that whatever happened the Lord was going to take care of us. I consider my reaction a miracle, and totally a gift of God's Spirit. I remember even thinking it was unusual that I (the girl that's wanted to be a mom since my own birth) was so at peace. I just wasn't afraid. Maybe it was because I was mothering 30-60 kids a day in my office? Or maybe I was just in shock? Or maybe my God is just that big and that good? :)

I went in the next week had my sono and was setting up an appointment for laproscopic surgery in two weeks by the end of the appointment. He said the tumors were the size of large oranges and he thought they were most likely benign dermoids (just google it!), but that he didn't think there was any endometriosis (which was a HUGE relief!). He also was very clear that he wouldn't know for sure until he went in there and looked. His main concern was that the tumors where so large and heavy that they were causing the fallopian tubes to twist and that the circulation could be cut off from the ovaries. He seemed pretty confidant that the surgery would go well and that the ovaries could be saved. But, he never said anything about having children.

I went in for outpatient surgery on December 1st(a Wednesday) and was back at work by Monday. The whole experience was a breeze and I was so pleased. It was my first experience as a patient in a hospital. Everyone treated me great, and the anesthesiologist put in my IV so I didn't feel a thing. My mom came up to be with us which made recovery a blast. We just watched Jane Austen esque movies on netflix and I slept. I barley had any pain and was just tired and a bit uncomfortable and sore. Below is a picture of my ovaries. They are the ginormous white balls. You can also see how twisted the fallopian tubes were.

Dr. Reue was pleased with how the surgery went and he said there was plenty of healthy ovarian tissue left! Tristan and I felt like this man was an angel....and he was for sure our new hero!!! We were so blessed that my insurance covered everything, but even if it hadn't we would have paid the man anything! It's easy to get frustrated with how expensive Dr's can be but Tristan and I we were both clearly reminded what a blessing it is that God has given us such talented men and women who do such amazing things!!!

God's timing in this was incredible because if I would have waited any longer to go see the OBGYN I could have lost my ovaries completely. It's just amazing.

I went in 2 weeks after the surgery so Dr. Reue could check on me and at that time he set up an appointment for us to come see him on February 17th to get a sono of the ovaries to see how they were healing! It was December 14th and I thought February couldn't come fast enough.

Austin High

2011-06-05T06:18:00.000-07:00

WARNING: this post is long and doesn't have any desirable media....just words. Hang in there, only a few more posts and I will be caught up and it won't be so bad!

The past year I worked at Austin High School. It's a school of about 2300+ students on Lady Bird Lake. It is an amazing school with unique first class programs, exceptional staff and teachers, and a diverse student population. I had a very stressful first year there(especially the first semester), but most of it was stress I put on myself. I kept thinking about how big the school was, how anything could happen, and that when something went wrong medically for someone I was the one everyone looked too. The Lord sustained me through every situation...of course....but most of the year I couldn't shake my fears. Austin ISD Health Staff is technically hired out to AISD from Seton Hospitals, which means we have to run our health rooms like hospitals. Which ends up including LOTS more paperwork and other extra stuff. This also made me nervous as I often wondered what management was thinking of the work I was doing since they can and do audit EVERYTHING!! So all that was more stress I piled on myself. I learned a lot about myself this year and a lot about how I just don't really know how to trust the Lord well. As I am sure you can tell from my writings before, I often live in fear. And, it's an awful place to live.

BUTTTT....don't stop reading now. I am about to get to the amazing parts about my year at Austin High.

What made my year were the students who I affectionately call my "kids." I love so many of them and wish they could all come home with me. I learned I LOVE working with high school students in public school and being the nurse put me in the perfect position to be there for students in need. I got to be a friend, parent, and confidant everyday to all kinds of kids from every walk of life and it changed me and blessed me more than I could ever express in words. They each helped me make it through this year(YES, that means YOU Pinky!!!), but they didn't just help me make it, they made it a rich year. If I could just sit in that office and just "be there" for the students without all the paperwork, legal stuff, and medical responsibility...I think I might do it forever. I remember how nervous I was about working with high school students, I was afraid they would eat me alive and think I was totally not cool. But, I quickly learned that if you listen well, take interest in them, and just show them true love, boundaries, and consistency, that's all it takes. They are yearning and dying for those things. And those are things, I could do. Now if only raising my own teenagers could be that easy some day!! HA! :)

Because of my experiences with the student's at Austin High I have talked to Tristan about how as we are raising our own family I desperately want to be family for students who don't know real "family". I am not sure how we will do that or what it will look like but it's on my heart. I have often wondered why God has blessed me(and Tristan) SOOOO much and given me an amazing childhood and so much wonderful family. I knew God had a purpose for it, I just wasn't quite sure what it was for, but I feel like it's becoming more clear. It reminds me of the Enter the Worship circle song(and it's also a scripture) that talks about how God places the lonely in families(The song is called It's My Joy, if you want to look it up). It's a lovely song. One of my favorites. I am also reminded of Luke 12:48, to whom much is given, much will be required(Melissa's paraphrase). So, based on my life I would say it's not an overstatement to say...MUCH is required. And Tristan and I are ready to learn more about what that means for our family. What is it you desire from us Lord? We are ready(well at least we think we are!), just show us the way!

The past year, in a nutshell.

