Comedy of Errors. Mostly the errors part

So, I haven't blogged in a while-this has a lot to do with the whole "no internet" in our new house situation-which, while we GOT internet yesterday my router isn't working properly making wireless nearly impossible except RIGHT NEXT TO THE INTERNET MODEM. ( ummm...we don't call that "wireless" where I'm from). So yeah, need to work on that... apparently my Apple Airport Extreme has an expiration date that I didn't know about?!?

Annnyways, this was not the purpose of this post to expound on my current annoyances. NO! Instead it was to tell you what's been happening the last...ooooh a WEEK! First of all, my cold that I'd had for two weeks decided to try something new and went for FULL BLOWN SINUS INFECTION. Of course, this was awesome, perfect timing since I had tonzo to do last week in preparation for our move on Friday...and so, I admit, I probably let the thing go on a little too long. *sigh* It wasn't until Thursday that I called the doctor and complained and they told me to take Tylenol Cold and Sinus until Monday ( to see if it didn't get better)....ummm...yeah, we both knew that wasn't going to work, but I played along with the triage nurse and waited until Monday to call back literally BEGGING for an appointment. Sickness 3, Healthcare Providers 0

So, we moved...and for the most part our things came through the two moves they've been through in their current boxes without too much damage. Of course, we have literally NO furniture left that doesn't have SOME sort of scuff or scratch on it...but, such is the life of furniture that moves almost every year...and, so far the only MAJOR damage is the glass from the coffee table was broken in two. Bummer. Add a new coffee table to the list of things we need....
But, other than THAT...things like my beautiful beautiful red and white dishes...all beautifully intact! That's success! And really let's not forget how HAPPY I AM TO BE HERE WITH ALL OUR THINGS!!!!
And then, the air conditioner froze up! And then when it was defrozen it leaked water through the floor of our entry way!! AWESOME!
And by Sunday my "cold/sinus infection" had gotten so nasty that despite my best efforts I couldn't get out of bed...and so that's where I stayed, watching Season 8 of Friends on DVD, surrounded by boxes...while Brett spent literally all day doing ministry related things. House 0, Life 10.

This brings us right on into Monday and the most GIANT thunderstorm ever. But, I was not to be deterred by rain, NO SIREE!! I had THINGS TO DO! Like, I had to get groceries so we'd stop eating out, and I had to go to the doctor, and I had to get a plaque ordered for a guy who's retiring ( long story)....and, you wanna know the amazing thing?!?! Living on post is AWESOME! I got ALL those things done ( while getting soaked with rain each time), but in the most TIMELY MANNER EVER! It make SUCH a difference not living 30 miles away from everything!!! House 1, Life 1

And the BEST PART about Monday was that God answered some SERIOUS PRAYERS on my part, and Brett got off work early so that HE could drive me to Atlanta Airport ( two hours away) in the pouring down rain, to pick up Bethany...instead of ME having to do it all white knuckled and snotty. Seriously. Huge Blessing. God 50, Army 1, Life 0

Now, for the best part about last week ( other than the fact that I really do love our new home...and can tell that once I get everything 'sorted', I will be expounding my love even more.....no, the VERY BEST part about last week was that my sister had her baby girl! That's right!!! I'm an aunt again! And I gotta tell you, I'm totally in love with her even though she's all the way over in stupid Texas ( stupid because its not next door)....and I'm SO GLAD my sister had to go through this whole "giving birth" and "living through the first week" thing before me. Honestly, there's a reason why I was the second born and not the first born and GOD KNEW I needed Anna to go first in all these life changing things. ;-)

So, I'll leave this post of messiness with something truly great:
Kilsyth ( pronounce "Kil-syth ( like the Syth Lord from Starwars), Jane ( after my grandmother), Middlebrook....who's iphone pictures have gotten me through the messiest parts of this past week....like this one, HOW AWESOME!

Vicious cycle

So, TEN DAYS AGO I got a cold...and I thought it was getting better, and then last night I woke up several times with a flamin sore throat and have spent all day feeling crappier than I have in a while.

BLAH.

I honestly don't really know what to do other than take vitamins-since there are NO cold medicines that I can take while being pregnant. Which is super stinky. I guess this is making up for six months without being sick, huh?!

BUT WHAT BAD TIMING!!!

Here it is a time when I need to be at my most physical ( imagine me walking up and down flights of stairs multiple times a day, carrying things from our current home to our new house)...and I feel down right puny. GAH!

I suppose this is teaching me patience, because I suppose there is really no REAL rush in getting everything moved in by Friday. I mean, it won't be HORRIBLE if I find myself spending all weekend doing all these things.

But, honestly my to-do lists are haunting me.

And so...so, I strive to keep things in perspective.

Read this in my time with God this morning:
"But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me." Ps 49:15

The renters clause

So, Brett and I are the proud "renters" of a Fort Benning house.....for anyone that's read this blog over the last few months, I KNOW I do not have to tell you how happy I am about this!!
No more driving an eternity to get to civilization, no more DEADZONE for my iphone, and not to mention the all important see ALL OUR BELONGINGS AGAIN! My dishes! My picture frames! My artwork! My bedding!! YAY!

Anyway...

Here's the deal though. The decision to live in someone elses house with someone elses stuff, running a heavy open door policy for any soldier or soldier family/friend member that needs to come and stay, plus getting some up-close and personal observation of the Woods ( who's house and stuff and ministry we were sitting on top of) has been such a learning experience for me. Sadly most of the lessons I have learned have not been how to do ministry better, or techniques in being a better witness of Christs love or anything nice like that ( although that does come into play) instead pretty much every lesson I've learned has been about how selfish and how stuck in my ways I am.

Soon after we moved in I read Luke 9:57-62, which incidentally is entitled "The Cost of Following Jesus" in my Bible and it talks about these three different characters who have different excuses for not following after Jesus. And the irony here is that I actually taught a lesson on these verses when I was living at Fort Lewis. HA! Apparently I needed to listen to my own cautionary tale because it became very very clear to me over the six months that we've lived in this house that while "The son of man has no where to lay his head" ( v. 58), I pretty much ASSUMED that God was going to give me a sweet pad with all sorts of personal space....WRONG. Basically, I thought that I was a sold out little follower of Jesus but apparently that "sold out"-ness had a lot of clauses attached.

And so, over the past 6 months I've been slowly whittling away at my clauses.

I am writing this now, a week before we move ( we aren't getting our belongings until the next of next week so we'll be here one more week before officially moving), because I feel certain that I will need to learn these lessons again...why? Because I've been on a constant learning-cycle-rinse-repeat for SIX MONTHS and I feel like I've only barely gotten them through my thick skull. And I know, that there will be all sorts of new uncomfortable situations in our future. Because uncomfortable is what we've signed up for- That was the big following Jesus clause that was right up there in big red letters.

What's in a name?

So the story of how Baby Hiphopopatomus's name came to be started so long ago that Brett and I can not remember who exactly mentioned it first. Which is really the best way to come up with a name. In some ways it makes me feel like there was no question about it, since all other names that were discussed ended up just being "back ups" no matter how we looked at it.
And so, while we still have not decided on his middle name, Ransom has been his first name in my mind before he even really existed.

I do remember talking about the name while Brett was in Afghanistan. We first and foremost loved it because it was a constant reminder that Christ paid the ransom for our sins when He died on the cross-that each and every one of us was bought and paid for-when we didn't do anything to deserve it. In fact, the hymn that we had the congregation sing at our wedding ( How Deep the Father's Love for Us) has the line, "His wounds have paid my ransom." So you could say the name has been on our hearts from the very beginning.

And then there was the icing on the cake. Which is really for my literary following, if you haven't read C.S. Lewis's Science Fiction trilogy ( aptly called The Space Trilogy or Ransom Trilogy ) you should go get your hands on a copy of "Out of the Silent Planet" RIGHT NOW! These books are wonderful, as really all of C.S. Lewis's books are and so the fact that his Hero is also named Ransom...well, that seemed fitting since Brett and I first bonded over our love for C.S. Lewis and Tolkien ( our child should feel lucky his name is not going to be Aragorn or something! haha! ). And so, really, there was never much of a question...no other name fit quite as well, and that is the story of why.

