Ever Closer (Blessings #12)

The days keep getting closer and closer. The day they take the eggs, the day they implant them, the day that we have our positive blood test, the day we hear the heartbeat(s), the day we see their precious faces, the day we find out the sex, the day they are born... so many days to look forward to...

The appointment this morning went wonderfully! My favorite medical assistant took my blood and my wonderful nurse did the sonogram and we saw LOTS of mature eggs that looked so robust and healthy. It looked like a bunch of grapes (or jellybeans). Two of those eggs will be our children in nine months - crazy to think about!

They called me this afternoon with my results and next steps. My E2 was 3,105 (awesome!) and I took the hcG shot this evening and started taking antibiotics (the neighbor of where we have bible study is a nurse and gave it to me since it had to go in my hip). The egg retrieval is Wednesday - this means I get to see Chip tomorrow night! I miss him so much!! I will also be able to watch the girls at doggie camp via web cam. YIPPEE!!!

I go back tomorrow to make sure the hcG was absorbed properly by my body and then I show up at 7:45 a.m. Wednesday morning with Chip. After the eggs are retrieved and fertilized, they will grow for five days and two of the embryos will be transferred Monday. The rest will be frozen for possible future use. This means that Monday I WILL be pregnant with twins - and I will be pregnant on bible study night - yea! I am also excited that the babies will grow in their dish over Easter - how cool is that?

I am excited - in a good way. It is amazing to be a part of this incredible journey and see how faithful God is and see His hand in the perfect planning of everything. It's a blessing!

:::

Today was great! After the doctor, us girls headed to Frisco to meet my cousin, Chris, for lunch and go shopping! We bought some jewelry, had some awesome Sprinkles cupcakes and I got some fun fake hair - so now I can just clip in my fake hair whenever. We even stopped at this ADORABLE boutique called Pickles and Ice Cream. Obviously, it's a maternity boutique. I didn't buy anything - it was fun to look and know that SOON I will need maternity clothing. I did see a shirt that may be the first item I buy after the heartbeat sonogram. It said "Twins - Double the Blessing." I love that! Even one is pretty huge blessing!

Tonight we did have bible study - which was awesome! We started a new study that I am really looking forward to doing. It is called Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed and features Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore and Kay Arthur. Such great women - I adore them!

Mom and I did have a little incident before bible study at Chick-Fil-A with a man wrongly accusing me of cursing his wife and kids (he had the wrong person - he wasn't there to see who it actually was and found the wrong person - wrong being us). Funny story - even if at the time it was a little scary to have a guy knock on your car window and accuse you of something so crazy! Good husband for trying to find who offended his wife - he just had the wrong lady.

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Blessings for Today

1. Awesome doctor appointment and such considerate staff!
2. Getting to see my husband in less than 24 hours
3. Finding a nurse to give me the intramuscular shot
4. Fun day of shopping and family time
5. Great time at bible study

Humility

This week in bible study we are studying the chapter on Humility. As I am learning as I go deeper in this book, each time I think I have one of the traits of love covered, I find out that I have a lot more work to do! Humility, according to Chapman, is stepping down so someone else can step up. Also, humility is also recognizing our own worth, so that we are not constantly looking to others for affirmation. This is definitely something that I struggle with. I don't have the best self confidence and rely too much on others to validate my worth. By working through this book, I am realizing that I need to love myself so that I can truly love others fully.

In showing our weaknesses, we are actually showing strength of character (p. 121). One of my major weaknesses is accepting the help of others. Of course, Chapman covers this by saying, "accepting the help of others is one of the best and most difficult ways of fostering loving relationships." God has wonderful ways of helping us face our weaknesses to grow stronger. For me, moving to Pennsylvania has helped me face my weaknesses head on. I do not know anyone here, so I have to ask for help. This has been an incredible learning experience for me and has lead me to meeting and making friends with some amazing people. I am so grateful by God's continued awesomeness!

:::

God is also so good in another way. He lead me to a wonderful job interview at the place I wanted to work. Chip is actually the one who found the job listing and thought of me - so sweet! I start in the classroom, teaching three year olds, on Monday. This week, I got my TB test, flu shot, physical, and clearances (background checks). I can't wait to work with the precious kids!

Okay - I am going to get back to my book. I found some books that I just can't put down! Love you all!

