2012 in Review

What a year!

It was so good, I just had to live it, instead of blogging about it. (That is my story, and I'm sticking to it!)

Over the spring, I worked 2 jobs. 3 days a week I was a nanny and the other 2 work days, I worked at a fabric store. I loved every minute. I have discovered that I enjoy customer service type jobs, anything that lets me relate to, and interact with, the public. I guess that shouldn't be much of a surprise since I am such a people person. :) I loved it, and my boss was happy with my work, so I guess we were all happy. Oh! And I made some awesome friends there, too.

In June, we found out the happy, and long anticipated fact that we were headed toward becoming a family. Needless to say, life has never been the same since. And, something tells me it only gets crazier.

Over summer break, I nannied, up to 6 kids, several days a week. That would've been fine and dandy, except I was in the throes of morning sickness. Thankfully, my boss was very understanding and managed to let me come in late several mornings.

In August we had to move out of the place we had been living. Because we were planning to move to Texas, we couldn't rent another place that had a minimum stay lease agreement. The title: the traveling bride, once again, is/was very fitting. We stayed with friends and family while Caleb fulfilled a work commitment in Grand Junction.

Thanksgiving weekend, we moved to Texas. Some amazing friends are letting us crash at their place. It started out to be just for a few weeks, until we found a place. Well, we found a place, but it needs quite a bit of TLC. As I type this, Caleb is out there working in the dark on it. The goal was to be able to move in by the 1st of the year. It looks like it might be another week or 2 before that is possible.

Right now, most of our stuff is packed in a trailer. I can't wait until we are moved in and can unpack it and pull out all baby clothes and wash them. That will be so much fun and one more step to being closer to being ready for the baby. The 1st room we are wanting to remodel is the baby's room. Yay!! :)

This fall, Caleb lost both of his grandparents on his mom's side and I lost my great-grandpa. His grandpa passed while we were still in Grand Junction. My great-grandpa passed while we were there as well, but we were able to drive out to California for that. Caleb's grandma passed after we were down here, actually shortly after we got here. I had just driven the car down from Colorado and did not feel up to another road trip so soon, so Caleb ended up just flying up by himself. He also got to work another week at his old job, which was nice.

We spent the holidays with my family and enjoyed every minute of it.

This year, there have been many people who have blessed us in numerous ways. Thank you, to each of you. You know who you are! We couldn't have made it through this year as well as we did, if it wasn't for you.

Today marks week 33. This is only the second time my whole pregnancy that I lost track and had to go back and count. I think I told several people over the weekend that i was gonna be 32 weeks. Lol! About 7 more weeks to go. Yes!! 

 

I was gonna do a letter to send with our new year cards, but I ran out of time. So instead, I got them in the mail and did a blog post. :)

 

Hope y'all had a wonderful holiday season. Here's to 2013! Happy New Year!!

 

 

His Protection

Sitting at the library, writing this blog post. Lately, it seems that where ever we stay, has been places that have really bad cell phone service...

So, we are back from Texas...

Had a wonderful time with my family...
Got to meet my midwife and hear my baby's heartbeat...totally awesome!
Got to spend my birthday with my family and be there for my sister's 21st birthday ;)
Was able to see both grandmas...
My mom and sisters took my shopping for maternity clothes for my birthday...they totally spoiled me!
Was able to be there for my pastor's ordination...ok, so we aren't going to his church right now, but when we move down to Tx, we will...and he married us...so it was special :)

Ok, now for the interesting part...
On the way back...we had a tire go flat in Denver...only 4 hours from home...at 2am...after all the tire places are closed.
So...we had to stay the night there. We went to a hotel and booked a room. No big deal...you're probably wondering why I even bother to mention it. Just wait and see...
So we went up to our room, inserted the key...nothing. checked to make sure we were doing it right, we were, still nothing. After the 4th or 5th time, it worked. Strange..... We open the door and go in and I see the curtains blowing. Not good! Caleb says, "It's probably just the AC unit blowing them." Walks to the window and...leans out! Very bad!! (We are the second floor.) "Maybe they are just airing out the room." He suggests. "No! they wouldn't do that in the middle of the night." I replied.
We went down stairs and told the lady at the front desk. "That is NOT normal!" She says.
She gives us another room on the fourth floor. (Surely no one will climb in a 4th window...) We go up to the room, try the key and the red light flashes...meaning the dead-bolt is locked. Then I notice there is a "Do not disturb" sign hanging on the knob. "We need to get out of here!" I tell Caleb, imagining some irate, half-asleep person defending "their room".
We go back down stairs...quickly! "That room is NOT booked." The clerk tells us, with a worried look on her face. "Here is another room, but this time I will walk you up there!"
takes us up, lets us in our room, walks around...Caleb checks the windows, checks under beds, checks the bathroom... Lol! (But I am glad.)
He went back out to the car to get our stuff and I locked the dead-bolt after him.
We both thanked God for His protection that night!
The next morning, we got the tire fixed, and then (because he already wasn't gonna be able to make it to work on time) we went and visited his sister, Rebekah, who lives about 40 minutes east of Denver.
Then we drove home and stopped in Glenwood and walked around because we had the time :)

All in all, thanks to God, a good trip!

My Week in Pictures :)

Thursday evening, we went up to Wyoming to pick up a car that Caleb is going to rebuild.

That night, we got pulled over twice, within 30 minutes of each other. First in Meeker, CO. Then in Craig, CO-just up the road. The truck we were driving had a temporary plate that kept falling out of the back window because the tape had melted.

Both of them are little towns, desperate for money in this economy. So any excuse to pull someone over is welcome.

In Meeker, the cop told Caleb he had been going about 7 mph over the speed limit. (You know how little towns are, jumping from 65 to 35 mph with little, or no, warning.) He asked Caleb when the last time he had gotten a speeding ticket (which was once, right after he got his licence) and told him, after he answered that he was gonna check, and if he had lied that he was gonna give him a ticket. Well, he hadn't so the cop grudgingly let us go with a warning. 

However, the cop in Craig was very nervous approaching the vehicle, and said that they were on the look out for some stolen vehicles, and I guess we looked like prime suspects with no visible licence plate.

I've been to the East Coast and the West Coast and Europe, but I've never been north of CO in the middle.

This is the beautiful sunrise we saw the next morning over Wyoming.

So, we picked up the car in the far North Eastern corner, just about 15 miles from the SD border. We have friends that live about 20 miles into SD from where we were. So we decided to drive over.

 Entering South Dakota for the first time on Friday.

  It rained pretty heavily in SD.

We drove through Sturgis, SD. A town natorious for its motorcycle gangings, gambling and dangerousness.

 We went to Mount Rushmore.

  

 

We visited the museum that showed how they made the monument.

 Saturday, on our way to Denver to visit Brian and Rebekah, we stopped at Heaven Fest out in Loveland. The only band we really got to see was Sanctus Real. That was cool because it was the last day of a fund raising drive, that Matt, the lead singer, was having for a foundation that him and his wife started to help support families of children with heart defects.

(Just to clarify, I did not take this picture, I got it from here.)

We spent the night at Brian and Rebekah's, then we drove back to GJ in time to meet some new friends for dinner Sunday evening.

Monday, we went to out to the Miller's to see Joel and Noelle Paul and their kids. Caleb knew them and helped at their wedding, but since they live in Canada, I hadn't met them yet but knew the rest of the family.

This is Megan with her nephew, Joseph.

 The beautiful sunset Monday night.



All these pictures, except the one mentioned, were taken on my phone :)

Now, two days later, we are back in Denver. Caleb is out parts shopping and I am hanging out with Rebekah.

Until next time...