joining the ranks

So, lately I've found myself ranting and raving a little bit over all those people who can't afford their mortgages but get to stay in their homes anyway. I mean, how fair is that? If they couldn't afford the mortgage, they shouldn't have bought the home in the first place right? Foreclosure is a natural consequence to a bad financial decision, right? Well, its amazing how, in one week's time, a person can go from ranting and raving at them to becoming one of them. Its a good reminder how important it can be to "walk a mile in another man's shoes" before condemning him.

On Caleb's second day back at work after returning from Liberia he was informed that all three employees in his division, the internet division, were going to be having their hours, and their pay, cut in half. Effective April 1 (that's tomorrow, by the way). There just isn't enough work to fill the hours, and therefore not enough revenue to pay employees. Caleb's boss is just sick over having to make the decision, as all three men in that division have worked faithfully and loyally for him for a long time. But sometimes, things just are what they are.

Needless to say, last week became an unexpectedly emotional one. I don't handle surprises well (and I'm full of pregnancy hormones, which don't help in emotional situations), so it took me a few days to get my feet back on the ground and start making plans for the future instead of feeling hopeless and helpless. By the end of the week Caleb and I were both feeling better, having made a decision to choose faith over fear in the situation. And this week, I'm even finding myself kind of excited to see what God does with it. We're hoping for something extraordinary, beyond anything we can think or imagine. In fact, at this point, I'm going to be disappointed if something amazing doesn't happen. In the meantime Caleb is working madly on getting his resume and website finished and up to date. He's hoping to have it ready by the end of this week. Then, of course, he has to find places to send it.

Please be praying for Caleb, as the world kind of rests on his shoulders right now. In another 2 months my own salary will be cut in half as I go on maternity leave, and then return to work part time in August. We're really praying that by then everything has righted itself ... but again, a lot is sitting on Caleb's shoulders to make sure things get righted. Please pray for him with me, that he would remain strong and hopeful and tenacious while searching for work in this not-so-friendly economy. Pray also that he would not be overcome by the stress of searching for work and providing for me and Josephine. I want him to be able to put the job searching stress aside and fully enjoy the next two months as well, as we welcome our first child into the world.

And please pray for both of us, that we would find creative ways to cut costs and make ends meet. We've already had one big answer to prayer in that Caleb's boss gave him a nice bonus at the end of March that should help float us through for a couple months. We want to keep looking at the current situation as a great opportunity to trust God with the unknown, an opportunity to rest in the assurance of his love and plan for us, and to see God do some amazing things despite seemingly great odds.

Phil. 4:6-7 6 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Eph. 3:20-21 "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

this and that

There's so much to share these days, I hardly know where to start. So I'm going to start with all the little random things and pictures I just found on my camera. Each of these pictures has its own story, which I'll share below the picture. And then stay tuned for future posts on the progress of the baby's room and a recent development with Caleb's job. Life is sure remaining interesting, that's for sure ...

Lucy. As I was taking updated photos in the baby's room she kept cocking her head every time the camera beeped as it focused. I think its so funny how inquisitive she can look. She's really trying to figure out what that noise is. If only she would be just as quietly inquisitive about ALL noises she hears.

This lampshade is my inspiration. I bought it at IKEA for the baby's room ... and its perfect! I'm hoping to paint some similar flowers and bugs and birds on the walls of the room (well, I'm hoping my mom and husband, who are artistic, will paint some similar flowers and bugs and birds on the walls ...) More to come on all that later! But I wanted to show off the lampshade because its SO CUTE!

While Caleb was gone for two weeks in Liberia, I was taking care of house and home and dog alone ... and SICK! For the whole TWO WEEKS! It was so unfair. My friend Chrissy caught wind of the situation and one day when I came home from work these beautiful flowers were hanging from my front door handle. They absolutely MADE my day. I took this picture a week after I put them in water, and they're still beautiful! Thanks again Chrissy!!

So I've started a particularly ambitious knitting project for a friend (who at this time will remain nameless). And yes, it involves ALL of these yarns. At first I was sure I was in over my head, but as I've started actually knitting I think its going to be just the right challenge. Of course, it will be hugely time intensive, and I hope I've given myself enough time to finish the project.

This is my niece, Madeleine. She and her parents (my brother Jon and his wife Julie) were up here two weeks ago to help me hang shelves in Caleb's "office." While they were here Julie had Maddie try on a bunch of the baby hats I haven't sold yet. This one was a little big, but so cute!

almost home

The Liberia team is in transit once again, on their way home. I am SO ready to have Caleb home, where he belongs. In the last email I got from him he sounded pretty ready to come home, too. And to eat something other than rice. I anticipate a stop at In 'N Out on our way back from the airport tomorrow night.

