joy has dawned...

"Joy Has Dawned upon the World"
Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart

Joy has dawned upon the world,
Promised from creation—
God's salvation now unfurled,
Hope for ev'ry nation.
Not with fanfares from above,
Not with scenes of glory,
But a humble gift of love—
Jesus born of Mary.

Sounds of wonder fill the sky
With the songs of angels
As the mighty Prince of Life
Shelters in a stable.
Hands that set each star in place,
Shaped the earth in darkness,
Cling now to a mother's breast,
Vuln'rable and helpless.

Shepherds bow before the Lamb,
Gazing at the glory;
Gifts of men from distant lands
Prophesy the story.
Gold—a King is born today,
Incense—God is with us,
Myrrh—His death will make a way,
And by His blood He'll win us.

Son of Adam, Son of heaven,
Given as a ransom;
Reconciling God and man,
Christ, our mighty champion!
What a Savior! What a Friend!
What a glorious myst'ry!
Once a babe in Bethlehem,
Now the Lord of hist'ry.

monthly update!

So...my blogging has been pathetic lately!! (to say the least) But, I just haven't been on the computer much at all. Ok...I take that back...when I have been on the computer lately, I've just been focusing on doing some online shopping for Christmas and for Baby Blakley (yes, we still do not have a name).

In my usual spirit of blogging updates, here goes...

• I just got in my starter pack order of small cloth diapers...I went with fuzzibunz and was excited to have a 25% off coupon to lessen the blow of the purchase. I can't wait for our son to be in them...they are so cute and soft!...any advice on the best thing to use for a diaper pail?...I've gotta get that next.
• I also got our bedding in for Baby Blakley...next purchase, I guess, needs to be a crib! With no surprise to anyone who knows me, it is teal and brown gingham. I love it! I went with something fairly plain so Justin can put his artistic skills to work on the nursery walls...
• ...nursery walls that will be in our very own house!!!! It looks like we will probably be closing on our first (owned) home sometime next week! I can't believe it. Justin has been awesome, handling all the details, so I guess this is kind of sneaking up on me. I've been slowly packing up books, choosing things to give away, and getting myself mentally prepared for another move at Christmas. I'm so excited that we will be in our home before Baby Blakley comes.
• As for some house details...it's an open floor plan, 3 bedroom, 2 bath, with a garage and a (drumroll please)....dishwasher! Merry Christmas to me! I am also pretty excited about the washer and dryer being in the hallway and not on a cold back porch! Can I just say...I'm so excited.
• God has just continually been reminding us how blessed we are lately. If it were up to me, I probably would have not been so patient...for this perfect house. We thought our final option was going to be building a house, so we were so amazed when God led us to this 10 year old home that is so similar to what we would have built. Not to mention the sudden drop in interest rates. God is so good!
• We will soon be living in the town of Jonesville..."across the river" from Elkin! You're all invited over!

productive week! ...with correction!

So...my week in review...

• I turned 27! Monday (can't believe it) and got some great scrapbooking stuff from Justin that I can't wait to check out and these beautiful flowers!
• We had a great Ladies Fellowship meeting on Tuesday night at church...now on to planning for December
• We went with our parents on Monday to look at a house Justin found last week. They love it and we love it!...plans are in the works!
• Two of my closest clients at work had their babies! Praise the Lord!
• I had a great OB appointment...it's hard to believe I only have three weeks left! (Um...hello I must have had a "pregnancy moment!"...I have three MONTHS left! Glad you girls read and commented...no...with three weeks left I doubt I'll even have the patience to bullet everything!) I was told I was measuring "perfectly," so I liked hearing that :) ...It would've really been a productive week if we had decided on a name... but Baby Blakley is still doing great!
• I baked a pumpkin pie...from real pumpkins...tastes pretty good, too!
  

From decorations.......to dessert!!

• Justin has been back and forth on the phone with banks and mortgage companies and the owner of the house we're looking at...things are looking good...I'm so glad he's doing the dirty work, though!