2011-06-03T08:55:00.000-07:00

Since my last post we moved to Austin, Tristan started grad school at UT, I got a job working as a nurse at Austin High, we found an amazing corporate church family and small group, Tristan got a job with Price Waterhouse Coopers, I had 2 grapefruit size tumors on my ovaries removed, we traveled to Germany(and had many other adventures on the road together and with dear friends and family), Tristan worked for the Texas Legislature, and I got pregnant. It's been a whirlwind year. It's been amazing but also really hard. Adjusting to a new city, new jobs, making new friends, and so much more...all wonderful changes but none that come without trial, error, failure, and God's refining hand. We are thankful. We are different. We are weathered. We are tired. We are joyful. We are HIS!

My brother and my sister(his wife)

2010-07-09T09:49:00.001-07:00

So for those of you who don't know my brother has been one of my best friends since he was about 12. Then, he married my other best friend Bethany. Together they make the coolest, funniest, most loving and creative couple I know.

They started a blog recently and I am loving following their adventures already. Since B and JR(I am trying to adjust to calling him that more....it's so hard) are 6 hours(soon to be 3 and a half) away it makes my heart swell to get a bit more of a glimpse into their lives and to feel like I am more apart of it.

Their most recent post is my favorite yet. It's about food and good friends. Can there be a better combination? Wether it's crazy healthy or detailed and cultural....I love food and mixed with a long evening with friends in the kitchen.....mmm....bliss!

Thank you Bethany and John Ryan for sharing! Love you both SOOO much. Have fun in France!

You can check out B and JR's Blog: HERE

Quiz Yourself and Green Smoothies

2010-07-08T11:42:00.000-07:00

I found this quiz on the internet today. It's a nutrition quiz from Green Smoothie Girl. Mosey on over there and check it out. Things like that are always good reality checks.

So my dear friend Christine mentioned something to me about Green Smoothies today and it made me want to share my favorite Green Smoothie video with you guys. Basically, a green smoothie is fruit and greens(spinach, etc) mixed up in a blender. You can add, chia seeds, almond milk(or any other milk you like), flax oil, bran, wheat germ, hemp protein, ice...you get the picture. The sky is the limit!

I like to do tons of spinach, an orange(or sometimes OJ concentrate), almond or soy milk, hemp protein, flax oil, ice, maybe pineapple, and a frozen banana.

The video below is what got me started on Green Smoothies months ago. This video also gave me a good laugh...you will know why when you watch it.

I know adding spinach to a fruit smoothie may sound disgusting but actually you can't taste the spinach at all. Apparently the spinach just take on the flavors of the other ingredients. Just try it once. You'll be surprised!

What in the world is a raw vegan?

2010-07-03T09:52:00.000-07:00

So growing up my mom was always making amazing creative meals. Sometimes she used recipes and sometimes amazing ideas just came out of her head when I would look in the pantry, fridge and freezer and spouted off what we had available to use. Most of the time the meals were really healthy and delicious and sometimes they were just delicious. From a young age I remember being in the kitchen with my mom and I remember her letting me try things myself. It was(is) always easy to ask her questions, and easy to take instruction from her. She never(that I remember) got frustrated with me and she was always so calm. When I would ask her how she wanted something cut she was never to picky and things never had to be prefect. Unless necessary she never had a certain way that I had to do something and unless I asked she would let me figure out how to do it. The way she was in the kitchen made me feel so free to experiment myself. I would always make up my own recipes which usually turned out ok if I was cooking. But with baking, that is another story! I will never forget the rock hard bran "things" I made once in our kitchen on St. Andrews. I don't remember how young I was but I imagine 9-12years ish! My mom even tried them...how sweet. I don't remember her saying they were horrible or that they were great. I think she may have just told me it was a great try and then gave me some tips for next time. I feel that was the perfect response!

One day our family received a used Vita Mix(it's a REALLY expensive blender) from some friends and that kicked up our healthy eating up a notch. My mom and I would experiment making healthy smoothies with barley green, blend up whole grains to make our own flour or we would lightly heat up veggies and blend them to a pulp like a thick soup(and take it to our algebra class we took together where everyone would gross out). My mom was always making crazy healthy recipes. I didn't always love it, but I grew to love it and to this day I can honestly say I am a health food hippy nut because of my mom.

To this day I LOVE experimenting in the kitchen. I love all kinds of food and I have loved "coming into my own" in the kitchen. Over the past 3 months though I have tried my hand at vegan cooking and raw vegan un-cooking, and I am hooked! Most people are familiar with veganism(no meat or animal bi-products...dairy, eggs, honey), but not many people are familiar with raw veganism. 4 months ago I had no idea this whole other culinary world existed. I think I had heard of it before when my mom and I went to hear this guy(my mom will remember his name) speak at Windsor Park Baptist Church about how he ate mostly raw fruits and vegetables and it helped him with his battle with cancer. He wasn't very creative with it from what I remember so I wasn't too excited. Salad's all the time? I love salads but... No Way! But come to find out there are all kinds of raw food recipes out there on the web. It's AMAZING. Raw vegan sushi, chocolate mouse, flax crackers, green smoothies, and sour cream are just a tip of the ice burg.

From here on out a lot of my posts will be sprinkled with raw vegan recipes because I really need an outlet for how excited I get about this. You can ask Tristan; I watch a few raw vegan videos on-line and you would think I was on speed! I have been praying for at least the past year for the Lord to show me my strengths and passions and this is one of them. I LOVE learning about crazy health stuff, integrating it into my life and then helping others to integrate it into theirs. I remember as a 12 year old girl reading 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 and the Lord speaking to me that my body is His temple and that I should honor my body even with my health.

Now, for my finds for the day.

This summer Tristan and I find ourselves traveling a lot(esp. back and forth from Brownwood to Austin) so the video below peaked my interest. It's a video on how to eat raw while traveling. She gives a lot of good tips that will help anyone trying to eat healthy while on the road.