It has been hard telling people the name because a lot of people have obviously turned up their noses...which, for the record, I suppose I understand. It is definitely not a conventional name, but since Brett and I are both lovers of words it was almost impossible for us to have a name that didn't have special meaning to us personally...and so we have, for the most part, ignored the looks of disapproving. And I hope that one day our son will hear the story of his name, and he'll love it as much as we do. It is my prayer, that just as his name tells a story of Christ's love for us, so will the life that our son lives.

So, there you go, the story of the name!

breaking the pattern

So, I made it 26 weeks without getting any kind of cold or flu or anything which is pretty incredible considering that I went through the fall and all of the winter, everyone around me was dropping like flies and yet I didn't get sick! It was awesome, and then I was making dinner last night and my throat started to hurt and it didn't take long for my nose to start to run and ta-da! I have a cold!!!

I literally walked around in a haze today. I ran several errands where I would go into the store, wander around and come out with nothing.

Just in time for this evening when we had four guys over for dinner ( that's not counting the three that are currently living with us), all total I was feeding 8 guys! So, anyway, I figure that if I can do that with a serious head cold than I assume I can some how take care of a baby on little to no sleep....well, actually, no. I'm still not so sure! haha!

Abigail's version of "Nesting"

So, its come to this. I'm finally coming up on my third Trimester. ROCK ON. And I have just gone ahead and given in to my Nesting desires. I mean, sure, I don't really have any place to actually make said "nest", but thank goodness we live in the modern age. The age of computers. The age of websites. The age of bookmarks.
Which brings me to my new favorite indulgence. It is SO much better than looking at magazines or making clippings from catalogues ( which is what we all did in the olden days), now I just click up on my toolbar where it says "bookmark" and I place all the things I want for my "nest" inside. In fact, really, its even better than a REAL LIVE nest ( sorta, or at least that's what I'm telling myself) because I don't actually have to PAY for any of it! YAY!

And now I'm going to force my nesting upon you like a person would force a slide show of boring vacation pictures on you at a dinner party ( which, incidentally has now been translated into the seemingly innocent "facebook photo album")

Without further ado my Nesting Wish list:

I would like this for my "new" spare bedroom that I do not actually have...


Its a "wrought iron headboard wall decal" from Mina Javid, how fun is the idea of having wall art instead of an actual headboard?!

Since our "new" house will have wood floors ( this is actually a true fact, we just don't actually live there yet), I would like this for our living room floor:



Martha Stewart has come up with these super cool tile rugs ( 19.7" x 19.7") that you can then put together for your own custom rug. Sweet.



OK, so this next one is for the "new baby" room that will one day exist...and you guys can totally help me with this one!



I got this picture off of HGTV's website of Beautiful Baby Rooms and I was immediately captivated by the idea of having a model of the solar system as a mobile for the baby room! For one thing, the planets kind of have special significance to little Hiphopopotamus's name ( post coming soon) and for another it just seems like a cool alternative to all the "babyish" mobiles I've seen around...Incidentally, I also like the idea of securing buckets on the wall as a cool place to store toys and stuffed animals.

Ok, so on to the next one is another "new baby" room item that I'm just dying to have:



These totally cute Garlands can be found at Mahar Drygoods, with a whole bunch of other really fun products that if I was at all crafty I could probably make myself...but I'm not and so I'm stuck just wishing I could buy them...alas, the garland I want is out of stock :-( ...But maybe I could commission one of my fabulous crafty friends to make them for me, hmmmmm?! I'll pay well I promise!

This last one just seems like something fun to have, though I'm not sure exactly where in the house I'd put it ( but isn't that half the fun? Finding a place for something?)



I found this tray and stand at westelm. com


So there you have it, folks! My nesting wish list...seriously, its almost as satisfying as actually setting up a house!
So what's on your imaginary wish list?

Head on down to the nearest desert

So, I don't know if you've noticed but there are is a major geographical theme happening in the Bible. Now, its a pretty obvious one just because of where most of the Bible takes place, but for the purposes of this post I like to forget about the practical reason for all the deserts ( not to be confused with desserts...man, that one extra "s" and you've got a completely different feeling! But I digress) and instead focus on the application reason for all of them...I mean, think about it! How many hardcore biblical characters wandered around in deserts...without even looking at my bible I'm going to list a few: Abraham, Hagar, Moses, ( ALL the Children of Israel) Elijah, David, John the Baptist...there are a ton. And it always seems like a lot of learning happens out in the desert, doesn't it? This is beyond encouraging on so many levels, but, while I was doing my Sit Down with Jesus a few days ago, I was struck by a brand new 'desert' moment, here it is:

"And an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Rise and go toward the South to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch...He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, reading the prophet Isaiah..." Acts 8:26-39

Now, I totally stopped quoting there, but if you're not familiar with this story, or haven't read it in a while go to the book of Acts in your Bible and finish it up...but for now take a little look see and check out what smacked me in the face:
THIS IS A DESERT PLACE.

Umm..yeah, for a little background, up until this point the book of Acts its pretty much stock full of CROWDS of people. I mean, after Jesus died on the Cross the disciples had their HANDS FULL with all the witnessing and the saving people and the growing of the Church. Everywhere you look there are literally THOUSANDS of people being saved and following Christ! Its pretty incredible. And then we get to this little incident. Where the Lord tells Philip ( who was probably use to the crowds and the major evangelistic moments by this time) and he tells him to head off to this certain location. Which, oh yeah, P.S. its a DESERT.
I wonder what Philip thought about that. I wonder if he wondered if the Lord was maybe a little off in his GPS. I mean, there was a lot of work to be done in the cities and villages! There were hundreds of thousands to be told about Christ! I mean, the harvest was just RIPE for the picking! But, instead he's sent off to the desert. Which is where the word "deserted" comes from. ( How could the Lord POSSIBLY have anything good happen out there?!?)
And yet, in this barren waste land of a spot, on this little road "in between" there was ONE GUY who was in need of instruction.
JUST ONE GUY!

I think sometimes God sends us to Desert places. And sometimes he even interrupts us in the middle of doing "his business" in some busy locale and tells us to head off to that deserted spot. He seemingly stops "all the amazing work" that we're doing and tells us to go somewhere quiet, somewhere slow, somewhere where nothing ever seems to happen.....and yet, I guarantee He has a reason!
I don't know where you're located right now...if you're in the "busy city" of Jerusalem of your life or if maybe you're in the "desert road" that's outside-but let me assure you, there is a reason for both! There just might be just one person that's out there in the desert who needs your company, or maybe there is something out there that you need to see, but whatever the case when the Lord tells you to head into the desert, do what Philip did...arise. You'll find something good there. Promise.

And now for des(s)ert!

Around the corner

I realize its been days and days since I've posted anything-but if you knew the lovely pregnancy symptoms I'm dealing with you'd forgive. I'm pretty sure.

Annnnnd. I'll leave it at that.

So, the Navigator Conference this weekend was great. On several levels. On the superficial level, the hotel did not disappoint. It was fancy ( comfy beds! comfy beds!) and the service was outstanding and the food was yummy and just kept coming and coming...which was lucky, because I needed all that food to translate into energy for all of the catching up with people I had to do between all the really amazing speakers and workshops. Conferences are usually not my favorite thing ( I'm not gonna lie) because by nature I'm a rebel and so normally to be in rooms filled with OTHER people that are excited about the same things I'm excited about and doing the same things I'm doing I get all huffy and pouty and wonder why everyone is doing what I'm doing...except in this case. In the case of serving our military branches....then I'm pretty happy about all the other people there being just as pumped and just as willing to bring the gospel to people in ALL walks of life. Seriously its pretty close to heaven.

And now I'm home. Home as it is at the moment. We put ourselves on the waiting list to get a house on Fort Benning about a month ago now...and, well, nothings happened. I've tried to just not think about it and to just be "in the moment" here...but its HARD. I'm such a planner and so you can imagine that I've practically decided where every book, every dish, every piece of furniture is going to go...and then Brett lets me down easy by telling me it may not be until June that we get a place. JUNE! (!!!) Does anyone else know how far away June is?! But you know what even though I've been told that, I still have this sense of expectancy almost every day. This sense that surely not, God! Surely we'll get a call today that a place has opened up...
Do you ever have a sense of expectancy even when all the signs are pointing to "no"? Sometimes I think its important...

Wherein I do NOT talk about food...

So, my good friend Lindsay did a little calculations today and took note that of my 12 lasts posts, six of them are about food. hahaha!!!