• I decorated for Christmas!! And I'm so glad...it's minimal, because we're hoping to move very soon, but I'm just glad to have my manger scene up and all the beautiful Christmas things. I can't believe we might be moving around Christmas again! Oh well!
  
• We saw Fireproof today - finally! And I cried almost the ENTIRE time ...I should have been warned as the pregnant, already emotional woman that I needed to take plenty of tissues. But, I loved it!

trip on the parkway!

We had a nice day last Thursday to drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was beautiful! We took Jazz and got to enjoy the great views.

Yes, Justin is the bluetooth guy now...gotta say - I need one of these now!

Stone Mountain

photo catch up

So...sorry if you've been staring at pictures of New York for the last few weeks. I haven't had much to say, other than showing pictures of our life for the last couple of weeks and I finally found our camera cord today! (Amazing what you can find when you actually clean up around the house!) Since I've had a lot of requests for "belly pictures"...that's just what you're going to get first!

A few weeks ago I got to see my friend Lindsay (who gave me a great haircut) while I got to hold her precious daughter, Alayna!...I was already getting pretty big.

Jazz loves to perch up on the belly...I think our son will be most interested to finally meet her!

My only shirt that I owned pre-pregnancy that I can actually still wear!

night owl

I can tell our baby boy is going to be a night owl just like his parents. Should I just change to a 3rd shift job and get ready for it now? He definitely moves more late at night and throughout the night than he does during the day. I ate some ice cream tonight and Baby Blakley started kicking like crazy. So much that Justin finally got to feel him moving! So exciting!

our best (most interesting) new york pictures! #4

So...this endless escalator of stairs was broken on our first day, and a couple more times on our trip. Not what a pregnant woman wants to see on her commute to the Subway! I think I walked more this week than I've walked all year...sad, I know! The huge Brooklyn Tabernacle...used to be a theater...it's beautiful! The Brooklyn Tabernacle choir...we joined them in the congregation for their choir rehearsal! Paul Baloche - one of Justin's favorite worship songwriters...we really enjoyed him this weekend. ...and Justin ran into him in a hotel, so we got a picture!

our best (most interesting) new york pictures! #3

Amazing hair...found in one of the cathedrals in ny...just had to have this picture to share with you all! Amazing Lego work! Legos again at FAO Shwartz! We got to see Phantom! ...and eat some NY cheesecake!

our best (most interesting) new york pictures! #2

This was such a neat place...just tons of tables and chairs for people to come relax and eat lunch or whatever. Refreshing to see in the city!Picture inside the NY Public Library! It was huge! and also a refreshing place because it was so quiet inside, in contrast to the streets. We hung out in the NBC Studios store for a while to check out all The Office stuff - our favorite!
Picture with lifesize Bobblehead Dwight...priceless! Justin let me take this one!...but later in the trip he was hoping to see a prostitute on the streets of NY...so, we'll just call it even!

our best (most interesting) new york pictures!

Our view from our hotel room...fabulous! Funny thing is...we live beside a cemetary in Elkin! The massive amount of graves in this cemetary was quite unbelievable, though.

Hmm...random...outside our hotel again. Don't get me wrong, though, we were actually in a great hotel...outside the city, easy commute to the subway, and very safe!

Statue of Liberty!

Our big heads blocking the Statue of Liberty!

Wanna-be Statues of Libery!

way to go me!

I'm so proud of myself for posting 11 times in September that I decided to send myself on a trip to New York! ....Well...I am proud of myself and I am going to New York, but the two are separate ideas! It would be cool if I could just reward myself with vacations all the time, but this is good enough for me.

Justin and I are heading to a music conference at the Brooklyn Tabernacle this weekend. We are flying up Wednesday then riding back on Monday with some friends of ours! I'm so excited!!!! We're going to do some touristy stuff on Wednesday and Thursday and then enjoy the conference during the weekend. We get to sing with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir on Sunday so I will be so pumped up and I have a feeling that this is the weekend I could actually feel Baby Blakley move for the first time! How could he not with all the excitement?!

