Waiting Game

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So, fast-forward six months. We’ve now found out that our little darling is in fact a little boy. We’ve wrestled over work decisions, mine and Ben’s, resulting in a company change for Ben and an out-of-the-blue offer for me to go part-time, working mostly from home once I come back from maternity leave. We’ve laughed, cried (ok, I’ve cried), and looked forward to moment when we’d get to meet our little one. And here we are.

Yeah. 4 days. As in, it really could be tomorrow, but the doctor doesn’t really think it will be. I’m still working, which means that I’m pretty much useless by the time that I get home. Couch sitting is something that I’ve gotten very good at. We did actually go for a walk around the neighborhood on Tuesday night to try and get my body moving. My hands have been swollen (the right much more than the left) and that has made it really hard to get much work done. Yesterday, I went and sat in our friend’s massage chair. We’re talking a really nice massage chair. As in, he reviewed it for his magazine kind of massage chair. That may be going on the schedule again along with the walking. Mostly, it is just waiting…not so patiently. See, here I am waiting:

Really, I’m just ready to hold him, to meet him. To see what he will be like, what he will look like. Everyone keeps telling me that he better have red hair, but I’ll love him if it is red, blonde, or brown. So, we’ll just be here waiting until he decides it is time to arrive. Then expect the pictures to start flowing in!

Oh baby! (Part 2 of the story)

As soon as I got home from IL, I called the doctor and set up an appt. They told me that I needed to wait until I was at least 7 weeks, which put us at the week of Thanksgiving by the time they were able to fit us into the doctor’s schedule. I had to wait a whole month? Really?

The month came and went and there we were in the doctor’s office on a Tuesday morning. The ultrasound tech focused in on my belly and quickly said, “Usually I say, ‘See that little peanut there?’ But that’s not a peanut, that’s a baby! I’d say you’re more like 12 weeks along!”

I had almost made it through the first trimester without much hoorah. We excitedly told our families when we made our great Thanksgiving Day loop around central Florida. (Lakeland to Orlando for “supper” to Ocala for dinner and back to Lakeland) Once the family knew, we told our friends via some fun “bun in the oven” text messages. I made the official public announcement the following Monday, which was my birthday. What an exciting way to celebrate my birthday!

Back from Hiatus

{I've been holding this post until I write the 2nd half and apparently I need the extra motivation of it actually being out there in order to write the rest!}

So, the 2 of you that read this blog will have noticed that I took quite the hiatus from blogging. I have had quite an interesting time in the last 6 months. It all started back in October when after several whirlwind weeks (consisting of a bachelor party for Ben and then both of us heading to Kentucky for his best friend’s wedding), we were preparing to head up to my 10-year college reunion. One friend had picked up Holly and Ben was preparing Baxter to take him to another friend’s house. I really wasn’t feeling very good when he left, but I shrugged it off. Before he got back I had gotten sick…for the first time in over 6 years. And that was from food poisoning. It was already fairly late in the evening and I had a 6 am plane to catch. I started scrambling through the cabinets in the bathroom only to find that the box that should have contained a pregnancy test was empty. When Ben walked back in I told him what had happened and asked him what he thought. He said, “Well, we’ll just have to see.” He dropped me off at the airport dark and early the next morning and said goodbye until later that night. (He was catching the last flight out after work that day.)

I made it safely to St. Louis and made my way to my best friend, Stacey’s house on the Illinois side of the river. I told her my concern and we were both nervous and excited. I played with her girls and went to lunch with them. On our way into Greenville for the Homecoming Parade and Choir Concert, I stopped at Tarjay and picked up a pack of tests, excited to take them the next morning when Ben was there. We enjoyed more good times with old friends and I headed back to St. Louis to pick Ben up at the airport. As soon as we got to the hotel, we passed out, knowing that we’d have a packed day on Saturday.

