Whew!

What a week! Last Friday morning, Dan & I boarded a plan (bright & EARLY I might add) for Kansas City and were able to spend some wonderful time with my family at home in Missouri. We had a wedding on Saturday - my lifelong friend Katie Kimberling (congrats Katie & Devin!), then enjoyed some much needed time with family and friends the rest of the long weekend.

Dan had to go back Monday evening, but because of my new umemployed status, I was able to stay until Thursday evening! I can't tell you how refreshing it was to just be home, to spend time with Mom, Grandma & Grandpa, Paige & Torri, old friends....to sit on the porch & read my book while the birds & deer roam about me...to look at baby stuff with my Mom...to let Mom cook for me...it was a wonderful time. For whatever reason I really didn't take but a couple of pictures, so if you'd like to see some of the festivities, take a look at my sister's blog.

I got back Thursday night and spent yesterday playing catch-up here at home. Dan's sister Jewel is coming to visit for a few days (arriving in just a couple hours!), so I've been busy getting this house in order. While it's always work, it feels so good to have a clean home at the end of it! And a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls waiting on the counter :)

I better run - still a few things left to do and I just realized I should maybe take a shower...I look about like my house did a few hours ago! Sorry for the lack of posting, but it may be a few more days before life settles down enough for me to really get back into the swing. Or am I really ever in the swing of this blogging thing? Don't answer that. I promise I'll be back!

New Beginnings

I've been putting off writing this post because I'm still not quite sure how to word it without making the situation sound worse than it is. But I figured I might as well plow forward so I can get on with my blogging life :-)

This past Tuesday, I found out that GMA had decided to make some pretty drastic decisions in an effort to keep the company moving forward. Included in this was the decision to eliminate the programming department, which means that my position along with my boss's no longer exist. So as of Friday, myself along with 3 other (former) GMA employees closed the books on our time at GMA.

Great news? Not exactly. I've loved my job these past 3 years, and have especially enjoyed the people I have gotten to work with. But honestly...things could be SO much worse. As many of you know, I had already made the decision to stay home once the baby comes in September, so Dan and I had been working towards that arrangement anyway. This just speeds up the process a bit more than expecting :)

So what am I planning to do, you might ask? As of now, I am counting the time off as a blessing that I could not have experienced any other way. I have so much that I want to accomplish before baby girl makes her appearance, and in many ways this time feels like a gift that will enable me to make that happen. I've played with the idea of trying to find some sort of employment for the summer, even just part time, but the more Dan & I have talked and prayed about the options, we both feel at peace with the decision to just enjoy the time and not endure the stress of trying to find another job for such a limited amount of time.

So here I sit on this beautiful afternoon enjoying a nice breeze coming in through my window and listening to my last load of laundry whir away upstairs. For the first time in a LONG time, I don't think there is a scrap of laundry left in the hamper - and that feels great! I enjoyed lunch with a friend this afternoon without the pressure of getting to and from work in a short amount of time, and I am looking forward to having some friends over for dinner tonight -- and having more than 20 minutes to put everything together.

I have time to read, to think, to pray. I believe this is but a very brief window of time God has given me as a chance to breathe, and time that I know I will never get back. So while I am sad about the lay-off and the abrupt ending, I am also at peace, knowing God has everything under control. This was His plan all along, so I figure, I might as well enjoy the ride!

Drumroll please...

Looks like there is going to be a lot of pink around our home in the near future :-)

Today is the day!

Many of you have asked, and yes, today is the day we find out the sex of the baby!! But don't be too anxious to see a post...it will probably be a day or two before it the news makes it to blog land. I promise to keep everyone in suspense at least until then :)

Sand & Sun

What a week! It's hard to believe we were really just in sunny paradise, lying under our tiki hut and enjoying the simple fact that we were together with nowhere to be and no time limits on anything. We had an absolutely fabulous time, and I still can't believe how incredibly beautiful it was. I felt like we were hanging out in a post card! Here are a few pictures from our time in Aruba:

A view of our resort

the fabulous tiki huts where I spent most of my time!

Pelican Pier - a cool little restaurant on the water where we had a snack one evening

Out for a stroll...in front of a very cool-looking resort called the Riu

Lunch at Moomba's - this fun restaurant right on the beach under a HUGE tiki hut

my wonderful breakfast chef with our pancakes and bacon ready on the balcony

the view from our balcony

a romantic dinner with our toes in the sand at a seafood restaurant called Hadicurari



the view from our table

Baby J enjoyed Aruba very much! Here we are at the half-way point - 20 weeks!

hiding from the intense sun under a Divi Divi tree - this was the day we went snorkeling



Arashi Beach where we went snorkeling - my favorite day of the trip!

the beautiful Italian restaurant overlooking the Caribbean - we were quite hungry after our snorkeling adventures!

This picture really requires its own post...our little "excursion" into the desert

taking in the view

This trip was truly a blessing to us - one I never imagined we'd be able to experience. We are so thankful for the opportunity and will not soon forget all of the wonderful memories of Aruba.

Aruba, Jamaica...

I can't even believe this, but Dan & I are off to Aruba in the morning!! We head out early and if all goes smoothly, we'll be laying on the beach by tomorrow afternoon....ahhhh.

We are so incredibly blessed to have this opportunity, and while it feels a bit extravagant, we just felt like we couldn't pass this up. Dan's Doctor offered us the use of his time share, and when Aruba seemed to have one of the only openings available for the week we could go, we decided to go for it! I'm so excited to have this time for just the two of us...as I don't plan on doing anything like this for a good long while after we become the three of us. Of course, I guess Baby J is along for the ride, so we'll have stories to share someday of baby's first vacation :)

I'll have lots of pictures and stories to share when I get back, I'm sure. Until then, I hope you all have the Beach Boy's song stuck in your head and think of us enjoying the sunshine and sand!