In nine days I will be with Paul!!! I am so very excited about that =) It will have been nearly six weeks apart ... far too long. But it is much, much better than what it would be if this were an overseas deployment... I don't know how those wives survive the 18 month deployments, and I hope I never find out.

It has been a busy week - I have eaten too much and been on my feet too much!! It is so hard to stay quiet when there is so much exciting stuff going on! =)
Christmas day was a very enjoyable day. I missed Paul, but it was fun to be with my crazy siblings Christmas morning =)
Grandpa and Grandma Crowe and the 'adopted' grandparents - Mr. and Mrs. Nummey - joined us for Christmas dinner. I ended up sleeping most of the afternoon away.

This baby makes me SO tired some days!! I nap most days for 2-4 hours.
On Wednesday I had a check up and the doctor said all is well =) He said my stomach will likely grow another four centimeters - FOUR!!! I am not sure how my stomach will stretch out that much further, it feels stretched to its limits right now =)

Thursday Thirteen #5

1. Willow Tree pregnant belly ornament
2. Nearly one dozen Oprah Book Club books
3. Swaddling blankets for baby! (handmade too!)
4. A little lumber jack jacket for baby
5. Make-up brush set
6. All the little outfits for baby... they are all cute and I can't wait to dress him in them!
7. A tea cup - the start of my collection
8. Jewelry - one can never have enough!!
9. A maternity shirt
10. A sewing basket filled with all the supplies I could need should I decide to take up mending =)
11. The book 'Captivating'
12. Dvds - including "Jack and the Bean Stalk the untold story", "Arabian Nights" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"
13. Scrapbooking supplies for baby's album




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A little of this and a little of that

We have an apartment!!! Woohoo!! I can't wait to get down there and see it! Paul signed the lease for it today.

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Best movie quote "If you fall I will catch you. And if I miss I will sit by your side and nurse you back to health."

-Wolf, on The 10th Kingdom

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I have absolutely no self control. Amanda came over for the evening last night and brought my Christmas present. She told me I could open it if I wanted to, and I asked if she'd opened hers, which I had given to her on Sunday. She said she hadn't... she was trying to wait till Christmas day. So I said I would wait. She said I could open it if I wanted to... but if she could be strong, I could too, right?? Uh... no! She wasn't even gone five minutes and I opened the gift from her. A rather snazzy gift - two different body butters and a full make up brush set and cosmetic bag. Self denial is not my thing.

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This afternoon mum and I went to Mrs. Yuille's where the two of them were hosting a tea for some of the older ladies at the chapel. They made me promise not to "share our secrets or go home and laugh at what we talked about." But I do have to say this - I hope my girlfriends and I have their sense of humor when we're their age! The ladies were a riot. And one of them got engaged just moments before the tea... and didn't tell anyone!! Another lady noticed the ring, and after said engaged lady left, the observant lady asked if anyone knew if she was engaged... seriously, it could have been my girlfriends chattering away excitedly trying to figure out if she was or was not engaged - and if she was why she hadn't told anyone. Mrs. Yuille used her connections and called someone and got a confirmation - the thought to be engaged lady really is engaged! I am pressuming it shall soon be known to all - but all I will say is

"congrats to the engaged lady."

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The baby's kicking has slowed down, and he now seems to be spinning. Whatever it is he is doing inside me I like it =) It feels pretty cool. Only TEN MORE WEEKS till our little guy is born. Woohoo! There are Christmas presents under the tree for him and I am so excited to see what the baby is getting =)

Thursday Thirteen #4

Thirteen Gifts I have bought for different people this year:

1. Calendar
2. Makeup
3. Christmas ornaments
4. Stationary
5. Book
6. Gift card
7. Cologne
8. Picture Frame
9. Shirt
10. DVD
11. Baking
12. Shower Gel
13. Cookbook

... no one knows what is for who though!

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I think I am obsessed

Here's me - I just forgot to add the big belly

Thursday Thirteen #3

Thirteen gadgets I wouldn't want to live without

1. Computer/laptop
2. Digital Camera
3. Cell phone
4. Dvd Player
5. Lights
6. Fridge/Freezer
7. Speakers
8. Hair straightener
9. Electric Kettle
10. Wireless Mouse
11. Washer/Dryer
12. Printer
13. My husband (best gadget I’ve ever owned! He fixes all the other ones. And is cute too.)


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Pictures I found

This was me in Nigeria - the 'international country singer.'

Kristie, Angie and I made that up to discourage a persistent admirer!










One of my girls in Nigeria














I miss him!!

Think our kids will have curls?? We're hoping!

My favourite picture of us!

Paul has been adopted for Christmas day!! I am so happy knowing that he isn’t going to spend the day sitting in his barracks watching movies and eating microwave food all day long. A family from the church invited him to spend the day with them, and I am so grateful that they did =)

He has been faithfully hunting for apartments for us… first floor or second floor? Two bedrooms or three? One bathroom or two? Small kitchen and big bathroom or big kitchen and small bathroom? Closer to work or closer to church? So many things to decide when trying to pick a place to live!
I have complete confidence in his ability to pick our place – I cannot wait to move down there and be with him!

Weird thought – I might actually pick up the cute Georgia accent. It’s too bad I wouldn’t even notice it if I do pick it up.

A Guilty Pleasure Abused

I have come to the conclusion that the enjoyment in reading is found when it is a guilty pleasure, a luxury, or a reward. When you steal time away to read just one more chapter in that gripping book it is enjoyable. When you reward yourself -at the completion of your “to do list” – and sit and finish off that book it is a treat.

But when you have absolutely nothing else to do but sit and read the novelty quickly wears off. Very, very quickly wears off.

I am sure in the months and years to come I will look back at this time with great envy, wishing I had the time to just sit and read all day long.
However right now it is hard to find the enjoyment in reading when there is not much else to occupy my time.
I have been reading quite a bit, but something is lost in the enjoyment and simple pleasure of it when it is all there is for me to do.



One book I recently finished is worth writing about.
A novel by Jodi Picoult entitled Plain Truth. It is the story of Katie, an 18 year old unmarried Amish girl who secretly gave birth to a baby boy that dies of unnatural causes. The body is found in a barn and local authorities are called in and an investigation is launched as to how the baby died.
Katie doesn’t want a lawyer, however a distant relative, Ellie, is a defense attorney who is visiting an aunt to get away from her stressful job and she volunteers to defend Katie.
Ellie moves in with Katie and her family on their farm and it becomes a clash of will, worlds and ethics for both women.
Ellie who is a successful career woman would stoop to any level to win her cases and Katie, whose core being is bound to her faith and to her morals will not allow lies to be told or fabricated in the court room.
The twist though is that Katie does not at first remember having ever been pregnant or giving birth. And she consistently denies any knowledge of how the baby died.
Ellie must work through her own frustrations at the apparent simplicity and ignorance of Katie, gain her trust and stretch her own abilities as a defense attorney.
Katie has to face the harsh realities of an outside world with a system of laws entirely different than that of her Amish ways.

The book was absolutely fascinating.

Thursday Thirteen #2

thirteen seemingly pointless and/or irresponsible things I would like to do:


1. Backpack around the world with Paul
2. Go bungee jumping
3. Go skydiving
4. Get a nose ring
5. Be on a ‘Best Friends’ version of “Wheel Of Fortune” with Paul
6. Do a road trip that covers a good portion of North America
7. Do something memorable in every US state
8. Go white water rafting on some real rapids
9. Cut my hair short
10. Dye my hair blonde
11. Take a cake decorating class
12. Own a pair of shoes in every color and heel type
13. Have my leg hair permanently removed


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