I guess this proves that my fears that I would "never ever like food again" were greatly unfounded. Greatly. But seriously, that's how I felt! Its amazing how quickly one forgets how AWFUL morning sickness is...I guess this is why we are not all only children.

Annnyways, my topic for tonight is NOT pregnancy related ( and the townsfolk all rejoiced!) its about my weekend plans! Brett and I had a nice "restful" weekend last weekend ( i.e. we didn't travel anywhere) and now we're off again!! This time to the All Military Navigator Ministry Conference in Colorado! I'm excited for several reasons, first I'm going to get some MUCH needed fellowship time in with some of my bestest friends from Washington, secondly there are some SUPER COOL speakers and workshops that I get to attend and thirdly I know there will be ton of unexpected great times mixed in for good measure....such as the fact that this conference is being held in a nice hotel where I HEAR they have excellent beds. I cannot WAIT to sleep in an excellent bed. And those little tiny bottles of shampoo...I love those. Hotels. I'm a big fan.

So! There you go! I'll be back on Monday, if not sooner to tell you how it all goes down!

The olden days ( I'm assuming)

I'm not quite sure what life was back in the "olden days" but I do know that without my computer and without Brett ( he was using said computer to finish writing a paper), I am pretty bored. And so I decided the only reasonable thing to do was to make Banana Bread.

I've never made Banana Bread because it had "bread" in the title and I always assumed that bread was hard to make. But, then I came across a recipe on Simplyrecipes.com that actually used phrases like, "no mixer necessary" and "simple but perfect"....so I decided that even *I* could make it. And I was right!! It was easy and super yummy...and SCORE I used our almost gone bad bananas too!



( Gosh, I wish I could take prettier pictures of food...)

Anyways, here's the very simple recipe if you want to make Banana Bread too...


INGREDIENTS
3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
( I also sprinkled in some cinnamon for good measure)
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

METHOD
No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

A rebel's drink

Today was one of those days where things were made much better by being taken out for Pizza by my wonderful husband, and then finding a packet of Black Cherry Koolaid hidden in a back cabinet of the kitchen. SCORE.

I'm now drinking the drink that takes me directly back to two different times in my life. One being any birthday party growing up. We didn't have Koolaid on a regular basis at the Abt House...but I pretty much sported a red mustache at every birthday party I went to or had from the age of 4 to the age of 10. I'm feeling the sugar high as I write, but at the same time its just not as satisfying when you've had to personally stir the sugar into the water...it really SHOWS you just HOW much sugar you're drinking!! I prefer the ignorance of youth. Though I am thankful for the experience of age, I'm drinking this koolaid with a straw ( no mustache for me!).

The other major Koolaid memory would be visiting my sister when she was living on her own during college ( shout out to Stacey here.)...being the total rebel that she was, after moving out of the Abt House she drank Koolaid any time she wanted. Since I was only in my early teens at the time, and a loooong way from getting those kind of koolaid privileges of myself, I was totally jealous of her "grown up-ness". She got to eat Mac & Cheese any time she wanted and any kind of sugary cereal that she felt like buying. Which, as we all know, is the reason that we all grow up. She was so cool. ( She still is)

Cheated

So, Georgia straight up cheated me out of my favorite temperature. 70 to 75 degrees is, as we all know, the perfect set of temperatures. And Georgia just decided to skip right on over from 60 ( too cold)...to 90 ( too crazy pills HOT). Which is why I bought a swimsuit today. Not a "hang out by the pool and catch some rays" swimsuit...because that would be WRONG on several levels. 1. The rays would kill me because those rays are like FIRE. and 2. I'm basically a beached whale. And no one wants to see that lying next to their pool...for one thing, they'd just start throwing water on me and pushing me towards the waters edge in the hopes of saving one of Earth's most magnificent creatures. Then everyone would just be embarrassed.

Anyways, the swimsuit I bought was for "hardcore swimming" purposes. Let's all take a stroll down memory lane and remember when swimming was literally my life ( up until I graduated highschool). Those were some nice years and the smell of chlorine still makes me terribly happy. But, that time in my life passed. And for some reason I have been hesitant to take up swimming as a full time form of exercise ever since. ( Wait, that's a lie. I do know the reason. Because most of the "free" pools that are available to me are only open for lap swimming at times that Abigail Is Never Ever Awake and Active.) Buuut, according to my sources, here at Fort Benning there are many pools for me to choose from and I can lap swim to my hearts content. This is important because, lets go back to the whole temperature thing. I had to do my "exercising" at 7:30pm last night because that was the first time that I stepped out side and didn't start sweating immediately. And so I bought a giant swimsuit ( we'll see how long it lasts me.) in the hopes that I will be able to continue to exercise through my third trimester.

I'll let you know how this goes....

Hot Cross Buns! Hot Cross Buns!!

I continued my tradition of making Hot Cross Buns for the second year in a row ( in the Abt family, if you did something once and it was fun, it could immediately become a tradition...and so, last year, when making Hot Cross Buns and they didn't turn out a total failure and people actually ate them-I decided, "And Lo it shall be a Tradition of Easter Proportions" So when Easter came around this year, and I was living in a house without my standup mixer ( and the all important dough hook) I went so far as to borrow one from a neighbor because IT WAS A TRADITION. AND YOU DON'T MESS WITH TRADITION.

I used Martha's recipe that you can find here...but I did NOT use raisins ( ew!) but doubled the dried cherries ( yessss!) and I also do not believe in making my own icing unless absolutely forced and I'm here to tell you that scooping a tub of Duncan Hines vanilla icing into a bag and then piping is JUST AS GOOD.

Another two bite the dust

So, last year I wrote a blog post that you can read here
that gives you a little run down of the applications that I use on my iphone on a daily/weekly/never basis.

And then this last week my sister and Tabitha both got iphones. Talking to both of them several times about their new toys has reminded me of just how wonderful my iphone is...in fact, SIDE NOTE:

The first moment that I can pinpoint as a moment when I was definitely acting pregnant, but we just didn't know I was pregnant yet was when we had just moved to Alabama (*sigh*) and realized that my phone did not work in the house ( or even on our street), so we went to the AT&T store to see if they had some sort of booster or something and sadly they said that yes, they do have boosters but they wouldn't work were we live ( A DEADZONE). So we go out to the car and we're sitting there, and Brett turns to me and says, "So, how important is having an iphone to you?"-or something like that...it may have even been "Do you mind getting a different phone?" Or who knows...but it doesn't matter what he said, because in my mind it translated into THIS IS THE END OF THE WORLD.
And so I burst into tears and sobbed. That's right, I sobbed. Over an iphone.

And bless his heart Brett did not check me into a mental institution right then and there. In fact, he was super nice about it...haha! And, well, I still have my iphone, I just can't actually USE the phone part when I'm in our house....so that just shows just HOW much of a stink I made about it. And also, it shows how much I love my phone ( hormones and irrationality aside).

OK, so without further ado here are some changes from that last post that I wrote about my applications. I still use Pandora all the time. And it really IS like having free satellite radio in your car. But, here are some other winners.

Facebook ( free). I know I said I hated it. But they've definitely improved. And while the computer version is much better. Its good in a pinch.

Readello ( free). This syncs with my googlereader so I can easily access my blog rolls when I'm away from my computer. AWESOME.

iflipr.( $3.99) I use this to memorize my bible verses for the week, but there are also like a MILLION other flashcards you can download for free and learn. SO EDUCATIONAL ;-)

Imdb ( free). Yes, they've made an application for this terrribly useful website that will then answer all your disputes with friends, spouses and yourself regarding who the actor is that played in that unnamed 1987 film that started with an "E"....seriously, this app quickly and easily solves all sorts of mindbinders for me.

Allrecipes.com ( I got the free version), the little brother of its counterpart website-you can easily access your own account ( therefore any recipes you've collected) or look up new ones...WHILE YOU'RE IN THE STORE. Fabulous.

E!Online ( free). Ahem. I hate to admit that I care a lot about celebrity gossip. Because I DON'T...but every so often you have a free moment and you really want to know how those Kardashian sisters are getting along. This app is for you.

Starbucks ( free) This one is really only useful when traveling. But then its WONDERFUL. It'll track where you are and then tell you where the nearest starbucks is...this has saved Brett ( since I'm currently not drinking coffee) from near breakdown several times.