Enjoy!

How to Easily Eat Raw while Traveling

Our 1st Home with Rachel Russo Photography

2010-06-30T08:05:00.000-07:00

Several months ago when I found out that Rachel was going to do a photo shoot of us in our home I promised myself that as soon as I got the photos back from her I would blog them and get back into blogging. I received the photos in the mail Monday, and today got to sit down and look through all of them. I picked out SEVERAL favorites to share here on the blog.

I am now trying to decide which to print and hang in our new apartment, so I thought I would get all of you involved! Cast your vote in the comments section for which 3 are your favorite and help me make some decisions!

Thanks again to Rachel Russo for sharing her splendid talents with us and capturing so many great memories for us in our first home.

Thank you Lord for talented friends, and for the way you loved us through giving us such an amazing first home. We are grateful.

Surprise!

2009-11-17T16:52:00.000-08:00

Today I checked my RSS feeds for the first time in a few days and when I went to check Tara Whitney's Blog and catch up on all the posts I missed, this is what I came across!

Happy Day! I won a contest! I will be receiving a beautiful necklace made by Lisa Leonard!

YEAH!!!!!

What is so funny is that I only entered one time.... and as most of you know I entered SEVERAL times when Rach and Caroline had their giveaways! So, you never know!

I will post a pic of me wearing the necklace when I receive it!

Lachiem!!!

Tap Class

2009-11-11T15:48:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don't know:

I am teaching an after school tap class for 12 at risk 2nd grade girls. We have been having class for about 5 weeks I think and it has been wonderful! The smile on those girls faces when they get to make noise with their taps is priceless. They are doing really well at learning their steps, following directions, and even keeping their feet quiet while I am talking! I had one little girl write for her teacher that her favorite thing to do at school and at home was tap dance! That was wonderful to hear! I am really hoping that this will give them hope and encouragement to try new things and be creative. Most of them come from homes where they aren't encouraged to work hard, do their best, get exposed to art, or smile and get and give hugs and encouraging words....but in our class we smile, laugh, encourage each other, give hugs, be positive,work hard, and get creative. Hopefully the Lord will use our 45 minutes once a week to make lasting impacts on these girls futures!

I love black and white films, big band music, 50's and 60's music, Fred Astaire, Ellenor Powell, Frank, etc,etc......and these girls no nothing about any of that so I take some time each week to remedy that! Tristan made me a DVD of lots of old black and white tap clips from old movies and I show a clip every week. The girls love it and constantly remark on how old the videos must be! I came across a wonderful video of Ellenor Powell in my search for clips and just have to share it with the blog world. I wish I could have made a career out of tapping like she did! Also, I am such a fan of Ms. Powell that I hope to one day name a daughter after her!

I hope you enjoy the video and that it reminds you to pray for all my little girls!

Click Here to watch the video!

Woodsy Table Scape

2009-11-05T18:09:00.000-08:00

If you didn't know yet that I LOVE to decorate.....now you do! I LOVE IT! And beautiful pictures of creative ideas inspire me soo much. I ran across this pic on a blog a follow called ReNest, and fell in love. Somehow I will re-create this table, in my own way with things I can find here at my home.....somehow...somehow(part of the fun of decorating for me is figuring out how to do things....especially when it involves using something to decorate that usually doesn't have a function relating to decor).

Here is the link to the blog post: Woodsy Table Scape

Tea

2009-11-02T16:33:00.000-08:00

Another must have tradition for the fall is the drinking of tea....and espescially the drinking of tea in the company of people you love!

Here is Tristan and I enjoying some of that warm goodness together.

Check out the contest Caroline Joy Photography is having...tomorrow is the last day to enter.

Holly...she's the perfect fall treat!

2009-11-01T14:43:00.000-08:00

My sister(she is actually my sister-in law.....I hate to put the in-law part on any of my sister-in-laws titles because they are all like real sisters....or what I imagine a sister should be since I don't have a blood sister....by the way...if you include all the Russo girls I have 7 sisters....pretty amazing huh?) Holly came to visit this weekend and we had a wonderful time. She reminds me of fall. She has gorgeous Auburn curly hair like Anne of Green Gables, and Holly herself goes perfectly with any fall color! She loves fall just as I do and enjoys the smells, the colors, fall attire, folk music, the fall weather etc....so I would have to say that spending time with her is one of my favorite fall traditions.

I love you Holly!!!!

Don't forget to check out:

Caroline Joy Photography

for an AWESOME give-away!

Fall Folk

2009-10-31T10:10:00.000-07:00

Caroline,

I LOVE folk music and my favorite folk band(www.waterdeep.com) usually plays every year in October at Common Grounds in Waco. A few weeks ago Tristan and I got to go to their show. It was Tristan's first time to see them live. It was a wonderful experience. I have to say that Folk music in the fall is one of my favorite "fall traditions". I always feel folk really comes alive in the fall.....the colors, the smell, the weather...are enhanced by the music and vise versa! Below is the only picture we got at the show before the camera died!

Don't forget that my fall posts are entries are for caroline joy photography's give away and you can enter too!

I have to say Caroline that it has been fun blogging about my Fall Fave's...but I can't wait for it to be November 4th!

Another Fall delight...

2009-10-29T16:40:00.000-07:00

Caroline,

I also LOVE to burn candles during fall(well...all year really but especially during the fall)....candles that smell fallish at that! There is something about the flickering light and the smell that just makes a place feel cozy!

Catch your chance to wrap up in Autumn--Anthro style--at http://www.carolinejoyblog.com

Check out Caroline Joy Photography:

www.carolinejoyblog.com

Momma, this is for you!