They left Yekepa Thursday morning for the long drive over pothole-ridden roads to Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. They were going to spend the afternoon shopping and seeing Monrovia a little bit. This morning (or this afternoon, not sure exactly when) they left Monrovia for Brussels, then a long layover, then on to D.C., then another layover, and finally on to L.A. Their flight is scheduled to land tomorrow evening around 7:20. Hopefully there are no major mishaps and they will arrive on time.

Both Caleb and my dad have to go back to work on Monday morning, so you can pray for an overwhelming restful 36 hours between when that plane lands and Monday morning. They're going to need it. I can't wait to hear stories and see pictures. And Caleb took a lot of video, it sounds like, including the dedication of the library, in my grandmother's honor. I look forward to crying through that.

So my two weeks home alone is almost over. YAY! I'll be blogging soon about all I've been up to since Caleb left. I didn't want him checking my blog while he was in Africa, because a few things I worked on are a surprise. More to come!

28 weeks

Well, Baby Josephine seems to be putting on the weight rather quickly now. Week 28 marks the official beginning of the third trimester, which is when she's supposed to start really putting on weight anyway. Bye bye cute baby bump, hello "whoa, pregnant woman!" Its good times. So far my clothes still fit me, though even some of my maternity clothes are starting to get snug. What do you do when even the maternity clothes are too small?!

And now I'm finding myself thinking a little more about labor and delivery, and all that's involved with not only bringing this small child in to the world, but then caring for her once she's here. I'm not really worried or looking at it with too much trepidation ... I have more a sense of curiosity as to how its all going to happen, and wondering just what kind of mother I'll make. Fortunately, I'm the type to find humor in most things (when I'm not too tired at least), so hopefully it will be one big jolly ride of a learning curve. I guess we'll see.

As I post this, its Monday evening. Caleb has been gone over a week, and I've had a horrid cold the entire time. I really don't think his being gone would have been a big deal ... IF I hadn't been sick. On top of not sleeping well on account of Josephine, I haven't been sleeping well on account of my sinuses. Add to that having to get up early to walk the dog, and working all day while tired, and then having to fix myself dinner and get my own glass of water every evening ... and its been a somewhat tiring week. Its a bummer to be sick when there's no one around to indulge my need for sympathy and take care of me.

Caleb and the Liberia team return on Saturday night, and I'm finding I really can't wait. (Check out his blog for the latest!) I expected to miss him, but I don't think I expected to miss him this much. Having him gone has reminded me just how much he takes care of around here, not the least of whom is me. Of course, there's also the dog. So instead of Caleb being home to walk her in the early morning, and getting home first at the end of the day to find out what she's chewed up while we've been gone, its me. And I don't handle early mornings or chewed up surprises too well. Did you know Netflix charges $20 for lost or damaged DVDs? I learned that on Friday, after ours was "damaged" my Lucy's teeth.

However, for all its drama, the time at home has actually gone by pretty quickly. I've gotten some cleaning and organizing done around the house (thanks mostly to my mother-in-law, sister and brother-in-law ... they did some of the heavy lifting, organizing, and Amy even vacuumed my stairs!). This week should move quickly, too, as I'm heading to a friend's tomorrow night, Bible study on Wednesday night, and finishing cleaning on Thursday night. Friday afternoon I head to Laguna Beach for our church women's retreat, which I'll be leaving early on Saturday evening to pick up my husband and parents at the airport. I have a feeling this week will fly as quickly as last week ... I only hope this week's activities include getting over this cold.

happy birthday lincoln!!

He might be a lesser-known Lincoln, but he's certainly the cutest one out there. He celebrated 2 years old on Sunday, and I got to be a part of the family celebration.

Lincoln opening gifts, with the help of Dad (my cousin Ben)

Lincoln enjoying his birthday cake. Mmmmmmm, chocolate.

Perhaps the best part of the afternoon, though, was when all the kids (Emma, Lindley, Matthew, Lincoln and Liana) pretended Lucy (my 15-pound dog) was a dragon of sorts, and while they all stood huddled on top of a table they screamed at the top of their lungs every time she got close. Lucy was fairly oblivious to the whole affair, content to search the wood chips below them for food scraps. Ah, kids and their imagination. Too fun.

Happy Birthday Linc!

1 down 14 to go

Well, the Liberia Library team is on their way! Last night we didn't even bother going to bed. I suppose I probably should have, but since I wasn't going to see my husband again for two weeks, I figured I might as well stay up with him. We watched Rocky and then Indiana Jones until about 2:30 in the morning. I fell asleep on the couch during most of Indy, but was awoken by my never-went-to-sleep husband when it was time to head out. The two-SUV caravan left my parent's about 3:25 a.m. for the airport. Its a lovely time to be on the freeways in L.A. actually. Almost no traffic of which to speak. I made sure Lucy went with us so she would be as tired as me and sleep in this morning.