We're planning to see Phantom of the Opera, eat some New York style pizza (my idea!) and see what else we can get into (that we can afford). I'll miss you blogging buddies over the next days, but I'm sure I'll check in because the internet is everywhere and I can only stay away from it for so long!

intro to pregnany 101...

That's right...I guess I've been clued in to pregnancy slowly since I have only been sick one day total (sorry, y'all) and since I'm liking the idea of these new maternity clothes so far. I got a little more integrated into pregnancy last night,however, at our favorite Elkin Mexican Restaurant La Fuente. We walked in (like we do many Sunday nights) and request a table for two. The host guy looks at me and smiles saying, "2 and a half?!", which I thought was pretty funny. I was obviously in a maternity shirt, so I wasn't offended. For that moment...

Then I really laughed because we got to our table and he puposefully moved the table over some so that there was a little more room on my side!! HA! I could've been offended, I guess. It really was courtious, but I was just amused. It's probably a good thing it's my 2nd trimester and not my 3rd. (Atleast from what I've heard from you post-pregnant ladies!) More stories to come, I'm sure...I already don't really appreciate the tummy touching!

As soon as I posted, I remembered another story! ...the ladies at my office in Mt. Airy are already planning how to rearrange the office furniture ...because I'll soon be too big to easily get around the filing cabinet in our work room! Good thing I've been in a great mood lately!!

pregnant erin....18 weeks

Alright people...here's what you're missing (those who don't live close by!) I'm getting pretty big! I do like the new maternity clothes I've found, though...I feel so spoiled with new clothes!

Contrary to popular belief...

Even though the poll results were 70% girl vs. 30% boy....we're glad to prove the 70% wrong! We're so excited to be expecting a boy! Everything looked good today...it's definitely a boy! AND he has so far proved himself to be just as lazy as me and Justin. He refused to move!! Thankfully, I have a patient and generous ultrasound tech. She kept trying to get good pictures since the candy bar and coke I had didn't seem to wake our baby boy at all. So...we're gonna go again tomorrow morning and hopefully get some really good pictures...so check back! We did see him moving his mouth today...he's already singing!!

Discover Your Child's Strengths Through Play

I was looking for good articles to include in my client newsletter next month at work and I ran across a good one that I thought I would share with you moms who drop by my blog. I see so often at LifeLine how parents have no clue how to really play with their children because "playtime" usually equates to time infront of the TV, video game, or time that the child is "out of the parent's way." This article gives a great perspective on play time that I hope to keep in mind myself. Check out the article Discover Your Child's Strengths Through Play and let me know how you played as a child.

As for me, at one point in my young life (some time before 4th grade, I think), I literally had a system of numbering in my room to keep inventory on all my toys. This means Malibu Barbie could have been A1 while Ken was A2, and so on. Every toy had a sticker with its assigned number on it! I was psycho organizational even as a young child. Too bad this is NOT characteristic of my house now! Justin would probably hate me!! There are certain areas of my life that are super organized, but somehow it just doesn't translate to my overall day! Perhaps this is why I went in a closet at church the other day and actually wondered if anyone would let me get in there and just spend a day organizing it. (crazy!) Why can't I think that about my own closets!!! They need serious help right now, too!

Ok, let me know your childhood ways that have made it into your adult life...(and don't tell anyone I blogged at work today!!)

how not to feel girlie & beautiful #2...

Realize that you now weigh more than your husband...ouch!

how not to feel girlie & beautiful...

Warning: this is a ridiculous story that I am probably going to regret sharing, but nonetheless...

First of all, thanks to you wonderful ladies who suggested maternity shopping at Target. I have to agree (now more than ever, as you'll soon see) that I was very pleased with two pair of pants I found there. I shopped there last weekend (as I was in a bind and needed black pants for a conference) and came away (spending more than I meant to) with a great pair of black pants and a pair of jeans. I just had to buy the jeans because I actually haven't fit into a pair of jeans I've owned in months, so I decided that I deserved some during pregnancy. And I'm thrilled with both pair!...I've got a little taste of the maternity pants as I have to pull up the jeans every couple of steps, but I figured it was better to buy them a little big and I trust I will fit in them soon enough.