Saturday morning, we got up and I took two tests and they both immediately showed 2 lines. As in no waiting- immediately. I came out in tears to Ben. Happy tears. Trying for 17 months tears. I texted Stacey like I told her I would. We went about our schedule as planned. I showed Ben the campus and took him by all of the special spots. That is until I got tired. I now knew the reason that I hadn’t been able to get through the day without needing a nap. I now had a good reason to go back to the hotel and take a good long nap before the Reunion Banquet. Even better, I now had a good reason why I had to buy new jeans to wear to the reunion. So many questions were answered with those 2 little lines. I did take one more test when we got back just to be sure and yes; it too immediately showed those 2 little lines.

The banquet was wonderful and so was the informal class gathering at our class sponsor’s house. My head, however, was spinning. Ben was grinning and proud. Our little family was growing. We headed back home the next morning after a brief stop at the Gateway Arch (which was closed) and the old Courthouse (which was not closed). The next part of our story came about a month later…

(To be continued)

Really, I'm still here

I promise. I am. I know that I haven't blogged in for.ev.er. I've been really crazy busy working on fabulous things like this and this for work. We (not as much me, but I've been helping with some of the admin stuff) have also been working on an App for Trinity and Community Bible Reading. {Available on Android right now and on iPhone soon!} We also just finished the October Newsletter!

In other news, Monday was Ben’s and my 2nd anniversary! {P.S. I hate trying to figure out the proper way to write that. I know that is the correct way, but it looks weird} Things are a little tight right now, as Ben hasn't had a job since the 23rd (*see below), so I tried to make an anniversary dinner at home for him. It didn't turn out so well. Thankfully, I knew that my parents were sending us some money for us to go out to dinner, so we did just that! Ben took me to Smokey Bones where we watched the Rays lose Game 3 of the ALDS. {Note: This is the other thing I've been spending time on - watching and cheering on my Rays!}

*Yeah, I forgot to mention that. The company that Ben was with since July didn't have enough work to support the employees, so they had to lay them off. It stinks, but God has been faithful in providing other opportunities for Ben to do small jobs (and some not-so-small jobs) here and there.

Moving on! My mom, my aunt Donna and I also went to The Barn for their Fall Opening on Saturday! The morning was absolutely gorgeous and when I left the house it was 57 degrees. In Florida. I know. We walked around and looked at beautiful things like this:


And when we got hungry, we stopped on The Back Porch for a little lunch.


It really was a fabulous day. I love getting the chance to hang out with my mom and my aunt.

And now comes the part where I say that I won't let it be a month before I post again. Really. I'll try really hard.

Busy, busy, dreadfully busy

In the last month, my life has been crazy. Let's see...

Easter weekend we had 2 surprise birthday parties for the same awesome person! Below is a picture from the 2nd party. It was a 1950s theme.



Then, of course, it was Easter morning! We had two services and got to play some great music.


Easter Morning


Me & Ben

We also had Easter dinner with some fabulous friends.

The following weekend was our church's Women's Retreat on Clearwater Beach. I worked on the folders for the Retreat:


In Process


Finished Product!

It was a great retreat. I spent Saturday afternoon looking at this:



I also brought along some of my favorite items from some of my favorite shops:


Covered Notebook from The Pleated Poppy & Blue Floral Travel Mug from Monogram Chick

{I'll post some more pics from the Retreat tomorrow with a "What I Wore Wednesday" post.}

The weekend after that we went to ANOTHER surprise {belated} birthday party for a friend who was back in town. It was Mayfaire weekend here in Lakeland. Ben & I went down to Lake Morton on Saturday morning and took Holly-dog with us. She had a great time.


Ben & Holly-dog

We ran into our friends, Patty and Mickey, when we were about halfway around the lake and she let me borrow her hat since they were leaving and she didn't want me to burn myself. I need to find a hat like hers...




That night, Ben & I went back down to Lake Mirror for the Festival of Arts & Athletes. It was a beautiful evening and we had a great time, even though we didn't stay too long.


Lake Mirror at Sunset

The next day was Mother's Day and we went to Orlando to take my mom and aunt (& dad and brother) out to dinner.