2009-10-28T19:51:00.000-07:00

I keep telling my mom about all my garage sale finds and my little crafty creations, and she has been asking for pictures of the changes that have made around my house since August.......so here they are momma. I hope you enjoy it. But, just promise me you will come see it for yourself very soon! ok? : )

First off we re-arranged the bedroom a bit:

This is our new bedspread. I bought it from Goodwill for 6.00.....It's old and looks like I bought it from Anthropologie!

This is the buffet that we found in that front yard weeks after I had wanted and seen it at an Estate Sale. It was 15.00 and Tristan put some extra money, time, and beautiful craftsmanship to make it look like it does today....I LOVE IT!!!!
These are pics of Fall decor in the Dining Room. It's been up for about 3 weeks but won't be up much longer though because though I love fall....I LOVE Christmas even more!!!

The Buffet again!

The next pictures are the ones momma that I know you have really been wanting to see:

The Living Room. Which we actually live in now...with each other and with friends. It's been perfect to have the extra seating because we have had 15 people filling the room every week for lifegroup. That white couch it the one Tristan surprised me with that he bought for $20.00. He's amazing isn't he?
The white chair from Pom Pom has an old suitcase filled with my growing collections of things for little ones.
Finally got photos on the wall.

Thanks for those NEST letters momma....I love them! Oh...the bench on the right is the crushed Gold Velvet one that I was telling you about that I got at a garage sale for $20.00 in Abilene while Tristan was taking his GMAT.

This is the canvas painting Tristan and I made together.
The used Ikea sofa we found on Craigslist. Oh and the lampshades on the two lamps are the ones I had showed you that I wanted....I found them on Clearance......so thankful I waited. God cares about every detail huh?

This is MY special chair for reading(all sorts of things....including Let's Make a Memory ) and crocheting...I love it. It was to me the final piece to make the room sing. I had passed up, or missed purchasing several chairs...but kept praying for the right one. To some this may not be the prettiest chair you have ever seen...but like the other items God brought our way it was an answer to prayer. It rocks(perfect for rocking babies some day), and swivels...is super comfy and was only 5 dollars. And, the old man we bought it from was a kindred spirit. I think of him often when I sit in it! Oh....the stool in front of it came from an estate sale for $1.00.

We are so blessed and so thankful for all these finds. Our God is good, sweet....thoughtful! We have seen that over and over again in our marriage....which by the way...as of tomorrow will be 2yrs old in 2 months!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Like I said.....He is good!!!!

Pecans

2009-10-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

Caroline,

Another fall fave for me....is something I have only started doing in the past few years since I have had a house in Brownwood....PECAN picking! I love being outside in the grass and watching the buckets begin to overflow. Also, nuts are healthy snacks, great to use for cooking and UBER expensive, so it's wonderful to get them for free(so to speak). The picture above is one of me from today outside picking pecans! Fall bliss!!!

www.carolinejoyblog.com

Contest!

2009-10-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

Blog readers I am entering a contest for a gift card that Caroline Joy Photography is giving away!

Caroline,

My favorite fall tradition is to DECORATE for fall! When the weather changes, I am ready for the colors and decor to change in my house as well. Just for you(and as a teaser for my mom of decor changes I have made to my house) Caroline is a picture of me decorating for fall!

Check Caroline Joy Photography out at: www.CarolineJoyBlog.com

Day Two-Northwest Roadtrip 2009

2009-10-25T06:23:00.001-07:00

So day two and the morning of day three was spent in Canon City Colorado at Tristan's oldest sister's. Heather is an amazing hostess. We woke up and she had an Amazing breakfast fixed for us out on the back porch(see video below for a description of the meal). It was delicious and sitting outside was amazing.....I can never get enough of the Colorado air. We spent the day in Florence, Co going to little shops and such and then Tristan and I set out for a hike. It took us forever to get to the base of the trail and once we were there it started to rain with lots of thunder and lightning which is amazing to watch when you are surrounded by mountains. So we headed back to Heather's(check out her blog at http://heathershoresincolorado.blogspot.com/)and got cleaned up and headed into Colorado Springs with Heather. She took us to an English Pub that the insides of it were very old and were imported from England. It was beautiful. There were people from all sorts of places and lots of families. They passed out song books and a piano man led us in music. The whole pub was singing it was so much fun. Without us knowing Heather went and told someone that worked at the pub that Tristan was GREAT at playing and singing the piano man.....so the actual Pub piano man(who even dressed like a real pub piano dude) came up to our table and asked Tristan to play...after a lot of coaxing Tristan agreed. He did an amazing job and the whole pub was singing along and VERY impressed with Tristan's talent. If only Stacy Baliey wold have been there with her harmonica it would have been just perfect! We had a very peaceful time in Colorado...but our visit there was just to short! We love you Heather, thanks for the perfect hospitality! We love you!

The two things below are videos...if you can't watch them in your e-mail go to the actual blog(tristanandmelissa.blogspot.com).

Excuses

2009-10-19T18:47:00.001-07:00

So, I haven't blogged in a while because it takes SOOO long to do it! I am still trying to figure out a way to upload the pics and videos quickly. As of right now it is not a quick process and I pretty much refuse to post without media. I just don't have an hour a day to devote to blogging at this time....and until Tristan and I figure out a quicker way to do it....just hang in there. I am returning! And, updates in the future will include the rest of our NW trip, Bethany and John Ryan's wedding(although I have very little pics), fall happenings, and new pictures of my house!

Until then check out one of my new favorite bands on youtube: Pomplamoose(it means grapefruit in French)

Love you all,

Melissa

accident.