On to my ridiculous story.... Before I discovered better maternity shopping at Target and JCPenny (I got some great shirts there Thursday!) I was drawn toward Motherhood Maternity which seemed the most obvious place to shop. So, I quickly bought a pair of black pants from there about a month ago that were on clearance and seemed to be a smart buy. (Disclaimer: I have two pair of khaki pants and two adorable shirts from there that I am completely thrilled with). This black pair of pants, however, may never get worn again! I got them out for the first time today to wear them to church with a cute new maternity top. They fit great and were very flattering...that's not the problem. The problem is...they apparently seem to like me even more than I like them. The black from my pants completely rubbed off on my legs, making them black all over!

You may ask when and how I first realized this. Well, alright, you asked, so here's the answer! I discovered this when I left a ridiculous black stain from my legs on our toilet today!! Yes, I went to the bathroom after church, turned around to flush and realized that the seat has a marvelous imprint of my legs! (There's a picture for you!) We have yet to know whether it's going to come off! My Clorox Clean Up doesn't even touch it, so I may be straight-up bleaching my toilet seat. How embarrassing! This is why my title is "how not to feel girlie and beautiful!" That'll do it! An imprint of yourself on the toilet!! (And let me tell you, I covered it pretty well!)

Anyway...I'm sure this isn't every pair of black pants at MM, but you have been warned!! As for me, I think it's strictly Target and JC Penny. MM has stressed me out both times I've been in there anyway!

Well, there's a glimpse into my life today...hope its not an indicator of the rest of my week. As long as I remember to wash those pants by themselves, maybe I'll be ok!

ready to move...

So, yes, we have been looking at houses for basically the whole time we have lived in Elkin...always open to any prospective house, but never certain about what God is leading us to do. Since I became pregnant, we have looked with more fervency, hoping to downsize (from this enormous parsonage!) and find a place without stairs (I'm scared to walk down with a baby and Jazz at my feet) and a more practical layout for us. Many houses have seemed "ok," but have not prompted us to make an offer as of yet. We found one several weeks ago that I thought might be "the one" but it's still over 40 years old and in need of many updates that we would need to do in order to ever hope to sell it again in the future. Everything we can possibly afford around here is usually cloaked in a great 70's feel!

Much to my surprise, I went away last weekend and came back to a husband who is seriously looking into building a house! We never thought of this as an option, so its caught me off guard a little bit, but starting to excite me. Justin looked through dozens of floorplans with a company we are hoping to work with and finally narrowed down to one that is very open and in our price range. Next thing I know, we're in Greensboro on Thursday talking with a building representative about what is feasable. Then today we were in Statesville looking at model homes to compare.

What a week! I have always wanted a newer home (translation:10 years or younger), but just came to the reality that is not an option here in Elkin...with our income..and this market. Now I'm starting to allow myself to get excited about having a brand new house built the way we want with brand new everything!! (INCLUDING A DISHWASHER!) So...I'm simply asking you all to pray for us as we seek God's will in this. We have yet to settle on a piece of land, so everything will hopefully remain in a "slow" process so I can have time to get used to this idea fully. But not too slow because BABY BLAKLEY IS ON THE WAY!!!

Thank you for you prayers!

my world has been rocked...

Yes...because my precious, furry, wiggly, cuddly dog is apparently a ferocious, daring bird catcher. I'm appalled. Justin told me last night that he witnessed it all. Two birds were just hanging out on the ground around this bush and our yard and apparently Jazz took advantage of the situation. Before Justin knew it, Jazz had a bird in her mouth, while the bird was flapping around hysterically. The bird finally got away, minus a chunk of her butt and a few feathers! What am I going to do!? My adorable dog is now a monster!