This past weekend we went to St. Augustine with a group of friends for the Woodmen of the World Florida Jurisdictional Conference. We are all in the lodge together. Friday night, we went to dinner at the Creekside Dinery. {I'm borrowing some of these pictures from my wonderful friend, Gretchen, who actually knows where her camera is.}


Creekside Dinery (courtesy of Gretchen)


Me & Laura (courtesy of Gretchen)


Allie & Jen (courtesy of Gretchen)

We stayed at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine. Here are some views from the condo we stayed in and the hotel where the conference was:


From the front of the condo


From the balcony (through the screen)


From the pool at the hotel

On Saturday afternoon, all 9 adults and 3 kids braved downtown St. Augustine only to get stuck in a thunderstorm. It was still beautiful, though.



That night, we had a banquet that was a 1920s-1940s theme. I only have one picture from that night. I wish that I had gotten one of me & Ben, but this one of me and sweet Amelia is pretty great!


(Credit to Gretchen again, in more ways than just the picture taking!)

So, that's what I've been up to and why I've been hiding from the blogosphere. I've actually been out DOING things! Who knew?!?

a generation gone...

I made it to the hospital this morning at about 8:15 or so. My grandmother wasn't responsive except for the rise and fall of her blood pressure. When the chaplain came in to pray with her and read the 23rd Psalm, her blood pressure shot up. It's amazing what our bodies can do. They took her breathing tube out around 10:00 because that is what she had wanted. They wouldn't have put one in, in the first place, had they known she had a DNR. Or at least that's what I understood. So, my mom, my aunt Donna, my aunt Sunshine, pastor Aaron, and 2 family friends stood there with her and prayed with her. My mom and I sang to her for a bit. "Soon and Very Soon" seemed like the appropriate song. At 11:00, she finally let go and went to be at home and at rest. I'm sad, but I'm not at the same time. She is out of pain. She is experiencing the one thing that we all long for. I listened to Andrew Peterson's "The Far Country" on the way to the hospital this morning and some of David Crowder's "A Collision" and "B Collision" as well. All of those speak of our home so poignantly. It helps to have that.

my grandmother...

I don't really know what to write at this point, but I feel like I need to write. My mom called me this evening and I missed her call. After an hour of trying to reach her, I finally got ahold of her on my aunt's cell phone. They were at the hospital with my grandmother. She had a heart attack and had fallen and hit her head. She was not doing well. They weren't sure how much longer she'd be able to hold on. That was at 8:30. It's 11:00 now and I haven't heard anything more from my mom. I know that she lived a long and full life. It's been close to 15 years since her husband, my granddaddy passed away and I know that she's ready to be with him and ready to be with the Lord. It's still hard. She is the last grandparent that I have. It's been just over a month since my grandpa on my dad's side passed away. So, that's where I am right now. Not really sure what I'm feeling, what I'm doing. I'll write more when I know more.

my grandpa...

Today is my dad's birthday. He is 54 today. And as he said to me this afternoon, at least he's still "driving under the speed limit" for another year. This morning, his dad, my grandpa, Benjamin Franklin Mann, passed away at 4:45 am. He was 89. I didn't know him all that well because weren't up in Orlando all that much and when we were, we would usually spend one afternoon over at his house. I do know that he was a proud man. I pulled out all of my family history papers that I've collected over the years and this is that they said regarding him:

He was born in Boston in March of 1917. He enlisted as an army private in March of 1941. He married my grandma, Mae Dolores Sacki, on Aug. 14, 1943 in GA. He was a Browning automatic gunner and a radio operator. In 1943, he transferred to the Army Air Corp for training as an aerial navigator, resulting in his commission as a second-lieutenant. During World War Two, he was stationed in Italy and flew 43 combat missions in Europe as a navigator. His last mission was on May 7, 1945, the day before the war ended. He made the military his career for 29 years- 15 as Chief Warrant Officer, 4 as a commissioned officer with the Reserve rank of Lt. Colonel, and the last 10 as a Master Sergeant. His overseas stations were in Italy, Ankara and Izmir (Turkey), and West Berlin. His man decorations and awards include the Distinguished Flying Cross and four U.S. Air Force Commendation Medals.

I wish that I had known him better. I would have loved to have heard stories about living overseas. It's actually really interesting now, as I think about it, that I would be reflecting on a member of my family who lived a good deal of his life overseas as I am strongly considering the possibility of someday living overseas, whichever sea that ends up being. I'll write more later when I know more.