This weekend we are taking our family Christmas pictures - the girls are so excited! hehe

Acts of Courtesy and Kindness

I must say - the trees are even more gorgeous right now in Pennsylvania. I am glad to be back at home with my husband and girls. I had a wonderful time in Texas - ate too much fried food at the Fair, had plenty of salsa, quality time with my friends and family, and I was able to join in with my LifeGroup. All in all - a great week. Now, I am job hunting. There has been a change in circumstances at Chip's work that makes it necessary for me to find a job sooner than later. I am okay with that. Truth be told, the whole staying home being a housewife thing was making me a tad crazy. If not for my lovely neighbor, Lindsay, and our Starbucks accidents, then the days would have gone by so slowly. Also - the girls did keep me entertained quite a bit. God will provide, of this I am certain. I had my first interview today and I have another one on Friday. The one on Friday is really where I want to work, so please pray for God's guidance and direction. He will place me exactly where He knows I need to be.

:::

My flight from DFW to Washington, DC to Pittsburgh was an adventure. It started off on a great note - I ran into the mom of one of my very best friends, Jennifer. Jenn's mom, Judy, was headed to California to see Jenn, Jackson and Joe. She was so sweet and hung out with me until I had to board my flight.

My flight from DFW to Washington, DC was running late because the plane had to go around a storm in Indiana. I had a really close connection from DC to Pittsburgh, so I was worried if I would make the last leg of my trip. I went up to the ticket counter and told the agent about my situation. I told her that if I needed to be placed on a later flight that was okay and that I understood that this was not at all her fault. At that moment, I was even more grateful for this past week's lesson on courtesy. The sweet agent moved my seat from row 15 to row 3 so that I could be closer to the front of the plane in hopes that I would make my connection.

The courtesy and kindness doesn't end there.

We pulled up to the gate about 11 minutes before the next plane was due to take off. We had six minutes until take off by the time we got off the plane. We (there were several of us hoping to make the DC to Pitt flight) were in another concourse. A very nice gate agent directed us to the bus that drove us to the other gate. We all raced up the stairs and to the gate only to see the door to the jet way closed. OH NO! The gate agent was talking to another gentleman and telling him that he would not be able to get on the plane. At that exact moment, a baggage handler came through the closed door and told the gate agent that the plane was waiting on seven "hot bags" (term for a plane just landed and the bags have to quickly get from one plane to another). The gate agent said that he wasn't told that and that he was not letting us on the plane. I prayed for God to grant me patience in the situation. The baggage handler talked to someone else and then the gate agent opened the jet way and let us all onto the plane. The baggage handler was so sweet when we all gave him our thanks. He told us that we looked nice and he wanted to help us. God works in such wonderful ways!

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So - I made it home. Chip had a late meeting so my neighbor, Lindsay, picked me up. She had a rough day. Her dog was attacked by our other neighbor's new dog. Her dog is okay and the vet was able to save her. Our poor neighbors feel terrible - they lost their dog in May and just got the new dog a few days before from a rescue. Lindsay has shown great courtesy in this situation. She is not upset at our neighbors or at the dog. She is just sad that her dog got hurt and grateful that she is okay. It makes me grateful to live here when I see how kind everyone is - how gracious - how giving. I am truly blessed! I think I need to have my girls make our neighbor's dog a get well soon card.

Have a blessed week and look for the moments to be kind and courteous - you never know whose life you will change.

Courtesy

This week's chapter in bible study focused on Courtesy. Not courtesy as just meaning good manners, but courtesy in treating others as personal friends; to be "friendly-minded." To me, courtesy is really a key cornerstone in developing relationships and furthering (deepening) relationships. It is not enough to make friends - we must be friends in our thoughts, words and actions.

When I think about being courteous myself, I realize that I am sometimes more courteous to strangers than to those I'm closest to. I guess we are all guilty of this at some point - my sweet husband will comfort me when I am sobbing about something that is really not that big of a deal at all - I think a server at a restaurant might not want to comfort me with a big hug as I'm sobbing. :) I must say that being a courteous person really makes a tremendous difference - to both the giver and the receiver. Let me explain.

