Cramming

I'm in Atlanta for the week participating in a PMP exam boot camp. (PMP=Project Management Professional certification). It truly HAS been boot-camp like--long hours in the classroom, followed by hours of homework at night... but it will be worth it. I fly back to Raleigh tonight and take my exam on Friday at 12. I can't WAIT to get this over with, provided that I pass... and I PLAN on passing. I've been up since 3:30 am this morning not able to sleep. I woke up with a cold on Monday morning and have been battling it ever since. (Isaac is under the weather too. : ( )

But I can say I am HAPPY to get this behind me in just a short period of time. Then we can turn our attention back to preparing for the baby. He'll be here in about 2 months! WOW!

More pics and a post about Kathleen's wedding to come too.

Pray for me!

Sea Lions and La Jolla Cove

One of the first things we did while we were in San Diego was go visit La Jolla Cove. I'd been told it was a gorgeous place, and boy were they right! The cove is home to lots of Sea Lions, and is a perfect place for swimmers. I can't even believe how many swimmers were there in their wetsuits. The Pacific Ocean is COLD, so you pretty much have to wear one year-round. There were lots of kayakers there too. (I must admit I was a little jealous that these people have access to this on a daily basis.) : ) Don't you love how the Sea Lions snuggle up next to each other?



We walked along the sidewalk overlooking the Cove. We ventured down onto the rocks to get a closer look. And a really nice man offered to take our picture. You can see the waves crashing against the rocks in the picture. Beautiful!

California truly has some gorgeous beaches. The last time I visited Southern California about 7 years ago, I didn't want to leave. I actually made my dad drive by the beach to say "good bye" to the beach. And I contemplated packing up and moving West, but I would have missed my friends and family too much. (And California is pretty expensive!)

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Wild Animal Park pictures coming next--including a baby elephant and lions. Stay tuned!

Belly Pictures For Julie

Hi all. We're back from San Diego and had a great time. But I realize I'm too tired to write the S.D. trip post tonight... so I'll just share some updated belly pics taken while we were in S.D.

I was a little over 28 weeks in these pictures. The baby is really growing, and I can tell I'm getting bigger by the day. But I guess it's time! According to my ticker, I have 76 days left. Time is flying. The baby is moving around a lot these days, and his precious little foot like to spend time right under my right rib. Goodness. According to the u/s I had a week and a half ago, he's 3 pounds already. I have a long, big baby already. (But u/s's are notoriously inaccurate, so I'm not worried... YET!)

Here is a picture of Isaac and me the first day in San Diego. We stayed on Coronado Island right across from the city. We're on the boardwalk right outside our hotel and the city skyline is behind us. This picture is head on, and my belly doesn't look quite as big.


But check this side view out! The Baby Bird is sticking out. (That's really what we call Baby J--Baby Bird... and I'm the Mama Bird, nicknames compliments of Isaac.)


And one more side view picture. This was taken at Dog Beach. Loved seeing all the dogs playing fetch and frolicking in the ocean. It was kind of chilly though with the sun setting and the wind off the water...

More San Diego pics and descriptions later... Night night everyone.

Easter

We had a great Easter. We started out by taking my mom to lunch in Burlington. We went to Skids which is THE BEST hamburger joint in the world--also home of the cherry coke (or diet coke in my case... yep, I indulged despite the caffeine, sorry baby). And then we went to the Carter's outlet. Isaac truly was like a kid in the candy store. We picked out several outfits for our little guy, and an adorable stuffed giraffe. My mom gave us a VERY sweet onesie that the baby will come home from the hospital in. I laid the onesie on my shoulder, and I can hardly believe how tiny he will be when he arrives! So, so sweet. Here's a picture of me opening my gift with my mom.

We headed to Salisbury after this to spend the rest of the weekend with my dad. We could not have asked for better weather. My stepsister and stepbrothers were there with their little ones. We had an Easter egg hunt (Isaac and I played Easter bunny and hid the eggs), and a delicious Easter lunch. I made apple pie and Isaac made cherry cheesecake. YUM. We went to Mass with my dad, and the church was absolutely packed. The church just built a new sanctuary that holds 850 people. But people were still standing. (Obviously a Christeaster phenomenon...) But it was wonderful anyway to see so many people gathering to celebrate our Risen Lord. Here is a picture of Isaac and me in our church clothes. I had a sweater on but it was just too warm! (I'm 27 weeks pregnant in this picture.) Isaac was the best dressed guy in the whole church--HANDSOME!

And finally here is a picture of Isaac, my dad, and me after the Easter egg hunt. Somebody guess how old my dad is? Would you believe he's 71? I think I have one of the most handsome dads in the world (and my brother is a spiting image of him).



We're grateful for our family, and for this Easter season. According to the church calendar, the Easter season lasts for the next 8 weeks so we have lots of time to reflect on the miracle of the resurrection and the significance of this event.

(Oh, and Isaac's barber made a big mistake on his haircut Friday. He accidently used the wrong blade to cut his hair, and so Isaac wound up with a military hair cut. I think he looks pretty cute myself!)

Thanks all

You all must have been praying because I feel 100% better than I did on Wednesday. (This gorgeous weather we're having is helping too I'm sure!) I'm super excited for the weekend, especially since Isaac was gone last weekend. We're heading to Burlington tomorrow to drop off boxes and to take my mom out to lunch. And then perhaps stopping in High Point to look for a dresser for Baby J. And then maybe going to IKEA in Charlotte to buy a mirror for the bathroom. And then finally stopping in Salisbury to celebrate Easter with my dad. We won't get anything done around the house, but we will get other important things marked off our "to do" list.

It's Good Friday, and Isaac and I will spend some time reading the Passion. I love Easter and the opportunity to reflect on God's grand redemption plan for US. So, so thankful for Jesus and what he did for us on the cross. I can barely fathom how he endured it. But grateful nonetheless.

Have a great Easter weekend everyone. Call someone you've been out of touch with for awhile. Let them know you love them.

Rough day

Somehow I find myself awake at 1 am using the keyword search "comfort" on biblegateway.com (one of my favorite resources). I found MANY references including this one. Although typically thought about in times of loss, this has soothed my soul this evening:

¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

² He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

³ he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

⁴ Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, ^a]">[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

⁶ Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

(Psalm 23, NIV)

The end of my work day was nothing like I expected. I can't write about it in much detail for different reasons (e.g. I'd prefer to keep my job!). But suffice it to say that I'm playing lots of yucky memories through my head of the many ways in which I've felt lack of support. My work evaluation was fine but nothing like I expected, and I'm not sure how I want to address it... or if I should even bother at this point.

Needless to say I'm remembering the One who always has my best interests at heart... and will lift up my head and comfort me... Thank God for his love and care. Now I think I can go back to bed resting in the knowledge of my Savior.

Beautiful Passage

I read this passage today as part of my Easter week reading. I thought many of you would enjoy and appreciate it as well:

Mark 14:3-9 (NIV)

³While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

⁴Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? ⁵It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly.

⁶"Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ⁷The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. ⁸She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. ⁹I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

...............................................................................................................................................................

This woman's generosity blows me away. How she loved Jesus and was willing to shower him with her love and adoration. What she did for him was sacrificial. I pray that I can do a fraction of what this woman did for Him.

May we all reflect on these verses. And may they inspire us to worship and adore our Savior.