Unfortunately, that's not where the story ends. The first bird flew away, only to get caught in a link of the fence. Thankfully, Jazz was looking everywhere, but failed to look in the one spot the bird was helplessly hanging. Since she couldn't find that bird, Jazz apparently went on to find another. TWO birds were in MY DOG'S mouth within a matter of minutes!! I'm so glad I didn't witness this. I don't know if I could've looked at Jazz the same. Well, thankfully, our neighbor came by at that moment and distracted Jazz from the birds and Justin was able to help poor bird #1 to get out of the fence. I just can't believe this happened in my own yard with my own pet! I just don't know what to think. How can I bring a baby into the unstable environment!? :)

an endless list

I just got back from an amazing weekend at the Women's Prayer & Evangelism Conference. God is so good and I was able to hear from some gifted women who have encouraged me to renew my personal prayer life in fresh ways. So...when I got home tonight, eager to begin with my new prayer journal, I wanted to begin with praise, preparing my journal for exciting reminders of who God is. God quickly gave me the idea of pulling out magazines I had around the house and starting on a "collage" of words that portray names and descriptions of who He is. As I turned the pages again and again, it was not difficult to cut out an abundance of words that describe our Heavenly Father.

The reason this was easy, however, was because advertisements use so many descriptions to describe their products that are actually words meant to describe the One True God. I was convicted again. How many times am I sold on products to make me better, prettier, etc., things that can easily become idols in my life? Ask God to reveal to you what people or things have taken His place. What words do you use to describe insignificant things that should maybe be reserved for worshipping Him alone? Believer, be renewed today in your definition of who God is. If you have yet to know a relationship with God, read the following list, knowing that God wants to become these qualities in your life! The capitalized words are the ones I found (in just 3 secular magazines) to just begin to describe God. Let me know what names God has given you lately. How has He revealed Himself to you?

God is....

the PERFECTOR of our faith
standing with ARMS WIDE OPEN
PERSONAL
longing to be your DAD
our ROCK
saying "I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND"
LIFE
waiting to be your EVERYTHING
CLOSE to you at all times
JOYFUL as He sings over you
still in the work of SAVING those who are lost
FLAWLESS
longing to SATISFY your every desire
AVAILABLE to CALM every stress, every fear, every worry
waiting for you to see his VISION
THE KEY to ETERNITY
the ONLY true answer
MASTER
the FREEDOM you are longing for
MORE than you can ever imagine
I AM
EVERYWHERE, watching and listening 24 HOURS, 7 days a week, and he NEVER SLEEPS
WATER to our thirsty, dry bones
STRONGER than our strongest moment
a JUST God, DIVINELY ruling His creation, and always RIGHT
waiting for you to COME AS YOU ARE
coveting a RELATIONSHIP with you
LORD over all
the only One who truly RADIATES WARMTH
to be TREASURED greatly
THE ONE, THE ONLY
still doing works BEYOND our comprehension
POWERFUL
wanting to speak to you through His LOVE LETTER
AGELESS
our SOLUTION
in CONTROL
ULTIMATE
our GUIDE
ready to COMMUNICATE in a PERSONAL way with you DAILY
BEAUTIFUL
the One who CHANGES EVERYTHING
STRENGTHENING
a God of HARMONY
offering you REST
RESTORATIVE
wanting to be your CLOSEST FRIEND
able to claim VICTORY in your life
LORD
a SHINING light
your ROCK
FULL of AMAZING grace
asking you to seek His HIDDEN mysteries
calling you to TRUST in Him
HIGHLY exalted, the ROYAL king
wanting to be our FOUNDATION
FABULOUS
able to TRANSFORM our biggest messes
ready for you to celebrate His GOODNESS
MIGHTY
wanting to be your BEST FRIEND
a healing DOCTOR
PERFECT
offering you a FREE GIFT of his Son
one of whom we stand in WONDER
BEAUTIFUL, beyond description
in CONTROL!

Pray these descriptions of God this week. Stand in awe of who He is and ask for His strength to stay pure in a world that wants us to use these words to describe temporary things. He has a PLAN for you and wants to make Himself CLEAR to you as you seek His face. He will indeed show Himself to be WIDER and more PERFECT than we can even begin to COMPREHEND. Praise God for He is limitless!

playing catch up...