2009-08-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

do that first video on that last post was the wrong video...sorry!

Videos from Day One

2009-08-08T13:19:00.000-07:00

These arae some videos from day one. For those of you who I have receive these blog posts in your e-mails be sure to visit the blog to watch the videos if they don't come through in the e-mail.
tristanandmelissa.blogspot.com

This first video is of us finally getting out of town. We were excited!!!

Momma, Daddy and John Ryan...this video is for you. Can you guess where we are by our song? We REALLY were sad that you guys weren't with us. Yes, we are making new memoires on our own but it sure doesn't replace the old ones. And we have A LOT of old memories driving these roads with you guys.

This video is of us crossing into Colorado.....I thought I would burst with joy! I LOVE COLORADO! I didn't even care that it was night time and I couldn't see the mountains....I was just happy to be there. There is just something in the air there I tell ya...it's magical!
The only sad part was that I realized it was the first time I had been to Colorado without my parents...after 27 years of traveling to Colorado almost EVERY year it's pretty crazy that I had never been there without them. But, don't worry we are learning how to have fun without our families...but it sure is hard.......so on day two I will share the new memories Tristan and I made together as our own little family unit. Bethany, don't read into that! : )

P.S. Today is Bethany and John Ryan's San Angelo Shower....and Tristan and I are not there.....we are mourning! But, then I just think about the fact that we get to have Bethany forever and I am not AS sad that I am missing this memory. Did ya'll know I ADORE Bethany? Well....now you do! I love you B!

Day One

2009-08-07T12:01:00.001-07:00

So....after a lot of dreaming we eventually decided we were going to make this trip no matter what. Tristan has made this summer a summer of making my dreams come true and this trip is no exception to that. We are having the time of our lives!

These photos are out of order....I still get it wrong every time. oh well! Day one we traveled 12 hours and drove from Brownwood to Canon City Colorado. We left Brownwood at 1:00pm and arrived at in Canon at 12am Mountain Standard Time. It was an exciting day for us being that we were finally on the road. We realized it is an easy drive to Canon and that we need to make it more often.

OUT OF TEXAS!!!!!
Me
Tristan sleeping
Sweet potato lunch in the car...yum!
My Gnome, he travels with me everywhere. I love him. Thanks John Ryan for the Gnome
My 25 road trip cent glasses that I got from a Garage Sale. Perfect!
This is when we started.....when we finish this trip it will say something like 5,000!
Sweet Potato again..
Us.

With love...all the way from Seattle, Wa.....

Tristan and Melissa

Nov 2008-June 2009

2009-07-31T11:58:00.000-07:00

This is the last 7 months in pictures. Although, the pictures are in opposite order(June 2009-Now 2008). I have to catch everything up now that I have iphoto back on my mac, and I want to do it before we leave so I can blog about our trip and not feel bad about the 7 months I neglected. I should have about one or two more posts of updates before we leave.

Reminder: If you are on the list to get these blog updates in your e-mail and you can't view the post well in your e-mail...don't forget this is from and blog so all you have to do is go to:

tristanandmelisssa.blogspot.com

When we visited Rand and Chaira in June all 6 of us went to the Museum of natural Science and History and we even watched an Imax film....the girls were GREAT during the whole thing!

My mom in a really hot dress that I wanted her to get for the wedding but it was too expensive. Momma, maybe it has gone on sale since then?

Tristan, Dr. Hall, and Mr. Summers at the Academy Graduation

Tristan, myself, John Wortham(who we are staying with in Seattle...woohoo), John Ryan and my beautiful sister Bethany.

John Ryan graduated in May from HPU with Summa Cum Laude Honors. I am so proud of him and AMAZED at all the Lord has done in his life.

He's super smart, but also crazy.....and so is his college roomate Josh

Love that smile. : )

We visited Rand and Chiara for the 1st time in March I believe...it was wonderful to meet Sari for the first time...she is BEAUTIFUL!!!

We needed extra space in our kitchen, those industrial shelves make me feel like the real deal!
I made this shirt as a surprise for Tristan and wore it to work on Valentines day to work.
We got to celebrate our 1 year anniversary(and Tristan's birthday and the new year) in Vail...it was wonderful. This is our cake top that my mom sneakily saved for us...it was a great surprise and she wrapped it so meticulously that it tasted fresh...no joke!

My parents were so sweet and kept a tradition that my mom's parents started with them(my p's always celebrated anniversary's in Vail and my Pom Pom and Grandma always paid for them to go out to dinner) and they paid for us to go out to dinner at a VERY nice restaurant! It was fantastic.
On the slopes....our favorite place to be!

Christmas in Lytle
Me messing around on the piano in Lytle
JR got a new MacBook...if you can't tell it was(is) a big deal!

Best Friends

Me with straight hair after B cut me some bangs.
Thanksgiving in Floresville with the Summers...how I love that family!

Tristan's first piece of Pumpkin Pie of the year!

Three of my favorite men at Sarah and Jimmy's wedding! We love Chris Taylor!

A toast to John Ryan and Bethany

2009-07-27T10:07:00.000-07:00

John Ryan and Bethany are getting married VERY soon and Tristan and I couldn't be happier about it. These pictures and videos are a toast to them, the memories we have made together and all the many memories we(us and our kids, grandkids, etc) will make together in the future. The Lord has made our lives rich with joy because of the two of you and we are thankful.

Rejoicing in the day of birth....

2008-12-18T06:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my birthday. I turned 27. It was a perfect day. I spent most of the day working, which is not a bad thing at all. I had love and hugs from 600 kids all day! Being at a place where you love and are loved, is a great place to be for your birthday. I have never had a workplace make my birthday so special. So, I am wholly thankful to God for a place I often call home:Northwest Elementary.