We dropped them all off by about 4 a.m. (six of them: Caleb, Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Cousin James and Brad). I said good-bye one last time, and I was back on the freeway heading home to finally get to sleep. I was sound asleep by around 5:00 a.m., and didn't wake up until around 9. Lucy let me sleep! So my evil little plan to make her tired worked. I've actually managed to function most of the day on only 4 hours of sleep. But with the time change, I'm thinking bed time will be early tonight.

The team arrived in D.C. about 10:30 our time, at which time I got a call from Caleb. Unfortunately there was a screaming toddler on their flight, and every time he finally started to nod off, the kid would start to scream and wake him up. At least he was extra tired for the flight from D.C. to Brussels, which they're on right now. Hopefully they're all getting some good sleep. In Brussels they have about a 7-hour layover, and then board a 9-hour flight for Monrovia, Liberia. They spend the night there, and in the morning pile into a van for a 7 to 8-hour ride over pot hole-ridden roads to get to Yekepa, where ABC University and its' unfinished library awaits them.

Its weird how quiet a house can be when only one person is missing, even when that one person is a generally quiet man. I don't mind the quiet. I'm actually a huge fan of it. But the loneliness might become another issue in the next 14 days. We'll see. I've got so many friends and family concerned about me I'm wondering if I'll have many days to myself anyway. For the days I'm here alone, I have American Idol to catch up on, photo albums to work on, and a baby's room to organize. And with my overdeveloped need for productivity, I'll probably find myself more busy and tired than rested. In fact, even now, I can hear that the dryer is done and its time to switch the laundry. At least there won't be much more piling up in the next couple weeks.

Check Caleb's blog when you get a chance. He posted a short update from the airport in D.C., but upon his arrival in Liberia he's hoping to update it regularly with the progress of the team and the library.

Here's to just 14 more days of just me and the dog!

birthdays

'Tis the season of birthdays around here. We celebrated my mom's birthday on the 21st with pictionary and cupcakes. On Saturday, the 28th, we celebrated Caleb's sister-in-law's 30th birthday at Disneyland, including dinner at Club 33, one of the best meals I've had in a while. On Sunday we celebrated my brother-in-law's birthday (he's the one with the 'stache). It was a little more low-key, with just six of us at my parents' house with a homemade meal and a donut birthday cake. In just a few weeks we'll be celebrating Caleb's brothers' birthdays and then my brother's birthday ... and then we have a slight reprieve until May when my sister-in-law turns 30, then in June when my own baby chooses a birth date, my other sister-in-law turns 23, and then at the end of the month we'll celebrate my father-in-law's birthday, my birthday and my mother-in-law's birthday ... I could go on, but I won't. Like I said ... 'tis the season. Here's a few pics from the recent festivities.

First, Mom's 59th Birthday (Feb. 20)

Mom's groovy "birthday cake." The theme for the evening was the "38th anniversary of her 21st birthday" ... which was in 1971 ... so our theme was the 70s.

Mom, preparing to blow out her groovy candles.

Dad and Madeleine. Its amazing how much she's grown!! She's 5 1/2 months old now, and the latest word is that she's sitting up on her own. Go Maddie! (On a 70s note, Julie had found clothes that she herself had worn as a baby in the 70s, so she's totally dressed up vintage!)

Amy's homemade "happy birthday" sign.

Mom, striking her best John Travolta pose after getting her team to guess "Saturday Night Fever" in pictionary.

On to Disneyland and Christie's 30th birthday (Feb. 28)

Burke, taking a nap mid-day. He looks about how I felt at that time .... If only I'd had my own stroller. The day turned out to be much warmer than any of us anticipated and it wiped us all out a little more than we were expecting.

Conrad ... his future's so bright he has to wear shades.

Christie's birthday dessert at Club 33 ... their famous chocolate mousse. I don't know if its really famous, but its the best mousse I've ever tasted IN MY LIFE ... so I figure it SHOULD be famous.

Me and my drunk husband. OK, he's not really drunk, he just has a hard time keeping his eyes open when cameras are pointed in his direction. We've tried to get him help, but to no avail.

Burke, enjoying his white chocolate Mickey that came with his ice cream.

And on to Hans's 29th birthday (Mar. 6)

What good is a brother-in-law with an awesome 'stache if not to post that essential unflattering "blowing out the candles" picture? Note the groovy candles from Mom's "cake." Hans loves donuts, so that was his birthday cake ... it was quite a hit for all in attendance. Who doesn't love a good cakey donut?