I feel like I'm always playing catch up on laundry and cleaning....so why not on my blog? (on which I am way behind!) Well, the laundry and cleaning is under control for the moment (as much as it can be), so I've made it to the computer tonight to actually catch up on a few blogs and I thought I might write a few words of my own.

Things that really matter:

I'm up way later than usual tonight...mostly because I am so excited about what God has done!! Long story short...I was asked to counsel with a woman (friend of someone I know) who has been contemplating suicide. I have been praying all day about tonight...for the Lord's wisdom and guidance...and (long story short again)...despite the ridiculous barking of my dog (since we had to meet at my house), my extreme deficiency in counseling, and Satan's attempts to interfere in other ways, this woman prayed to receive Christ tonight! I'm ecstatic and I'm sure I'll share more about this later! Please pray for her. God is so good!
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Things that ultimately do no matter but seem to make up my days:

I have to gripe for a moment...

Here's my shopping scenario from last week:

1. Justin and I walk into Old Navy to look for some maternity clothes for me (translation- I go to the maternity section, he goes to the men's - it's best for everyone around!)

2. I take 4 pairs of pants into the dressing room, come back with none. At this point I'm done shopping at Old Navy (since I don't think I've even been in there in about 3 years).

3. Justin picks up two pair of 34/36 pants that he is excited about because he can never find them that long and he doesn't need to try them on because (of course) they will fit perfectly.

4. We walk out of Old Navy with clothes for him (not pregnant...still super skinny) and no clothes for me (pregnant...and craving pants with "bendability!)

5. Why every time we go shopping am I more prone to buy him clothes anyway because it's easier than shopping for me!? No fair!!!
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I've joined The Grocery Game and I'm already addicted and saving money. Check it out...$1 for a 4 week trial...tell them I sent you! More to come on this, too!
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We're addicted to The Office again! Just two more weeks (September 25th!) and season 5 begins! In order to prepare we have purchased season 4 and are enjoying a laugh even as I am writing this!
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September 25th is a big day for us....The Office season premiere and (hopefully) we will also be learning whether we are having a boy or a girl!! Can't wait to feel like I can make some plans...
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We are still on the search for a "family friendly" house...getting pretty close...please pray for this!

baby blakley is a plum!

...or so thenestbaby.com says!

I'm at 12 weeks with 194 days to go! It just doesn't seem real, and I feel like I'm cheating my poor baby out of precious pregnancy memories I could be writing down or something. When I first found out I was pregnant (from a pregnancy test at 4:00 in the morning!) I could hardly wait to sit down and start writing about my thoughts. Now, 2 journal entries and about 7 weeks later, I'm at a loss for words. (I mean, I'm not really gonna share about the constant peeing or the ridiculously sore boobs in a journal for my child!!) I guess I'm not really feeling overwhelmed about having a baby (at least not yet) since I've been feeling pretty good and since I feel like I've seen every pregnancy video imaginable at LifeLine to prepare me. But I just need some inspiring ways to spend this special time in my life or ways to start knowing how to plan for the baby. Even though I work with pregnant women practically every day, I seem to be clueless about how to spend time during my own pregnancy! I'm honestly just waiting for the "nesting period" to kick in so I'll start seriously cleaning our house - that would be a productive aspect of pregnancy!

Alright, you moms out there - any suggestions for how to most enjoy and take in these special nine months?? Let me know! You'll be proud...I'm at least going to "enjoy" this time today and actually go workout for the first time in about 3 months! Unbelievable.

one word meme

I love when I am given things to blog about (thanks to the two people who tagged me with this, knowing I've been struggling with the blogging!!!)