I also received several wishes from the Facebook culture. The birthday feature they have REALLY is nice. It's amazing how many people wish you a happy birthday that otherwise would not if it were not for the networking of Facebook. I am thankful for my Facebook wishes. Oh and I can't forget the other internet love that was sent my way through e-mails and Gail's e-card. I love communicating through e-mail even more than I love communicating through facebook

My phone also rang several times with birthday wishes as well. Those were mostly from family, the ones who are closet to my heart. The two best things about the invention of telephone are that yesterday it allowed me to have a conversation with my momma, even though she is 6 hours away, and I received my second favorite(my first favorite you will hear about last) birthday wish from my dad over the phone. He left me a message(I didn't pick up cause I was already at work) on his way to work. It made me cry. I love my dad and all the birthday traditions of song, flashlight interrogating, and even dancing that he has. I am his princess, there is no doubt about that. I just miss all the streamer decorations, the sleighs and the cookie cakes and cheesecakes that he would buy for me. Although I really think it was his excuse to buy those unhealthy treats so HE could eat some too. I also missed the traditional christmas book from my mom with the notes inside that make my eyes soggy. She always picked one that was a perfect reflection of something from the year before. I love birthday traditions, I think they mean more to me than I thought!

Although I may have never voiced to my husband how special these birthday traditions are, he somehow knew(maybe it's the fact that he would spend the night with John Ryan the nights before my birthday, years before we were even an item). He gave me my favorite birthday wish. Somehow he snuck a flashlight by the bed and as soon as my alarm went off yesterday he turned to me and shined the flashlight in my face(which if you knew this tradition my dad has you would not perceive this as an annoying wakeup call) and did the traditional interrogation that my dad has always done for me for longer than I can remember. He also sang the John Seaman Rendition of Happy Birthday to me. *sigh* It was wonderful. Then he graced my office at lunch with flowers and a special poem. I love his poem, and I love when he writes them for me. I will post the poem at the end. Please read it. And last, he ended the day with a fabulous meal at home at our table. I would much rather have a swanky meal at home, with just him, over any nice restaurant any day. Our best memories of rich conversation have come from our dinners at that table. It's one of my favorite places in the world.

It was a wonderful day, a memorable day. I am 27 years old now. Only 3 years away from 30 and I couldn't be happier. I have no fear of aging because I come behind parents who have made EVERY season of life seem better than the one before. Every day is beautiful, no matter how old you are. I hope that this year I don't take one day for granted, but realize EVERY beauty in it, savor each moment, and see every second as an opportunity to reflect the glory of God!

A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY IT WAS FOR ME!

Disclaimer about the poem: For those of you who don't know, I am a school nurse at an Elementary school. And my days often include volumes of vomit and giving kids clean undies to change into after they have had an accident!

Some Flowers for the Nurse by Tristan Summers

Some flowers for the nurse whose eyes

Alone will make a fever die

And warm the heart with simple gaze

That tempers coldest winter days

Her work not done, she heals a cough

By taking pain and sorrow off

And putting on a coat of care

(Along with some fresh underwear)

Her patients well, she goes to lunch-

But wait! Now here's that little Munchkin

with the topsy-turvy-tummy

Oh my!! Lunch does not sound as yummy

Anymore but with some ginger ale

And hugs and kisses he'll be well

"Now what about that lovesick puppy

I left at home this morning. Will he

E'er get o'er this lovebug spell?

What shall I do to make him well?"

And so she goes about her day

Not cognizant of all the ways

Her tender heart and gentle care

Have ruined this lovesick puppy's fare

Forever :)

Happy Birthday, Nurse Melissa.

My preferred method of transportation

2008-11-25T14:43:00.000-08:00

So I would be happy if I used a bike like this (I would ride everywhere perfectly dressed as she is too) to get me down the road to the local produce market, the park, or the nearest cozy coffee shop(that of course would serve a perfect cup of hot chai).

Dream with me will you?

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/10/09/fashion/20081009_BIKES_4.html

Check out my favorite fashion blog and his glorious photos of fellow city cyclists.

To end my crazy day of India posting...

2008-11-22T06:49:00.000-08:00

I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT!!!! For those of you who don't know. Tristan and I are going back to India. And this time we are leading the LT team ourselves! What a humbling privilege. I am anxious to go back. Anxious to see the people, hear the sounds, see the colors, eat the food, and even smell the smells!

M...the reason why we went to India!

2008-11-22T06:36:00.001-08:00

If you haven't heard M's story ....you need to! I can't really tell it on here but I so wish I could. It is an amazing story of God's power and how "Jesus is genius." Here is Cort at M's. M's mom is helping her put on the Sari the M sewed for her. Cort, you are gorgeous..just the way you are!

What's that? Oh...now you have to put on M's mom's Sari Cort!!!

Oh wait...now we all have to put their Sari's on...oh no..and let them put pink make-up all over our face! WOW. These were people of Peace and this was a precious night!
M, Tris, and M's uncle. M's uncle didn't like us too much, but M did as you can tell by his smile. He loved us, and he loves and follows Someone now. If for nothing else I can't wait to go back to India just to see M...and his family!

LT 2008-4th of July

2008-11-22T06:14:00.000-08:00

I LOVED our team that God knit together and EVERY SINGLE person that was on it! Our team was in India for 4th of July. Our team spent the night at a friends enjoying each other and eating fabulous food. The picture below is of everyone ooogling over Joeli right before she eats her FIRST EVER bites of food(yummy rice cereal). I love this baby girl with all my heart and I know that she will be a women like the prophet Joel who she was named after.