Chip and I were celebrating a friend's birthday last Monday at a local grill. The place was very empty and we were there for a few hours watching the Steelers game. Our waitress only had three tables the entire night. When the bill came, we tipped her a little more than average. Then God told me what to do. This sweet waitress was sitting a few tables over from us counting her tips for the night and filling out paperwork. She had a book she was reading on the table beside her. She had this look that well - it touched my heart. She had served us all night and done an excellent job. She had (as Chapman puts it in one of his stories) a considerate spirit. I asked Chip if he had any extra cash on him. He gave me what he had - a five dollar bill. I walked over to our waitress and laid the money down on top of her book. I told her how much we appreciated her service and that she just seemed like a really nice person. My heart felt full when I walked away and sat back down. The waitress then came by our table as she was leaving. She told us thank you and said that was the nicest thing that had happened to her all month. I wanted to cry - I wished I had more money to give her. However, that is not what I think it was about. She had given more to us that night than we had given her. Her gratitude showed me that being courteous to someone for no more reason than to just be courteous gives so much to us. I felt honored to be in her section that night - to share what God has blessed us with. I think that is what courtesy is all about.

My hope and prayer now is to be that courteous all of the time. I want to be able to give others the same feeling I get when people are courteous to me. My prayer is to become the person who is able to show how much others mean to me in ways that make them feel appreciated. My friend, Kathy, is one of the most courteous people I know. When she gives you a present, you know that she has put thought into it. Last year she gave me a plaque that she had made with my favorite saying of my Grandma's - "True Love is kissing in the kitchen." Not only did Kathy remember the saying, she also had the plaque made in my two favorite colors - pink and brown. The best part of all about Kathy's courteous nature is that it is part of who she is. It is a part of her character and her love. I feel so honored to be her friend and I hope that she knows how much I love and cherish her friendship.

I must share about another person who is so courteous and thoughtful. It is actually more than one person - it is a group. My LifeGroup is incredible. This group of ladies - it is almost impossible to describe what we have. It is a group where we can share our concerns, our prayers, our joys, our lives and know that those in the group are there to support you in every way possible. Not only is our group supportive and caring - you know that they are praying for you every step of the way. The Lord has placed each of us in this group for a very specific reason. To understand LifeGroup, you have to experience it. It is a room full of women who laugh, cry, pray, and are just there for each other. I believe that LG embodies not only what it is to live a life of courtesy, they embody what it is to live a life of love.

Change of Season

Fall is here. The leaves are changing colors and reflect God's imagination - the reds, greens, oranges, browns - it is a kaleidoscope of beauty that takes my breath away. The air is getting cooler and has a crispness to it - breathe deep, can you feel it? Fall means football, blankets and cuddling, warm and yummy food, hiking, exploring, enjoying the last moments before it gets cold, and, most of all, being thankful for what God has blessed us with.

:::

This week's chapter in our bible study is about forgiveness. At first, I didn't really think this was something I struggled with. I don't stay mad and tend to get my feelings hurt more than being truly hurt. However, after reading this chapter, I realized that I do need to work on forgiveness. According to Chapman, forgiveness is using honesty, compassion, and self-awareness to reconcile with someone who has hurt you. When someone hurts me, I usually keep the hurt bottled up and don't say anything to the other person. I usually assume that I overreacted in some way, so the being hurt is my own fault. Of course, then I blame myself. I like how Chapman puts it - that we need to practice forgiveness in small ways and offer apologies even for small offenses. In other words - not keeping the hurt bottled up (which only causes more stress) and be loving and honest. Chapman offers four steps to forgive.

1. Release - the hurt and anger


2. Confess - your own failures in the situation


3. Return good for bad - be kind even to those who don't reciprocate


4. Use your pain well - inner reflection; using your pain to grow. Chapman states that a "forgiving person will not wallow in hurt or lash out in anger, but will spend energy seeking reconciliation."

To forgive, you must use the above steps each time you are hurt. However, to truly become a forgiving person, you must do the following.

1. Forgive yourself - this is something I struggle with; to become a forgiving person, we must forgive ourselves and realize that we too are human and make mistakes.
2. Apologize for your own failures in relationships - this means being quick to apologize and being honest with our offenses. Chapman offers some ways to apologize in a heartfelt way. You can say "I was wrong" to accept responsibility for wrongful behavior. To express regret, "I'm sorry that my actions hurt you so deeply. I feel bad for what I have done." When you seek restitution, "What can I do to make this up to you?" When expressing a genuine desire to change behavior, "I don't ever want to do that again." Or, to ask for forgiveness "Will you please forgive me?" I realized from this that I do say that I'm sorry (a lot), but I need to also ask for forgiveness.
3. Have an attitude of authentic love toward others - become a conduit for forgiveness at all times - no matter how many times a person offends.