Now for the really important one...that if you download it I want you to contact me IMMEDIATELY. Its called "Words with Friends" ( get the free version) and it allows you to play scrabble with anyone else who has the app too! So, go sign up today!! get yourself a little user name and then look me up ( Abigailsday) and then we can play scrabble together from ANYWHERE!!! HOW WONDERFUL WILL THAT BE?!?! ( Also, for those of you who are skeptics this is easier than real scrabble because it catches you if you use a nonexistent word and just doesn't let you play it...meaning if you can't think of a word just start putting letters together...you may get lucky and create a word you didn't even know existed. Like Brett did. Last night. With the word "forb" for 31 points. I mean, really?!? FORB?!?! ( but it is a word...I looked it up. )

Anyway. I look forward to your comments of any new, awesome apps that I absolutely NEED to get. ( Also, let me know when you're on Words with Friends so we can start playing ;-) )

Shameless Self Requesting

I'm ready to move. I'm ready to have all my belongings back ( especially my stand up mixer...oh, how I miss you!) . I'm ready to decorate. To at least think about a baby room with an actual room that exists.

But tonight, it is none of these things that makes me want to move. Its the fact that Brett drove 25 minutes to give a guy from Bible Study a ride.


So, annnnyway, we're on the waiting list for a place on post, so if you're bored and you wanna shoot up a little prayer on behalf of the Wilsons....that someone just MOVES OUT and we get to MOVE IN. Well, that would be awesome. Because then Brett's driving time would be cut down to, like, THREE MINUTES. ( Even I can do the math there.)

Here, you say it for me...

So, a few weeks ago when reading through the end of Luke I was "wowed" once again by one of Jesus's simple phrases and I told several friends about it...however, I don't think I actually blogged about it ( shocking, I know). HOWEVER, today, I was reading a new blog that I'm currently in to and he had TOTALLY STOLEN my post!!! But, since he's pretty funny and also makes pretty much the same point I would have made ( just a little different wording, mind you.) I'm sharing it with you today. So please, click on this link...

Right Here.

Success

Well, we're back....we got back at 1:30am on Monday morning so we've been walking around in a bit of a fog today...but our weekend was a success!

Us with the happy couple:

Missing my other half

So, I'm currently in California getting ready for our good friends Chuck and Bethany's wedding. ( more about that in future posts) but thanks to awesome army, Brett won't be able to leave Georgia until late Friday night getting him to California at horrible hours not to be mentioned... This makes me beyond sad ( and worried, he has a 3 hr drive starting at 2am our time once he reaches LA to finally get to where the wedding is) because I know he would really love seeing Chuck right now. But, I am so proud of him and all that he sacrifices on a daily basis for me and for those around him. It's rough when people assume he can take a friday or a Monday off here and there ( are real world jobs really like that?!?)- but like I said I'm so proud at how little Brett complains or asks for anything in return. And I know that being able to stand up with Chuck and Bethany is important to both of us and so even if it's just for the day I know it'll be worth it!All that being said, I wish he was here with me right now. This is a silly picture from our date night before I left, if you haven't had Bruster's Real Icecream, you are MISSING OUT! (this is one of the good things about Georgia).

taxrefundtaxrefundtaxrefund

That's what I've been telling myself over and over again the last 18 hrs or so since I realized that the tickets I'd booked for Brett and I to the Navigator Conference in April, I had booked a WEEK LATER THAN I SHOULD HAVE.

SERIOUSLY?!?!

And the sad thing is, this is the SECOND TIME I've made an error like this in the past four months. The first time I didn't have to pay the piper because it ended up being the "Trip that never happened" to Maryland that just so happen to coincide with a snow storm. That time I booked our return ticket not four days later, but a MONTH and four days later.

*sigh*

Anyway, I've now turned in my hat as "Family Travel Agent" until further notice.

I want to cry. There are SOOooOooOo many things that the extra FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS ( that's with transferring fee + the difference in ticket price so close to the date of flying) could have gone towards. SO MANY THINGS.

Large items that we are currently saving for:

washer and dryer
guest bed/mattress
nursery furniture
stroller/carseat other large baby items

So, anyway, that's my LAME-O move of the month. Honestly, my brain use to work better. I promise.

Not just pregnancy tears...

I'm pretty sure this'll make just about anyone cry...but just to test my theory, go check out this photo shoot of a US soldier meeting his daughter for the first time....

HERE


You totally cried didn't you?!?

Using what you've got

So, I live out in the boonies. This has been established. And while its nice to not have blinds in your front windows ( because there is NO ONE to look in), there are times when you really ( really) miss having a grocery store in a 20 mile radius.

But, the good Lord has been gracious to me, and slowly weened me off of constant grocery access. When we first got married, Brett and I lived directly behind an Alberstons. I could LITERALLY walk a few hundred feet and be in arms length of a forgotten gallon of milk or vegetable for tonights dinner. I did not have to think ahead at ALL when it came to the weeks groceries. Life was good.

Then, when I moved to Dupont, I was shocked to find that the nearest grocery store was 10 minutes away!! How horrible! How could things be so unhelpful?!? But, since a Starbucks was right next door...I learned to deal with my problems.

And then we moved here...where there is nothing, nothing nearby.

Which brings me to my point: About a month ago, we saw a new building going up on the side of the highway about a mile and half from our turn off ( making it about 3 miles from our house)...soon this building began to take shape and then they put the sign up....DOLLAR GENERAL in big bright yellow letters.

I was so excited that I exclaimed to Brett as we drove passed, "I can't wait till the Dollar General opens!!"

And that's when we both knew that we really were living at the edge of civilization.

This past weekend I went to Texas and when I came back on Tuesday evening I noticed all the cars out front of the Dollar General and I knew that my dreams had finally come true! It had opened!

So, it seemed only right that yesterday afternoon when my sweet tooth started calling my name loudly and I realized that I had ALL the ingredients minus one can of peaches for the Lazy Mom's Peach Cobbler that it was obviously the time to make my virgin trip to the Dollar General.

It did not disappoint....here it is in all its glory.



Ok, so now to the real point of this post....

When you live out in the middle of no where ( or even if you don't) you can appreciate when a recipe is SO simple and has SO few ingredients that you pretty much CAN'T FAIL.

And that is how I have come to stand by this new recipe that was posted over here at this great blog ( I am a Lazy Mom)-see?! I'm already starting my training early! hahah!

But basically all you need for this recipe is three cans of peaches ( or some other fruit...I just so happen to have the peaches), a box of white cake mix ( although, in the future I think I'll go with a yellow cake mix...they taste just a little better), some cinnamon and a stick of butter. I mean, these are all STAPLES in my house, I don't know about yours....so impress your husband, your girl friend, your neighbors or just your own taste buds and the next time you have a hankering for something yummy and fast...WHIP THIS RECIPE OUT!

( your welcome)

Bumpy

So, this weekend started out with a bang...finding out that Baby Hiphopopotamus ( some of you have asked how this is pronounced...break it down like this: hiphop ( like the musical genre) and opotamus ( like the end of the word hippopotamus)

annnyway, we found out that Baby Wilson is a BOY!!!! WOO HOO!!

Here is his first picture ( those "bubbles" come up from his mouth is his hand)



And then I spent the rest of the weekend with my wonderful family ( with a few "just like family, friends thrown in for good measure)




Somehow I got away without any of the traditional "belly shots" ( so I need to work on that) but this one is cute of Anna and I right before I left town.
Facebook album to come for those of you who are Followers of Anna ( aka. the girl without a facebook account.)

Not so bad

So I just wrote this whole whiny and complainy post about the trials and tribulations of trying to buy a new ( to us) car...and then when I got to the end of it I took a moment to think how just DARN LUCKY we really are...that these are the problems that we're having...problems like, "I don't know anything about car shopping" problems.

THAT'S not a bad problem to have.

Another bad problem that's not that bad is having the smell from last nights dinner ( Peanut Thai Satay*) still permeating the kitchen. I mean, its not really the greatest because I'm TOTALLY over the meal now that I've eaten it, but at the same time...it was good...and who doesn't like a reminder of goodness?!

Anyway, so I deleted that post...which is kind of a shame because I said some witty things in there amidst all the whiny and complainy stuff...but ah well, such is life.