1. Answer the questions using only one word.
2. Tag four others. (Jeni, Terra, Kelly, Rebecca)

Where is your cell phone? purse
Your significant other? amazing
Your hair? looong
Your mother? lovely
Your father? supportive
Your favorite thing? laughing
Your dream last night? many
Your favorite drink? tea
Your dream/goal? change
The room you’re in? old
Your hobby? Justin
Your fear? unsure
Where do you want to be in 6 years? mommying
What you’re not? perfect
Muffins? blueberry
One of your wish list items? house
Where you grew up? concord
Last thing you did? rehearsal
Favorite gadget? ipod
Your pets? wiggly
Your computer? portable
Your mood? blah
Missing someone? friends
Your car? small
Favorite store? lerner
Like someone? yes!
Your favorite color? brown
Last time you laughed? tonight
Last time you cried? week

church family...

...is one of the greatest things in life. I just left praise team rehearsal tonight, and every time I leave I am so thankful to be around believers and people who are focused on taking time out of their week to prepare for upcoming worship services. There is just nothing like the fellowship of the Church. I love that I get to work with Christians each day - I know that everyone does not have that work environment. I love that you know you can share prayer requests that others will take seriously and have compassion on. I love that I know others who are working behind the scenes in church each week, not ever expecting to get any recognition. What a privilege to know people who truly love the Lord and it shows!

I am so saddened when I hear people say that they don't go to church because of the hypocrites that they know in church. Of course, everyone in church is not perfect - we're human. But I'm thankful to be a part of a church where I daily see the genuine love and grace of those around me. What a great testimony to those around! If you are reading this and have been hurt by someone in church - I'm sorry. If you are not connected in a church, I urge you to keep looking for a church that is welcoming and where the preacher is real and true to the Bible. Don't quit looking if you haven't found that yet. Church is an essential element in a Christian's life. There is nothing like having a supportive, God-glorifying church family.

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Side note: Happy 100th post to me! It's been a long road to 100 - not as celebratory as I'd hoped it would be, so I'm working toward a party at #200! Stick with me :)

baby blakley is on the way....

So, I admit, I may be the worst blogger ever. For some reason, I have just been out of the blogging loop lately (ok..the last 3 months). Hopefully any readers who have been gracious enough to stop by every once in a while to see if I have actually blogged will be forgiving and keep encouraging me to write. I've got a few ideas to catch you up on our (less than exciting life) over the next blogs.

Before you read any more about the everyday things that have been going on...those can wait...I have to share the big news (that my title probably already gave away)....we're expecting!!! I'm due around February 22nd, so I'm at 11 weeks right now. Unbelievable!! We had our first ultrasound on Thursday, so this whole pregnancy is beginning to feel a little more real. Check out Baby Blakley....

I haven't really been sick during this first trimester, so this whole pregnancy seems like it's just flying by before I even can take it all in. I've been exhausted, though, so I guess that's one excuse for not feeling like blogging. Other than that, I can count on being up at almost exactly 5:30 every morning, headed to the bathroom to relieve the bladder my little 1.5 inch baby is pressing on!

We feel so blessed right now and so excited for what lies ahead!!

i'm still alive!

Wow...I've been completely out of the blogging world for quite a while. I figured I had better post today so I can atleast get one post in for June! I wish I could tell you that I haven't been blogging because I've been working out every day, but...that could not be farther from the truth! I haven't stepped foot in the gym since May...unbelievable. And my stomach and thighs definitely know it. (ok...and the rest of my body!) I was on a roll at the gym and then comes the beach, VBS, and laziness...it all crept right up on me. There. I have confessed. Tomorrow is July 1st and I'm going back in. Good thing I paid for a whole year so I HAVE to go back!

To catch you up, in the month of June we did go to the beach and had a wonderfully relaxing couple of days with Justin's parents. Jazz turned 1 and we celebrated with cake and dog treats! We ate our first cucumber from the garden...yum. Justin is so proud of his "crop." It's amazing and I hope to share some pictures soon!

Also...I had LASIK eye surgery!! I've wanted it for YEARS and thanks to my wonderful parents...it's reality. The surgery was completely amazing. Each eye took 5 minutes and by the next morning my vision was 20/25. It hasn't been that good since 1st grade. Unbelievable. Justin watched the whole surgery and it was amazing. I can see the clock when I wake up! (At least if I squint through the clear eye patches I have to wear when I sleep for the next few days). I'm so thankful and hope that when I go back to the eye doctor in 2 weeks my vision will be 20/20. What a blessing!