I am working on becoming a person who loves as a way of life. I can feel myself becoming a person who loves as way of life - it is only with God's help that this is possible. It is a journey and blogging about it has really helped me. I express my feeling and learn through writing - random as my thoughts may be.

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With fall here and all of the changes it brings, it really helped me to feel a connection to my bible study. Leaves change - from green to vibrant fall colors and then fall to the ground and are raked into colorful mounds that I want to jump in the middle of. I think forgiveness is like the leaves. I get hurt and go through all of the emotions that come with that - like the changing colors of the leaves. Then, with God's help and grace, I learn let go of the emotions and forgive - the leaves falling to the ground. I can them jump into the lifestyle of forgiveness and the emotions get scattered into the wind. I learn to live a life full of love - full of kindness, patience, forgiveness, courtesy, humility, and generosity.

:::

I included some pictures of the changing seasons. The pictures were taken three weeks apart. It is amazing what a difference a few weeks can make - both in nature and in our life! All of the photos can be viewed here - second page of the album.

The week we moved in (taken at the beginning of September)

Mist in the valley - it looks like the fog is rising from the trees. (taken at the end of September)

The valley - look at how green it is! (taken at the beginning of September)
The valley in the middle of the change of season - it is foggy because of the mist. (taken at the end of September)

Into the Bush

Literally - that is what happened to me today. This morning. In my pajamas. I was dragged into a bush. Now, the story is quite funny. This morning. In my pajamas. Not so much.

It all started when I got the morning make out from Addison. She likes to wake us up in the morning by licking my face - even when my face is buried under a pillow. Actually, she especially likes to do it then. I think she likes the challenge. I stumble blurry-eyed downstairs in a mismatched shirt and pajama pants with flip flops to put the leashes on the girls. Normally, I use the harness on Addison so she won't pull, this morning - because of my sleepiness - I did not. BIG mistake.

After putting their leashes on, I opened the door and took the girls outside so they could go potty. Izzie and Addison both went, so we headed back inside so I could feed them breakfast and (hopefully) catch some more zzzz's. And this is when the craziness happened.

There was a toad hopping merrily along his way in the flower beds in front of our house. There was Izzie noticing the toad. Then, there was Izzie and Addison trying to catch said toad. I don't know - maybe they hoped to kiss him and he would turn into their dream doggie boyfriend?

I had a leash in each hand with my feet firmly planted trying to keep the girls from capturing the toad. Then I was skiing across dew-soaked grass in flip flops. Before I knew it, I was being drug by two dogs who seemed like they were trying out for the Iditirod. I ended up on my butt being drug until the bush stopped me. The toad was safe and hopped merrily away. The girls were disappointed. I was a wet mess.

I called Chip once I got the girls inside. I didn't seem the humor of the situation at that moment - Chip did, but politely covered the phone while he doubled over in laughter (he waited until I thought it was funny to tell me).

The girls did get breakfast and we laid on the couch together. They apologized for pulling me like a sled by letting me sleep on the couch for an hour. After I woke up, I wondered if maybe I had dreamed the whole bush incident. Not so much. I have a sore butt and mud caked pajama pants to prove it. That and skid marks in the grass.

I did take the girls on a walk - I braved the possibility of toads and other critters that I knew we could come across. This time - I was prepared with a harness and gentle leader. I admit that I lost my patience this morning after my run in with the bush - I did hold it together better than I would have in the past. I am learning patience - God is teaching me. His ways are creative I must admit. He will use dogs, irritated drivers, slow lines at stores - He knows that I need to learn this love characteristic and, for that, I am thankful.