And in other news, I'm flying to Texas this weekend to see my sister's pregnant belly for myself. I have only seen ONE PICTURE of it since Christmas and so I must travel the hundreds of miles to behold it for myself. I have a feeling it will make me feel a lot less pregnant once I am able to compare my own pregnant bulge with her 8 month one. But, I promise that this weekend I will also make sure that I get some "belly shots" of myself too...because people keep asking me for them and I keep procrastinating because I have honestly felt like there wasn't much to see until recently and then, now that there IS something to see I do NOT feel like getting my picture taken ( what happened to the whole "pregnant women GLOW" thing?!?! ).

And in baby related news, Hiphopopotamus has started full fledge kicking and punching this week. The favored time to do this kicking?! While I'm on the computer. I'm not sure if its because I'm usually lying on my back or because the whiring of my laptop is making he/she active...or maybe none of the above. But its pretty crazy that my child is ALREADY annoyed that I'm on the computer all the time. ;-)
GET USE TO IT, KID!

( More) Life lessons

So, in my last post I talked about how other people's blog posts had inspired me and so I started with a little something about my Grandmother, and as these things tend to do, it got longer than expected and so I have waited to post my other Lesson about Life here today.

This one is brought to you by, my dear friend Tabitha, and more specifically, this post that she did on picking out a new cell phone.


It reminded me of a particular feeling I've had in life, sadly, many many times. I will call it Fear of Commitment and it is brought to you by this picture of where I lived in New Zealand:



I would like to go ahead and blame ALL of New Zealand, and the life that I lived there for what happened after I left, but I think that's probably pretty unfair. I mean, sure it was a beautiful place, a place that has SO MANY picturesque elements that you could be a HORRIBLE photographer and come away with a piece of art just by pure accident. And sure, I met some of the most fantastic people that I have "carried" them with me ever since and some of them are still some of my very best friends. And sure everyone's college experience has elements of the "ideal" that hindsight can only shake its head at you and say, "man, if you had only known how GOOD you had it!" -but ultimately I know that this Fear of Commitment would have reared its ugly head after any amazing experience-and happily, I've had quite a few so far in my life...but now I'm getting ahead of myself. First let me say that the first time I really and truly baulked at Change and Commitment, I had just moved back to Texas after living in New Zealand for several years.

I won't go into the details about how hard it was, and how much I missed my friends and I missed the country-but lets just say it all came to a head one fateful day when I went to get a cellphone.
Things were going pretty well at first, I found a cute little phone that was Red. Which was important. Color is always important. And since this was back in the day when cell phones did not double as appendages, other than the color and whether or not it rang when people called...the only other issue to be settled that day was the cell phone contract. And that's when the sweat beads started to form. I was told that to get this Shiny Red Phone, I would need to sign a contract for 2 years. TWO YEARS!!! For serious!?! It was at that moment that a very boring, uneventful, void of beauty and happiness two years flashed before my eyes! HOW could life POSSIBLY be as wonderful as it had been when I'd lived overseas?! How could life in my humdrum home town EVER make up for the excitement of far off adventure?!?! I mean, suuure, I had agreed to move back to Texas and back to my home town, but I had never been faced ( as of yet) with the FINALITY of having to stay in the United States for TWO WHOLE YEARS until that moment in the AT&T store.
Now, I'll go ahead and ruin the suspense for you and say that I ended up swallowing that sinking feeling and going ahead and getting the cell phone ( after all, it was red. BUT it took much, much longer for me to learn to NOT be afraid of Change. To not be afraid that my Past had truly been "the best" and that my Future had no chance in the competition! In fact, while I couldn't possible imagine it then-my two years in Texas proved to be very important. I went to Italy with friends, I even went BACK to New Zealand for a visit. So my fear of no adventure was wrong. I also gained a new best friend. My sister and I would probably never be the friends we are today if I had not moved back to Texas were we could finally bond over cupcakes and episodes of The O.C and so my fear of never making such good friends again was also wrong....Oh, and I probably would not have re-met Brett and we would not be married today so my fear that truly wonderful things would never happen again, well, that was DEFINITELY wrong.
So, really, those "boring, uneventful" two years turned out to be very important to my life!
And yet, I hate to tell you, I still struggle with the Cell Phone Contract Syndrome even today. I still longingly look backwards and wish for past days. Moving to Georgia has been hard on me yet again, hard because its not nearly as exotic and fantastical as my life in Washington had been, and I have yet to make friends that could possibly compare to my Washington friends....or so I think! At this point I should know that every season of Life has offered me Beauty, Excitement, Friendship, and Adventure and so I should just go ahead and commit already. It'll be worth it.

Lessons about Life

So, over the last few days I've had a few random stories come up from my past in response to some friends current lives. And I've thought, "OO! I should tell them this Perfect Situational Story from Abigail's Past" to help them through their current predicament. But, I've been too tired. I have not been sleeping well. And who's to say why?
ME! ME! I'LL SAY WHY!!!

I wake up to pee ALL THE FREAKIN TIME. And then, no matter how hard I try, I cannot go back to sleep because it is always at 1:30am, and 3:30am and 5am that one can think of alllll the things in your life that are out of your control, or alllll the things that you haven't done that you need to do...or ( and this is everyone's favorite) allll the things BRETT hasn't done that you'd like him to do. ( hahaha!) Anyway, at the end of the day ( or the night) I haven't gotten enough sleep and therefore by Friday I was a complete zombie mess.

So I went to bed somewhere between 7 and 7:30 and slept until 8:30am. SCORE! GO! ABIGAIL GO!

And now I will tell you Stories that have shaped my life:

The first one is about my Grandmother. And this story is brought to you by my friend Amy's post entitled Expiration Dates


My grandmother, who died when I was around 14, was really something else. There are SO many great stories about Grandmother ( as she was so practically called by all her grandchildren...because she made us PRACTICE till we could say it right.) that they could really fill a book. And, since she's been gone, those stories have grown and gotten wilder and more fantastical so that she really has become the ESSENCES of what a Grandmother should be. But, this particular story about Grandmother happened after she had already passed away. You see, Grandmother had SUCH a strong personality she could actually effect your life from beyond her OWN life. Which is amazing.
Anyway, something you should know about Grandmother was that she was a CHAMPION shopper. For one thing she could do it for long periods of time ( something I've never mastered), she could some how finagle sales people to give her special deals and let her go back into the store room and 'root around' if she wasn't satisfied up front, and for another thing she recognized a good deal a mile away and then she STOCKED UP. And thus, my grandmother had a gift closet that had a gift option for every possible gift experience. Birthdays, Christmases, SummerHolidays, Babies, Housewarmings....you name it, there was a gift in that closet ready and waiting. But, this story is not about her gift closet, its about her PANTRY. Which was really ( to my child's eyes) as big as a room. And it was STOCKED from floor to ceiling with "good deals". There was never just ONE of something, there was always fifteen of somethings. And so, when you visited Grandmother you always got this sense that things would be taken care of...that things were prepared for...that, in fact, Grandmother had been preparing for your visit since the beginning of time. And to be specific, she'd been preparing for your visit since last May when they first put cans of fruit cocktail on sale for 35cents a piece.
So, after she passed away, and her house started to loose the feeling of "Grandmother-ness" my sister and I would go in the pantry. Because, you better believe it was still stocked to the brim. It was as if she'd known that we'd need another two years worth of canned goods to help fill the "corners" that had been left empty after she was gone.
Anyway, on one such visit my sister and I were trying to scrounge up something to eat and so we entered The Pantry. And there was a large block of Velvetta Cheese! So, of course, some Mac and Cheese was in order and so I busied myself getting out pots and pans as my sister opened the Velvetta. Now, I know that you all probably know that Velvetta is the most amazing man-made-color-orange in the history of the world. And that usually, on a good day, if you plugged a light bulb into a brick of Velvetta it would probably light up a city street just on its Neon-ness alone. But, this particular block of Velvetta had seen much better days In fact, its "good days" were so long gone, all that was left was the color BROWN. And it was there, standing in that kitchen that I realized that ALL THINGS have an Expiration Date. That no matter how much I'd like them to last and last and to be there when I need them to be, eventually I was going to need to go ahead and USE THEM. I needed to embrace the moments. I needed to stop storing presents up in a closet, but actually start givingthem away!
Ok, ok, I probably didn't think any of that at the time, I as 15 years old for pete's sake! At the time I think my sister and I laughed until we cried over the gross Velvetta because we realized that it wasn't just ONE YEAR over expired it was about FIVE YEARS over expired! So, even my "perfect" Grandmother, may have had a little too much of a soft spot for a good deal and a little too much of a penchant for not actually USING her purchases! I bet HALF of her pantry had pretty much ALWAYS been filled with expired items, because "Hey, they were a good deal! You can't pass up a good deal!!"
The thing about this trait of Grandmother's...the trait of buying up a million of something if she liked it, or if it was "a must buy" , or if "this might be the only time"...is that it's TOTALLY hereditary! And I know this for a fact because of my very own father! If you were to go into my parents pantry RIGHT NOW, you'd find a giant stack of Handmade Pasta made in some fancy far of place. And it makes me happy to go in there and see the large quantities of pasta ( and also rice, who knows why the rice) because it reminds me of my Grandmother. And it reminds me that I too have the tendency to buy not one or not three, but maybe fifteen of things that I reeeeally like. Yes, Grandmother lives on-pantry style. And THAT doesn't expire.