This is Lauren making a crazy face. You gotta love this girl! She is half French, speaks French, loves French culture, is an Elementary school teacher, is a crazy rock climber, has gorgeous curly locks, never accepts the status quo, has a brilliant mind and genuinely loves people and Jesus. Tristan and I LOVE Lauren!
Chris and Yohanna came to India from Germany. They are two of the most genuine people I have ever met.

Kathy, there are no words to describe her. No matter who you are you will LOVE her! We did!

This is me and Court showing off our Mendi(Henna tats). Courtney, she is my sister, and a soul mate forever. I will always love this woman, and will be inspired by her forever. I need to call her, I miss her!

Family and Friends

2008-11-22T06:09:00.000-08:00

beauty

2008-11-22T06:03:00.000-08:00

Beautiful women and children in a special school being started in the slums. This is true beauty!

Father God, you have shed your tears for Mother India....

2008-11-22T05:37:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more pictures to end my postings on India. This First picture is of Lauren, Tristan and I at an HC we attended and led while in Mumbai(Bombay). This was a night of genuine worship, sincere fellowship, delicious food, and enjoyment of hilarious personalities! What great joy. Lauren, Tris and I were often in groups to lead HC's...I think the three of us made a great team. We would trade off jobs with each other and work on developing our different gifts. One of us would bring the word, one or two of us would share a testimony, and then one of us would keep the flow of things or lead worship. It was challenging to plan a whole evening quickly, and we never knew when we might be leading an HC so we always had to be prepared wherever we went.

This second picture is interesting because it says first class, and if you would have ridden in first class and never seen that sign you would have never known you were in First Class. The trains in Mumbai are crazy full in the other classes, people are all kids of squished together. Funny thing is we thought First class was crowded as we stood squished by people in every direction, with no room to move. But, when we saw the other classes they were some how even worse. People were basically on top of each other. Indian's know how to utilize space, an they don't have personal space bubbles......I love them! There seems to be an unending supply of things to learn from our Eastern friends!

Tristan and I with Hailey and Gail....The HPU peeps!

Cool carved tree we found.....
I will never forget the women here and their breathtaking faith....

I am a bad blogger

2008-11-07T14:24:00.001-08:00

So after we spent 10 days in Dehli we trained to the North east of India and then drove about an hour in a car from the 60's up winding, steep, mountains driving through the clouds and stopping a long the way for people who were having bowel issues! But it was so worth it when we reached our destination up in the foot hills of the Himalayas! After being in Delhi, one of the most populous cities in the world, it was bliss to be in the mountains!! Here are a few pics of what we saw.

We worked amongst a UPG that does lots of farming in the mountains. In the pic above you can kind of see the farming terrain. It's beautiful.

Like I said...we were in the clouds....amazing!

There were monkeys like these everywhere

More to come on what we did there....

Just two

2008-10-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

I just have these two more pics from our first 10 days in Dehli. Then hopefully tomorrow I will be able to post on Mousorri! I have a few more videos but Tristan has to show me how to compress them before they are postable! What would I ever do without that man? That is a thought I rather not have!

In this picture I am holding up a piece of paper

that Lauren used to tell some AMAZINGLY well

prepared Bible stories. She is a elementary

school teacher and was GREAT at teaching kids.

We were at an orphanage in this picture. One thing

I remember about this place was how much food they fed us.

They gave us some amazing stew, dal, and rice and then shortly after lunch they gave us Samosas(which are delicious, but really rich

and huge) and Chai. All so yummy, but would have been a lot more enjoyable on an empty tummy and on a day that wasn't 110 degrees!

This is a picture we took of ourselves while riding

a pedal rickshaw. Notice hoe HUGE my noes ring is.

This was before I was able to get a small one.

Although, compared to most of the nose rings

the women wear mine was small. WOW!

That didn't hurt!

2008-10-12T18:33:00.000-07:00

So here is another part of the story of our Journey in India. I did something customary in Indian culture for every woman: I got my nose pierced! Here Courtney, Myself and Kathy are in a beauty parlor about to embark on the adventure together. I think we were all excited, but also very nervous. Kathy went first, and she said it was painful so I was really nervous.....but then I went and it didn't hurt a bit for me....so I think Cort was not sure what to expect!!! Everybody is different when it comes to these things. Ladies, I am so happy to have shared this memory with you! These two pictures are of us waiting with anticipation and the video is the actual event. It's quite entertaining!

Warm friends and coffee...

2008-10-06T16:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures from India. These are all still in Dehli during the first 10 days of the trip. These pictures are full of warm memories for us that we will never forget!

Me drinking somthing really yummy that Cort recomended.

This picture(and the next) was supose to got at the bottom of this post...but it went up here instead and I couldn't figure out how to move it.
Cort and I goofing off with coffee in our veins

M, a few of her girls and I at M's home for girls....I LOVED this place and these girls

Tristan on campus at Dehli University with Awar and some students there

Tristan and a student at Dehli University....Tristan was the first American he had ever seen in person

The Tali Plate...our favorite dish at Nirula's(Indian Fast Food Place)

Tristan, Cort and I had some free time and we found a coffee shop to relax in.....we had a wonderful time here getting to know Courtney

and the journey continues...

2008-09-29T14:38:00.000-07:00

here are a few more photographs

our team(minus Lauren, Mark, C,L, and J) out for a meal at CP...CP is where all the bombings recently(2 weeks ago) took pace in Dehli. The Father really protected us because we were at CP ALL the time.