Patience

This week the new chapter of my bible study book (Love as a Way of Life by Gary Chapman) is Patience. As anyone who knows me can attest, this is definitely an area that I need to work on. I say that I am a planner, that I am OCD - really, I am just not very patient. Granted, there are times when this is a benefit, for example - getting packed/unpacked, organizing events, getting "stuff" done. However, as Chapman notes, when you are running around in a rush with a hurried attitude, your relationships suffer. You have a spirit of impatience around you and it is difficult to shift gears and be patient with the person you are on the phone with, the store clerk, your family.
I can personally testify to how being patient can ruin or enhance an encounter. When I get stressed, I tend to get (more) emotional. My feelings get hurt and I feel very "woe is me" and am apt to throw myself a pity party. However, being patient can make even a frustrating situation much more pleasant. I tend to have very unrealistic expectations of myself - I try to be the best at whatever I do and expect more than is humanly possible from myself. I need to realize that it is okay, good even, to not be perfect and I don't need to try to be. I need to just be Lucia.
It is so true that making the choice to be patient can make an enormous difference. Chip is one of the most patient people I know. Being married to him has helped me to realize that, truly, it is good to just lay back and relax. To just be. He reminds me so much of my Dad - they both have this ability to stay cool under any situation and never raise their voices. Seeing the two of them with their dogs or with kids proves this even more. They both has this ability to be kind and so patient - even when the dog wants to go out for the 10th time in an hour or a little cousin is endlessly giving wet willies.
My challenge to myself this week is to put patience into action. I will strive to be both kind and patience. This means to not worry if I get stuck in traffic - it happens. To not be in a rush. To just enjoy and truly enjoy being in the moment. To not hurry. Patience is allowing someone to be imperfect and I am far from perfect. All I can do is try.

The points that Chapman challenges us to look at this week are to realize:

• People are not machines. They have ideas, emotions, desires, and perceptions that are different than mine.
• People don't work according to my priorities. Their agendas may be different from my own. I choose to respect the choices of others.
• People are always in process. I choose to give them time for growth. (including giving myself time for growth and not having to be valedictorian of everything)
• My patience creates a more productive atmosphere for helping others.

Kindness

My LG (LifeGroup) at our home church in Texas started a new bible study yesterday. I am doing the study with them via correspondence - a weekly commute to Texas would be rather far. :) The book our wonderful leader chose is Love as a Way of Life by Gary Chapman (author of The Five Love Languages).

This week's homework is Chapters 1 & 2. Chapter 1 is basically an intro to what love as a way of life looks like - authentic love - sharing Christ's love for us. This chapter discusses the seven characteristics of a loving person:

• Kindness
• Patience
• Forgiveness
• Courtesy
• Humility
• Generosity
• Honesty

Chapter 2 is where the meat of this book begins. Here, we begin on delving into the first characteristic - kindness. Kindness, according to Chapman, is the joy of meeting someone else's needs before your own simply for the sake of the relationship. I agree with this assessment. You can't do anything about how someone will react to your kindness, you simply need to be kind in all situations, no matter what. My challenge to myself this week is to look for the kindness in the everyday situations. I challenge myself to truly appreciate and let those in my life know how much I appreciate their kindness and to pay it forward.

Here's my list of kindness today:

• My sweet husband taking the girls for a walk this morning (as he does every morning without complaint) and letting me sleep in. He also looked up flights for me to go back to Texas and visit (and go to the State Fair), bought tickets for us to go to the Iowa vs. Pitt game with our friends Palmer and Ellie, set up all of our electronic equipment and moved a bajillion tons of stuff for me, said how great the curtains looked that I made (and how yum dinner was) and worked a ten hour day.
• A sweet older couple at the mall that I held the door for. The husband insisted that I go in the store before him and the wife remarked on what a beautiful day it was.
• The kind young man at the oil change place. They did a great job on my car, were courteous and didn't try to sell me something I didn't need.
• The salesperson at GameStop who sold me to Wii Fit for my Mom.
• The clerks at the adorable shop at the Mall. They were so sweet and one lady shared how much she loved her Wii Fit with me.
• The person at the stop sign who waved for me to go first.
• My Mom and Dad - my Mom is coming to visit me soon!
• The joy I felt in mailing cards to some people I care so much about.
• My Mother in Law (best one on Earth) - the care package she sent us.
• The thank you note from our new bank.
• The joy on the faces of our girls when I got home. Their tails were wagging so hard!
• Talking to my dear friend, Kristy, on the phone and catching up.
• My sweet LG leader keeping me up to date with what is going on in Texas so I feel a part.
• The internet guy recommending a church for us to try.

I hope your day is filled with kindness today - take a look - it's everywhere.