Major Props for last nights dinner

Honestly friends, a big shout out to all of you for making my life easier and providing ample inspiration to my dinner menus. All your suggestions and website recommendations have been dutifully bookmarked and Brett's life is ALREADY benefiting.

First off, I must thank Sarah for the www.smittenkitchen.com recommendation because last night's dinner rocked.

We had Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Lemon Pasta, because I already had all the ingredients sans the goat cheese and so I feel like ultimately it was a really 'cheap' meal ( though a 4 oz. package of goat cheese costs $3.45! It better be good!!!).

Its not the prettiest picture...but you should FOR REALS make this dish. Its easy. Its fresh tasting...and Brett and I were in food heaven.




Go to Smitten Kitchen for the easy-peasy recipe pronto!

Successful Pre-Mom moment

So, it turns out the consignment sale was NOT as scary as I thought it would be...I mean, I'm not gonna say it was a success but that's only because I will not fully know what success is until I have a kid and that kid does or doesn't take full advantage of the items that I bought. As Rachael pointed out, there is nothing like actual experience when it comes to parenting and I'm sad that all the books I'm reading can not give that to me. Gosh Darn it! I was hoping I was going to be a SUPER MOM from the beginning...but after standing over a large train of baby swings all looking up at me, trying hard to think if I needed one, and if so which one...it became clear that I do not know what I'm doing.

That being said, the sale was in a very large, previously empty, strip mall and therefore it was nicely spaced so that I never felt crowded or pressured about my buying. This was a huge relief because of the whole Not Knowing What I'm Doing thing that I mentioned before.

So, now I'll tell you what I bought and you can judge me in the comment section ( though I might cry, because pregnancy hormones cannot be reigned in.)


I got this for $15




I got this for $25, which was a huge score with all its gadgets and gismos...it does have a few stains on it-but nothing I can't handle.





I an activity mat for something like $6 I think...its not this one exactly, but very similar




This is the one item I am semi-regretting getting. It was really cheap, something like $5 or around there...and I was delighted by it being in its original packaging, that it was Edie Bauer and that it was travel friendly. Its called a Travel Hammock, but its basically a little rocker.



And then I got this in its original unopened packaging for $2! Score!

The Mother of All Sales

So, a friend of mine here at Fort Benning, who should be called "SUPER MOM" because she has four children under the age of five...and she still seems to be sane. Anyway, this friend told two mothers-to-be and myself that we should really get involved in this GIANT CONSIGNMENT SALE that they have every year for all things baby and child related, and if you volunteer to work a few hours at the sale then you get to go to a Pre-Sale. And therefore get first dibs on all the 'good stuff'

When I first heard about this I was in a daze. I was barely pregnant. All I wanted to do was throw up and I would pretty much do whatever people told me to do, so I signed up. Besides, it was WAAAAAY far in the future! I mean, MARCH for pity sake!
But, today is March. And today is the day of the Pre-sale.

And the closer I get to the thing the more stressed I become. I mean, standing in line with a bunch of Mothers. Waiting to RUSH into a giant room full of baby/child things ( foreign objects to me)...and then try to QUICKLY figure out what to get and what not to get...honestly. WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?!

I hate shopping and I hate hate HATE doing scary Black Friday Type shopping, and that's exactly what this seems to be.

Anyway, the odds of me actually walking away with anything worthwhile are slim to none, but I'm doing it anyway...JUST IN CASE.
So, because I'm so stressed about it all I've decided to make a list. ( because those are very calming) A list of all the things I need to have/buy/acquire before this Sweet Potato ( that's how big Hiphopopatomus is now!!!) arrives.

My reminder of Promises

( All from Romans 8 this morning...because, in the moment of despair-when you see no light at all, no hope at all...it is these Words of Truth that Promise more.)

There is NO CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ Jesus.

We did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba, Father!"

We are ourselves who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. FOR IN THIS HOPE WE ARE SAVED. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died-more than that, who was raised-who is at the right hand of God indeed is interceding for us.

Who shall separate us from the Love of Christ?
Shall tribulation or distress?
Persecution?
Famine?
Nakedness or danger?

NO, in all these things we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS through him who loved us.
For I am SURE, that neither death, nor life
nor angels
nor rulers
nor things present
nor things to come
nor powers
nor height nor depth
not ANYTHING ELSE IN ALL CREATING
will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And so, when things look there bleakest and I am tempted to despair. I will instead choose to believe that the Lord WILL prevail. That Heaven will take the day.

Training in Housewifery

So, this afternoon I was doing some mindless projects ( mostly cutting out memory verse cards and coupons) and so I decided to watch a little "television" -online, of course.

I love how you can go on Hulu.com and watch all sorts of current shows, sometimes whole seasons worth without any commercials! But, today I'm having the greatest fun watching something a little more classic.
The old school television show Father Knows Best, which ran during the early 1950s. And BOY! How things have changed!!!
I absolutely love the nice wholesome values and the cute family life it portrays and I must say its a good reminder to see how far we've come in the past 50 years! So far these are the little gems I've enjoyed the most....
Scene: Teenage Daughter excited about "Girls Week".
"What's that?", her parents ask.
"Why its when girls take over government for a WHOLE WEEK! And I'm the transportation commissioner!"
Father: "I never thought I'd see the day when my daughter was any kind of commissioner!!" ( shaking his head and laughing)
Daughter: "What should I WEAR?!?!"

The rest of the episode is full of more "laughs" regarding the daughters worries about looking "pretty" for her new job and various men shaking their heads and laughing.


And now I'm on to a different episode where the mother is wearing "work" clothes ( paints, her hair up in a handkerchief) and she's trying to clean paint off her youngest daughter who's always getting into trouble. Accidently the daughter gets some paint on her mother's forehead. And right then you hear Father coming in the front door!
Teenage Daughter: "oh mother! You can't have father see you like this!!"
Younger Daughter: "You want us to let you hide in the basement while we distract him?!"


Seriously.


Anyway, if you'd like a little blast from the past check out these fabulous little episodes: here

Happily Ever...

So, if you're new to this blog or you need a refresher on things-I would highly recommend reading this post that I wrote a few weeks ago. There within I expounded up on the upcoming changes that the army was going to throw our way-and how things were not looking good.

In short, we were faced with several problems-One, that if Brett didn't take command of a company right away than it would affect any long term career goals he might have. Thus his plan of teaching at one of the schools here in Georgia wasn't such a good one anymore.
Two, that if Brett DID take command right away than it would mean we'd have to leave Georgia...meaning that he'd have to go into ranger school as SOON as he got out of the career course ( long story about why this is...just take my word for it), which lasts three months and since we can all count- that would mean he would miss the birth of our child.
Three, if Brett was take command of a company right away, it could not be guaranteed that he wouldn't be deployed again very soon.
Four, if Brett had to go to ranger school after his current course, the Army would not recognize this as my "home" and therefore I wouldn't be able to get on post housing for those three months...and since our current living situation ends in June. I would be homeless. And about to give birth. Without my husband.


Ok. So I know that all of that was as clear as mudd. But basically the bottom line was, THINGS DIDN'T LOOK GOOD FOR ABIGAIL.

But, I was very calm ( which you can read about in that above mentioned post) and I have stayed calm. I have stayed calm because I had a sense of peace about the whole thing, a peace without any understanding....God would take care of it. I just had NO IDEA HOW.

