God's Faithfulness, Cravings, and Flat Tire Stories

I considered skipping a "last day of the year" post, but also considered how sad that would be. Tatum started my morning just wonderfully by putting her big ol' paw in my bowl of noodles. Thankfully, I was full and not going to finish them anyway AND there was no soup in them. But nonetheless, the noodles were scattered on the couch. Sabre and Tatum got their first (and hopefully last) taste of Indomie, and seemed to rather enjoy it. And I was glad I didn't have as much clean up to do. Hopefully it's not a glimpse of what this last day of 2013 holds for me. You see, on my last day of being twenty-three, we drove to Dallas to be with family. And on this wonderful drive we got a flat tire, so Travis put the spare on and we were on our way. Then the spare went flat, and we don't have multiple spares, so we called our insurance roadside folks and told them the situation. They were going to have to send a tow truck...until they asked how many people were in the car. "Two adults and two German Shepherd dogs." Hm... they won't tow your car with dogs aboard. Anyway, long story short, we just happened to be by a random house and asked if we could borrow their spare tire to drive into Hillsboro to get our tire fixed. They were very kind and allowed us to do so. We got our tire fixed, found out our spare was awful and should never be used again, returned the borrowed spare tire, and finished our trip to Dallas--a drive that usually takes an hour and twenty minutes instead took four hours. Such fun. So, here's to hoping that the last day of 2013 is better than my last day of being twenty-three. If that makes any sense at all. :)

As typical as it may be to "reflect on the year" in a blogpost, I think I'll do it anyway. In bullet form, just to make it easier to get through.

In January...
   -Travis started his final semester of college--a very busy semester, I might add.

In March...
   -We up and decided to get another puppy! Tatum was born March 1st! (Though she didn't come home with us for 7 more weeks.)

In April...
   -Tatum joined the family!!

In May...
   -I left my job at a local elementary school because once our apartment lease was up in the middle of May, we were homeless!
   -Travis graduated from Baylor!
   -As previously stated, we had no home and no jobs (it's difficult to have a job when you have no where to live. hah!), so we moved into my grandparent's house while they traveled for a few weeks in May & June.

In June...
   -Travis heard back from Caterpillar about a full-time position--he got the job! In about a week, we found out about the job, found a house to rent (after discovering that no one wants to rent to you when you have German Shepherds--meanies!), moved back to Waco, and Travis started his new job.

In September...
   -I got a very part-time job watching a little boy four days a week for a couple hours each day. Yay for getting out of the house occasionally!
   -We found out I was pregnant and proceeded to live in relative misery (hah!) while I battled constant morning sickness till sometime in November.

In October...
   -Got to see my mom for the first time in nearly two years!

In November...
   -Got to see my dad for the first time in nearly two years!
   -Spent a wonderful Thanksgiving with everyone on my dad's side of the family.
   -Finally found some much needed relief from the nausea/vomiting. That in and of itself made the end of the year wonderful! :)

In December...
   -We spent Christmas with almost everyone on my mom's side of the family. It was wonderful!
   -It was wonderful having my parents in the states for the holidays this year. A definite highlight!

When I look back at all of that, I can't help but see how incredibly faithful God has been to Travis and me this year. There were times when I honestly wasn't sure what He was thinking and how He was going to get us through certain months. But He knows what's best and in the end, it really was a great year of change, growth, and new beginnings.

And now we're embarking into 2014. I can already tell it's going to be a big year. That might have something to do with the baby growing inside of me. :) That in and of itself is going to bring plenty of challenges and excitements. Before I got pregnant, I told God I wanted to start a family in His timing, no matter when that might be. And just a month later, I was pregnant. So I took that as His way of saying, "And that time is now."

Speaking of the baby, if you're interested in baby news, here's what I've got for you:
-I love dill pickles on ham sandwiches with mustard. With plain potato chips on the side.
-My bump is fully visible now... at least I think it is. And I think Travis is enjoying being able to say, "Wow, your belly looks bigger today!" without negative repercussions.
-My family (mostly the sisters and cousins) are casting votes on boy or girl. It's fairly close at this point. There might be a couple more votes for a boy. We'll find out the truth on January 10th. :)
-I love oranges. I can't fully explain it. They just have to be the most refreshing fruit in the world.
-Maternity clothes are surprisingly comfortable.

After mentioning oranges, I now want one. However, the dogs just fell asleep a few minutes ago and if I get up, they'll get up. Especially Tatum. She loves oranges. Travis is still sleeping. And I have some laundry to fold. Ah, to be on vacation.

A Baby Bump to Boot and Trees that Smell Wonderful

Time has flown by, it seems. (A statement I never thought I'd make during the first 10 weeks of my pregnancy...) December has arrived and very nearly passed, and I'm only just now writing. Some wonderful things have happened this month. I convinced my husband to buy a real Christmas tree and discovered that I have a great love for the smell of Evergreen trees. The smell of the tree couldn't fill the vastness of our living room for very long, so I've now gone through one and a half pine scented candles. And I've requested more for Christmas. We bought plastic tree ornaments since we weren't sure how the dogs would handle the glowing tree with sparkly balls all over it. Sabre only stole four ornaments, and only one was destroyed. He especially likes the glittery gold ball at the bottom of the tree, but has refrained from taking it off after the first time. He still smells it on occasion though. He's learning. Tatum doesn't go near the tree. We told her "no" the first time she tried, and she's stayed away since. Such different personalities.

My parents visited for a couple days this week. Sabre loved them! They got quite the morning greeting whenever they woke up. Hah. Sabre even sat on my mom's lap one morning. Her right leg fell asleep. I don't think she's accustomed to 80 pound dogs sitting on her lap. :) We did some Christmas shopping all over town, and I insisted my parents try Schmaltz's Sandwich Shoppe for lunch. It was absolutely delicious! If you've never had it, you need to come here and try it. Now.

This week my baby bump suddenly appeared. Up until now I've looked a tiny bit pregnant to me, but to everyone else I'm fairly certain it just looked like I ate a really big meal. I visited my old work place yesterday (an elementary school). I was surprised by how many kids remembered me. One of the little girls ran up, hugged me, took a look at my belly and said, "Are you gonna have a baby soon?" You can always count on children to say it like it is! :) It's been difficult to consider a growing belly as a good thing, but hopefully once I feel some movement in there, it will feel more purposeful. We find out whether we're having a boy or a girl in January. I can't do the waiting thing. I applaud those that do, but I'm just not one of those people.

My pregnancy diet is not something to brag about. I ate a carrot yesterday though. [Gold star for me.] I've had a difficult time changing my eating habits. I love french fries and fast food a bit too much it seems. But it's gradually getting better. Prenatal vitamins are ridiculous monstrosities! Those pills taste awful and are big enough to get lodged in someone's throat! (Maybe not, but they sure look like it.) I tried to get some prescription pills that are much smaller, but they were going to cost $112 a month. For vitamins. Come on, People! Overall though, my second trimester of pregnancy has been far more enjoyable than the first. Thank goodness!

Today I plan to wrap presents without allowing the dogs to steal all the paper, and resist the overwhelming urge to pick up some fries and wings for lunch today. ;)