The streets of of Dehli

Walking together in a Market

Sometimes the drainage systems aren't the best

Tristan at the Taj......I was back in the bathroom in Dehli with the big D!!

Fun Times!!!!

my computer is back...

2008-09-28T17:33:00.000-07:00

which means more updates and posts again. we are working on getting all the photos back on, so those(the photos) may come slowly. we are so thankful for how God provided ways for my computer to come back to life, it is my networking hub that i love to use to help re-connect the body of Christ.

here is the beginning of our journey to India.

About to board at DFW.
Finally there after 36 hours of travel
Our precious welcome team!
Chad, Leslie, and Joeli. We praise God that connected us with this family.

more moments to come, so please come along for the journey......

more pics

2008-06-04T09:11:00.001-07:00

here are a few more pics...

sick computer and sick husband.

2008-06-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

my computer has been broken for a few weeks and is "away" getting fixed, so I haven't had any way to post lately. adub is letting me borrow his computer today so i will try to give a generous update.

from here on out there might be some posts to the blog that seem vague. this is for security purposes. please be careful during this time while we are away to be careful what you say when you reply to the blog and what you say when you e-mail us while we are away.

tristan started feeling sick yesterday and got worse as the day progressed. today he feels worse and just went to go take a nap. please lift him up. we are leaving in 2 days and he has a lot of work to do in those two days.

for those of you who hadn't heard, we have received all our support money. it was amazing to see how He provided for us. He provided so quickly. within two weeks we had all we needed! we are still amazed and humbled by His provision through the generosity of His children. THANK YOU.

in other news, tristan and i went to lytle and corpus the past week. it was so refreshing to be with family(that includes katie and avery). it made us realize how much we miss all of you. we are so thankful for the fellowship he has given us with family. the main reason we traveled was for mike and alana's wedding. it was a wonderful celebration and such a joy to see them finally joined together. we are so excited about what He has in store for their family.

the most exciting thing i have to post today is: HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!!!

today is my dad's birthday, so be sure to wish him a happy birthday. i am so thankful for you daddy, and the healthy and vibrant life He has given my you. daddy, you are such a blessing, joy and inspiration to our lives and we love you so much!!!!

be sure to take note of my beautiful cousin julia in the pictures. she was such a joy to be around and we were sad to leave her.

Oh the little things.

2008-05-01T08:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Tristan received Junior class favorite at the non-academic awards. I am so proud, but humbled at the same time because these kind of things just keep happening to us EVERY day and it's quite surprising! We just giggle sometimes because we really haven't done anything to deserve all these little blessings. We really see God working to really connect us with people on campus as things keep falling into place. With Tristan receiving the Sumners Scholarship he will have a lighter load giving him more time to focus on the things he is studying instead of spreading himself so thin with 22 classroom hours a semester. Tristan becoming Student Body President is also another way that we see God forming great connections for us. As SBP Tris will be working closely with Dr. Marsh the head of student life and Tristan and I are REALLY looking forward to this because we love Dr. Marsh and think we can learn a lot from him. So many blessings! It is so humbling. We serve a mighty God!

Tomorrow starts Tristan's first final....AGHH!!! Please... Please.... Please.... be praying for him over this next week. He really desires to finish strong and would love make all A's again(we are hoping to keep his GPA up high so he can apply for scholarships and such for grad school). I am confidant he will do excellent but he is not as hopeful as I!

As the semester draws to a close are excitement about India is growing! We will be on a plane in less than 40 days traveling farther than either of us have ever been. We can't wait. As of right now we have raised 1,540...We praise you Lord for your grace in this! Chad called today and said 2,000 more has come in...but I am not adding it to the report until they send us the official amount and who the donors were by e-mail. Neither of us have raised support before and it has been such a humbling and joyful experience thus far!

April 29th made 4 months of marriage for us. What a joy it has been! On the 29th little Elliot was 3 moths old too. He has been such a joy to take care of. Babysitting is VERY good for us, especially me. Yesterday, we used one of the many awesome carriers that Isaac and Siobhan(Elliot's parents) have and we walked to church with Elliot on my back. We loved every moment of it. He was looking all around at EVERYTHING and talking up a storm!

Here are a few pics of the little one....

a few more.

2008-04-26T15:15:00.000-07:00

our place of rest.

2008-04-26T14:42:00.000-07:00

Our bedroom, is my favorite room in our house. I haven't hung photos yet in the room, but other than that, it is the most completed room in our house. It is a haven, and I feel overwhelmed with grace and mercy every time I am in it because Tristan and I didn't pay a penny for ANYTHING in it! We were so blessed with so many gift cards and money from our wedding, that our whole room is one huge gift! Thank you so much to all of you who made this bedroom possible. And thank you to those who are being patient with me as I slowly get all my thank you notes done. I think I have let myself enjoy being a wife and having a home a little too much that I have neglected writing my notes in a timely manner! But I am almost finished.

why?

2008-04-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

why "warm, unending summers"? this may sound lame but well our last name is summers and warm and summer go hand and hand and well warmth and the summers(us) does too because we love warm weather. we also figure that our summers will always be warm and this upcoming summer is no exception but is only the start of the warm unending summers of the summers family(which tristan and i officially are)!

p.s. i hope to be uploading pictures of our house and telling significant stories about God's faithfulness in our lives thus far as a married couple to get everyone up to date before i start posting india updates and prayer requests. so please keep coming back for more!

home again...

2008-04-24T16:18:00.000-07:00

well, tristan is back from san francisco and so is my laptop. hopefully this means new posts will be appearing frequently...so here is a short one just to start things off.