Until yesterday, yesterday Brett came home with amazing news:

He has been assigned a command ( taking care of problem #1) here at Fort Benning, something we didn't think was possible because of Army technicalities that I won't bore you with, but after Brett had explained his situation, they made an exception! ( taking care of part of problem number #2. no moving!!). The Unit that he will be taking command in will be getting back from deployment in September ( taking care of problem #3-they won't deploy again for at least a year!). And Brett feels that since they don't get back till September and usually after a deployment everyone takes block leave-it wouldn't be TOO big of a deal for him to wait and do the August Ranger school ( taking care of the other part of problem number #2!! He'd be around for the birth of the baby!). And since we'd officially be stationed at Fort Benning again, I should easily be able to get on post housing when our time here is up ( taking care of problem #4).

People. I cannot express to you enough that when I wrote that post about our problems I saw NO solution to all of them. I could absolutely NOT see a way for absolutely every one of my worries to be addressed. And yet. The Lord knew even then! He knew even before we could foresee that there WAS issues, how He was going to solve them. How everything was going to work out for good! It is TRULY amazing to me and I am SO excited about this news. I think I am actually more excited than I would have been if I had not seen the direness of our situation and so I am even grateful for those several weeks of not knowing. For now I can truly reveal in the Lord's faithfulness.

Its an Army Miracle.

Inspiration

Since becoming pregnant my feelings about food have changed drastically. My first feelings of ambivalence turned quickly to solid distain which turned into something of a multiple personality disorder and now we've settled upon something I'd like to call "Easily Swayed".

Before hormones were surging through my body, if you asked me what I wanted to eat, I'd come up with a list of meals that sounded interesting. But, as I mentioned a few days ago, now I draw a complete blank when faced with food questions. But, being a foodie at heart this is quite disturbing and so I am pretty much obsessed with food now.

This is why watching The Foodnetwork has become so interesting. It doesn't take much to influence my food mood and so I am now using this to my advantage.

Now, when faced with a grocery list that currently only has cereal and milk on it- I am turning to allrecipes.com and other recipe sites for inspiration.
Last night I made Roasted Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers and I definitely recommend it. Although, I though the Peppers were maybe a LITTLE too strong and next time I will probably cut the Balsamic Vinegar back a bit. However, the Chicken was awesome and I'll probably make that again very soon. The technique of cooking the chicken in a pan for a few minutes before putting it in the oven is SUCH an easy way to insure a super juice piece of chicken-fast and easy!


And now for my question...do you guys have any go to blogs or websites that give you foodie inspiration?! I'd love to hear about them!!

Whisperer

First of all, I do not have a dog. This should be stated up front because its key to this blog post. Its key, because I don't think my next admission would be as embarrassing if it wasn't for that fact. But, the truth is I don't have a dog, and I probably won't be getting one any time soon ( I'm getting a baby instead and I hear they are a bit time consuming too). But, these facts have not stopped me from becoming completely, totally and beyond a shadow of a doubt OBSESSED with the show The Dog Whisperer. I pretty much don't watch T.V. ( on the actual tv, that is) unless is a random rerun of Meet the Kardashians or some cooking show where people have to make something yummy out of a lime, a block of sugar cane and the hindquarter of a lamb ( its pretty much a dream come true for my pregnancy cravings).
Annnnyway, this was how life was until I discovered The Dog Whisperer and the genius of Cesar MIllan . I cannot get enough of his show. I mean, every fifteen minutes you're introduced to another biting, yapping, jumping, out of control dog and by the end of the fifteen minutes you've learned the dog was scared and unhappy or lazy or some other misunderstood personification trait and Ceasar has addressed the problem and BAM! You've got yourself a wonderful, happy dog.

Its addictive.

Anyway, after watching a ton of episodes in a short amount of time ( he's on both Discovery AND Animal Planet. excellent) I'm pretty much an expert on dogs and people.

And then I found out that Cesar's own dog, Daddy passed away this past week...and FOR SERIOUS I almost cried.

People. This is my life.

I "Roux" the day I had that idea

So, a few weeks ago Brett was perusing facebook and someone had posted pictures of some homemade etouffe they had made in honor of...something Louisiana related-it could be any number of things this time of year ;-)
Anyway, Brett was all,
"Yum! That looks good! I want some etouffe!"

And I was all,
"YAY! Finally Brett gives me some guidance when it comes to the dinner menu!"

( normally this is not an issue, but since I currently range between not having an appetite and wanting to eat mustard right out of the jar...make a grocery list/dinner menu for the week has become an excruciating task. ) and so I went about finding a good/reputable recipe for Etouffe. I finally settled upon this one and I went to the store and bought all the ingredients ( except the fish stock, which I could not find-and so instead I substituted vegetable stock and 1 Tbs of fish sauce-found in your oriental section...this worked well. )

Anyway, so yesterday at around 4:30 I decided to begin my process of making this brand new recipe-something I normal love.
I mean, I read all those reviews that said this recipe was hard because of the "roux making" but I scoffed. How hard could it be to stir nonstop for 15 minutes?!?! BIG DEAL! I can do it!!!

So, go ahead, ask me how many rouxs I had to make before I got it right?!?

THREEEE!

That's right! ARG! The first one was because the pan I was using had little bits of the teflon stuff coming off into my roux ( the dangers of not having your own kitchen and using very old pots and pans), and then after changing over to a pot, I ruined another roux because I think my arm was at a weird angle ( and already tired from having now mixed for a solid twenty minutes) and I was using too small of a spoon....third times the charm. I switched to a wisk and all was well. Roux success!!!
And after that the recipe was a breeze and super yummy ( if I do say so myself!)...

But, I'm not going to lie. I may have thrown some pots and pans around and I may have grumbled some noncoherent words under my breath. And Brett may have gotten worried and asked me to sit down more than once, and I may or may not have hated life for about forty-five minutes.

However, at the end of the day ( 6pm) we finally had dinner on the table and all was well...although I totally needed a nap at this point, and I had to watch Brett eat his second helping from a horizontal position on the couch.

Sharing the wealth

So, "the boss man", aka Chuck Wood ( you should really check out his blog posts/mini devotionals if you get the chance, you won't be sorry) sent me this little youtube video that I thought was excellent!
Check it out:

Surprise!!!

Surprise!!! We didn't get to go to Maryland.
Surprise!!! It snowed in Georgia. It snowed at our house!! It snowed everywhere ( according to facebook status updates)
Surprise!! The movie Valentine's Day was actually good and not a royal disappointment! I was actually delighted with how much I actually liked it.
Surprise!! ( not really, but I have a theme that I don't want to ruin) the restaurant Cheddar's is royally disguising...I would rather go to APPLEBEE'S.
Surprise!! I had my first real latte in almost four months, and I didn't throw up! Take that, Baby Hiphopapotmus-hope you enjoyed that little boost of decaf!
Surprise!! My sister sent me cupcakes from Crumbs Bakery for V-day, and they were as tasty as they were adorable. Seriously...I think they must use black magic to make them that good AND shippable. ( totally worth it).
Surprise!! Brett got me adorable Gilmore Girl coffee mugs for Valentine's Day....how well he knows me.
Surprise!!! We ended up going for Atlanta for the night.
Surprise!! Even though I'm four months along in this pregnancy I still get sick if I don't eat IMMEDIATELY in the morning time. Thus the dry heaving in an Atlanta parking lot.
Surprise!!! Happened upon a wonderful little joint called The Flying Biscuit....Breakfast all day, if you go to Atlanta. Eat there.
Surprise!! I'm very much considering having a natural birth. I am now prepared for all your comments to go buckwild. Go.

In short

Today's events should not have bothered me, but they DID:

1. During my OB appointment, PA in training couldnt find babies heartbeat, leaves me for twenty minutes laying on my back fretting before coming back with SOMEONE WITH SKILLS so that I could stop freaking out about my baby. 20 longest minutes EVER.

2. Sat in Hospital Lab waiting to get blood work done: watching four Lab workers play on their phones and talk to one another while only one worker works. I HAD LOW BLOOD SUGAR. I NEEDED A MUFFIN PRONTO. But no. Instead I had to wait another 20 min. before being "served".

3. Dentist appointment. Had a temporary filling put in. I have a tiny mouth. Having a MILLION HANDS in said mouth makes it ache and hurt. It took hours it seemed. My mouth currently aches.