Well...welcome back to our lives. Hopefully the month of July holds a few more blogs and a few more workouts!

fore!

So, I literally played golf 3 times last week! I haven't even played golf 3 times in my life before. I'm telling you, I'll do anything for my husband! Justin really did talk me into going to the driving range a few times and trying out golf, which I know he did not have to ask his wife to do! But, I'm thankful...so far I actually like it. And hopefully I'll continue to like it because we are now members at a local (cheap) golf course! I think that we will really enjoy the time spent on the golf course together. We have been much more "active" lately (aka: we really haven't been in front of the tv very much at all!) because Justin's been playing basketball with some guys and I've been going to the gym several times a week now. I definitely like this more "active lifestyle" we have going recently. It's much easier in the Spring to want to get out and do fun things.

On Saturday morning we had a final rehearsal for the children's musical (which went great on Sunday!), then we went and played 9 holes of golf. We hung out in the afternoon with Justin's parents, then after dinner we decided we wanted to go play some more golf since we are now "members." We walked 7 holes that night and I was so exhausted that I didn't make it to the early service on Sunday morning. I think this could be a fun new form of exercise!

I spent part of last night looking for some "girlie" golf clubs on ebay to match my girlie glove and pink towel (my only girlie golfing items I currently own!) Today, I realized that I guess I am now officially a golfer because 3 tees came out in the washing machine. All from my pockets!

I think Justin wondered what exactly he had gotten himself into when I told him I was going to store some lotion in my golf bag because my hand gets to dry in the glove! The things Justin puts up with! I love him!

quick update!

So...I think about things that I can blog all of the time, but by the time I get to a "stopping place" at night, I'm usually too tired or just uninterested in blogging at that point. I'm thankful, though, for faithful friends who give good bloggy updates, so here's an update from my week.

#1 - The garden's in....I'm so proud of Justin! We've got tons of tomato plants, squash, green beans, lettuce, corn(?!), cumcumbers and probably something else that I'm forgetting. I can't wait for all of these thing to grow and for us to enjoy them. I think some church members are excited, too, because half of our "crop" is between our house and the church. AKA: prime picking area on Sundays and Wednesdays. Hopefully we'll have an abundance of veggies, though, and we'll be eager to share. Here's a few pictures of Justin's hard work...

He's been so faithful to water and tend to his precious plants/seeds. Every time he's watered, though, it rains later that night! Oh, well...looks like things are ok because we saw some plants sprouting today. He was so excited!

#2 - I got in the planting mood and bought some beautiful plants to go in my pretty blue pots for the front porch. I was so proud of how they stood out and look so pretty!

Tonight, however, there was a huge storm that came through while we were in Mt. Airy. I promise, I am the worst at keeping plants alive and looking good. Here's how they look now....

How awful! The pretty blooms are ruined!

Flower petals were everywhere!

Oh well...hopefully they'll survive!

#3 - Our new "largest in the Southeast" Wal-Mart opened yesterday and I must say, I was very impressed. It felt so weird to be in "Little Elkin" shopping in such a nice store. Don't tell anyone this, but it secretly made me really want a Super Target here, too! But, I tend to spend more money at Target, so, overall the new Wal-Mart is awesome!

#4 - I'm now sporting some glasses. I got glasses in the 2nd grade, but I have worn hard contacts ever since the 5th grade. As long as I can remember I have always wanted to have the laser surgery done to hopefully correct my (terrible) vision. For graduation last year, my parents gave me the gift of paying for this surgery. I am just now starting the process, so I've got to wear glasses for 2 weeks, then have a consultation to see if I am a good candidate for the surgery. I'm not a fan of glasses and I feel SO weird in them right now. (Maybe I'll show you a picture one day....) Pray that I'll have wisdom whether or not to proceed with the surgery, if it is a possibility. I hope it will be! It would be so nice to see an alarm clock in the morning or something simple like that!