4. Got the wrong drink from starbucks. I pouted. Brett bought me a new one. I felt guilty for pouting.

5. Its snowing everywhere. And THIS is the weekend we decide to visit the Northeast. ( I don't think its gonna happen.)

6. oh, and F.Y.I, throwing up stretches your mouth involuntarily. Even if one side of your face is in serious distress...it will still open super wide during that dreadful moment. Leaving you with more pain for later. AWESOME.
And yes. Throwing up here in week 16. ALSO AWESOME.

our two laptops.

We're trying something new tonight. Instead of covering the kitchen table with his work, Brett is currently covering the bed. I must admit I like this better, because at least now we're laying next to each other-me watching Gilmore Girls, season 4 on my laptop, him typing some sort of Army Document on his. Its all very 1950s single beds like. But at least i can look at him this way...

So did I mention how we're spending the weekend? Well, I didn't because its still undecided. Not because we didn't decide, but because the skies decided to open up and dump large amounts of snow on the Northeast. Now, we are just waiting to find out if those tickets we bought to visit Brett's dad and family up in Maryland will actually take us anywhere. Ultimately I'm praying that if the weather is terrible that they cancel the flights...that way at least we won't loose the money and can live to fly again another day. I still can't believe we haven't visited Brett's Northeasterly family since we've been married!! I'm very excited about meeting his aunt and uncles who, so far, I've only had an internet relationship with plus any stories I can muster out of Brett....that's no way to be! So hopefully the skies will close in time for a weekend whirlwind of a trip.
Seriously, who knew this year was going to be so busy?!

F.Y.I. If you want to see something funny you should seriously go watch Gilmore Girls season 4, episode 7-"The Festival of Living Art"....Suki's freakout about giving birth is fantastic.

Check it out:

Also, for your reading enjoyment, you can now read the newly formed blog of my favorite Housemate ever: Lindsay.
She has just been sent to Alaska by the army, so that should be fun to read about !!!

The Outer Circle

So, I've been living in Georgia for....about 3 months now ( that's not counting the time that we spent in Texas for the holidays). Which, in the mega scheme of things, is not a terribly long time. But it has seemed like AGES. One reason time is crawling: No matter where the move is to, one of the hardest parts of changing location is trying to rebuild the friendship base.

And while, for the most part, I think I'm making progress on this front-I was starkly reminded several times this weekend that I'm not quite in the inner circle yet. Being "left out" is one of the nastiest feelings one can feel, but when you move to a new place it is GOING to happen to you. I promise.
But, the really good thing about all this, is that its left me pondering my priorities. I don't think I told you this, but right before I left Washington-I was taken out to lunch by a girl in the ministry there and then flatly told how I had made her feel left out for a year and a half. It was an awful slap in the face and I can't even tell you how much I cried about it. But, even though I was terribly hurt by the accusation, I felt strongly, at the time, that I was not completely in the wrong. I mean, it goes both ways, right?!? I cannot be held responsible for every single person feeling like they're accepted and wanted at every single party and social engagement, right?! I mean, who made me queen of the social scene?!?

However, here I am feeling very much like she apparently did for a year or so-and I see very clearly how she felt the way she felt. When those around you are comfortable with each other, comfortable with their routines, their coffee dates, their friends, their date nights...when all of that seems relatively stable and set in stone, it can be difficult for the outsider to get up enough gumption to force themselves into the picture. And we are left fighting a inner battle where part of you feels hurt and bitter towards those people leaving you out, and the other part of you realizes that part of YOUR job is to be friendly and kind to everyone-no matter how you're treated back.

Which brings me to your homework: I need you to go read this post written by my friend Tabitha ( ignore the part where she talks about me...that's not why I'm asking you to read it-focus on the end part)


Tabitha's sentiment is that while she herself is trying to get out there and make friends, she's going to instead focus on OTHER people who might be just as lonely, or maybe lonelier than herself! I love it!

And she put so beautifully into words what I had been mulling over all weekend! I never want to forget the feelings of loneliness and outofplaceness that I have felt every time I have moved-I don't want to forget, because I want to be the champion of others who are out of place themselves. Because, such people are everywhere. They are NOT just in the military environment ( although, they abound here.), but there are people feeling wallflower-esque at every church, school, club, gym, social event, and workplace. And so, even though I feel shy and uncertain right now, I will remember the principal that my Grandmother always lived by....

My Grandmother was pretty shy, but you never would have guessed it-she always had people around her, and she was the champion of the wallflowers-Why? Because, when she showed up somewhere, feeling as insecure as ever, she'd look around the room and find the person standing by themselves, the person who looked the most uncomfortable, and she'd go talk to them. I know that's probably not a new concept, but its something I've remembered since I was small, and I have used it more times than I can count-and it ALWAYS works. You end up stop thinking about your own comfort and start worrying about someone elses!

And so...While I have not yet made it into the "inner circle" here at Fort Benning, I have come to realize that the "outer circle" is much bigger and has room for many more friends-so here I am.

slightly nauseated

So, the question is....am I nauseated because of this BABY that is growing inside me and who hasn't gotten the MEMO about me being in the "TOTALLY AWESOME" second trimester that everyone has told me was "SO GREAT"....oooooooor is the nausea from all of the UNKNOWN life-changing decisions that are coming up today?!?!

Its a toss up.


I realize its been a few days since I've last blog....annnnd really the only relatively good excuse for that, is that Brett has been using my computer's video camera to practice the presentation that he's giving today and that he's been working 24/7 on for the past...two weeks. Seriously. I mean, I've seen Brett...but talking or carrying on a normal life has been out of the question. However, I have not complained ( I promise), because he's here in the kitchen.....and the fact that he just got back from Afghanistan three months ago has not escaped my notices just yet. Nope. I still remember. And I am still utterly grateful for any time that I can see him and breath the same air.
Ok, so right. Yes. Brett's been busy with his Captain's Schooling and I've been busy staring at him while he's working and then...BAM! Saturday happened.
Saturday, Brett and I are driving down the road and he's like, " Soooo, we should decide what posts we'd like to move to in June if I end up not working here at Fort Benning, because I have to tell them what I want on Wednesday."

And in my mind I'm like, "WHAT?!?!?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE AREN'T GOING TO STAY HERE AT FORT BENNING?!?! WHY WOULDN'T WE?!?!"

And out loud, I was like, " Well, I guess..." and then I started listing posts in order of where I'd "want" to go according to people that we know there, established Navigator ministries that I know of, and of course, location ( i.e. Hawaii).

So, yes, I was very calm.

And I was calm all the way up until Monday, because up until Monday it was really just a backup plan. That little list that I'd rattled off in the car, it wouldn't really happen. NOoooOOOoo.....I mean, me having to move somewhere right before or right after having a BABY...and Brett probably missing that Baby's birth because he'd most likely have to go to Ranger School before taking command...oooooh, that wouldn't HAPPEN! (!!!!)

But, then, Monday happened. The day that Brett found out that if he ever wanted to teach at West Point ( which he kinda did) than he really WOULD have to take command of a company right away. As in RIGHT. AFTER. THE. CAPTAIN'S COURSE. Which ends in....ooooooh. June.

So, that brings us to yesterday. The day that I thought. Geez. Wow. Army. It really does like to surprise you and turn your little world upside down over and over again, doesn't it?! So, I started praying like crazy and that brought me to my Bible reading for the day, which started out like this:


Unless the LORD builds the house,
its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain....( Ps 127)

And you know what? That was just what I needed to hear! And sure, by the end of yesterday Brett had decided that he should stay on the path that he was already on, the path he'd already semi-decided on...which is to try and get a job here at Fort Benning. And while that would still have to be decided on by the army and so forth and so on...

I just went back to that verse. Because it doesn't really MATTER what we decide or what the Army might decide....THIS HOUSE is being built by the Lord. Our LIVES are being watched over by the Lord.

And yes, I'm scared at what just might happen...I'm scared Brett might miss the birth of our child, that we'll have to move to some new state in six months, that Brett will take Command and immediately be deployed again...these are all things that scare me, and yet I KNOW....with out a SHADOW OF A DOUBT that whatever happens, it will only happen because its come through the Lord's hands first. He will have decided. He will have prepared us.

Ok...the nausea is definitely coming from this Baby. NICE.