7 Quickies

1. Approx 147 days till the Man comes home.

2. Home is truly where your heart is...right now my heart is in Afghanistan as well as right here in SC. When the Man returns home (to me) my heart will be moved to Louisiana...yes it is official....at least I think it is.

3. Ren is now 13 months old....here are his words:
Mama
Dada or DA
Papa
Dan (his cousin)
Ellie (my pup Elliot..this was Ren's FIRST word at 9 months)
Emi (for Emily, another cousin)
Cup (for drink)
Madison ( I know right...for real!)
Snack
Cheese
Milk
Go-Go (for outside)
No
Yep
Light
Up
Down
yum
Abby (another cousin)
Dog
Ball
Block
When Ren woke the other morning I was going to put him in bed with me and nurse...he sat up and said No, Cup. No nursies for Ren that morning...he wanted a cup. He is putting words together and objects with what they belong to....Elliot's collar was on the floor, Ren picked it up and said "Ellie" holding it out to me. I'm sure there are more words...he is really picking stuff up fast...he said flower and seed the other day while outside playing in the grass.

4. If you are ever looking for an incredible cause to get involved in that is making an incredible difference in the lives of some wonderful, beautiful children...you should go here www.aidchild.org and get involved.

5. I finished the 1st of three quilts that I was inspired to make after seeing Dana's quilt give away back in '08. I followed her "How to make a quilt" tutorial. This first one is a baby floor quilt approx 52 x 31 inches.
It is a gift for a friend and her new baby girl...due in June!

6. This week, April 24th through May 1st is National Infertility Awareness Week. I am posting my story tomorrow.

7. I've been thinking a bit on Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?

Part of 7 Quick Takes

My Life....How The Man and I Met

Kelly over at Kelly's Korner hosts Show Us Your Life on Fridays. I so enjoy reading Kelly's blog, watching her little beautiful Harper grow, being encouraged through her writing and her walk with Christ are just a couple of reasons why I read her blog.....so if you have never checked her out...you should!

So, the theme for Show Us Your Life Friday is: How you met your husband.
The Man and I met online. We had both been married and then walked through divorces before we met. I had been single for about 5 years before I met him and he about 2. He sent me a message through the website (ChristianC@fe.com) we met on and we started talking through email. A couple weeks later he sent me his telephone number and after I had waited for a week and a couple days (you know a good time to make him wonder if I was going to call or not...ha) I called him. We talked and talked and talked some more. After many many phone conversations he asked what my plans were for New Years Eve...big one for a single girl...or at least this girl....I told him I had several options in the works and he asked if I would like to meet him for dinner. Now he lived in another state about 4 hours from my home.....I said I would think about it...and a couple days later told him yes and well the rest is history...We got engaged 3 weeks after we met in person and 3 weeks after that we had said our I Do's and were on our Loveymoon. Very fast...yes I know...and we have been on this adventure together, loving each other and living in our own little paradises all over the globe for 7 years now!

Meeting online can be a little crazy sometimes though...you never know if the person you are emailing, IMing, chatting on the phone with or texting is the person they say they are or they are lying....until you meet them in person. I had a plan and had several friends and family members that knew where I was and what our plans were as the night progressed. The thing that attracted me to my man is that everything that he wrote and said about himself were honest and true things. He did not present himself to me (online or otherwise) in a dishonest way. So, when we did meet in person and chatted that night and the next day away....he was true...everything he said about himself was true....and I double checked too....and it is still true....and I love him....I do...I do!

Ed and I at Ephesus April 2006

One of my favs of the two of us Christmas 2007

Weaning, Growing, and Dealing

So...we (the man, Ren and I) are about 1/2 way through his being gone. This is counting the training and deployment...so YaY! I was thinking the other day about how I deal with the man being gone for so long....and I came to the conclusion that I "just do". Not a very clear answer I know....I knew when we married that he would deploy and he has 4 times now...so this is not new to me. Although not living in my own home, staying with family and having Ren are all new things this go round. I am so grateful that my sister and her family were willing to open their home to Ren and I...and our two pups Elliot and Austin. We are a lot of extra to add to a busy home. I love that Ren gets to play with his cousins and spends time with his aunties and uncles. I know he will not remember our time here...but I will. So back to the deployment stuff....I know and accept the fact that the man is deployed and there is nothing I can do to change that...so I choose to enjoy myself, stay busy and not watch the news while he is away. I made the mistake of watching the news his first deployment....I was stressed all the time, didn't sleep well and worried over something I have no control over...so that is something that I do not do. I am working on the quilt (something I do have control over)....I have all my strips sewn in sets of six.....now the cutting down to block size and then the magic of piecing the blocks together.....I can't wait to see how it all turns out.

Ren is growing like a little weed. I can't believe that his is already ONE! We started weaning....Oh I stressed about this...I knew that I was finished ( I intended on nursing Ren to at least one year but no longer than 18 months)...that I did not want to nurse anymore about 2 weeks ago. So...I stopped all day time nursies....including the nap ones. That was not fun....Ren cried and cried at nap time....but then the other day it was like magic was in the air. I took him to the bedroom, told him it was nap time and started to lay him in his crib...he started crying and reached his hand out for my bed....so I laid him down on my bed and he settled down on his tummy with his lil hands tucked underneath him and started talking himself down to sleep. I patted his little back and sang him our night-night songs...in under TEN minutes he was asleep...no crying, no fussing, no nursies....and he slept for a little over one hour...which is pretty phenomenal for him. And then last night and tonight when I carried him into the room...all ready for bed....he settled on my shoulder, tucked his lil hands between him and I....no twisting his body for nursies, pinching me....or crying...I sang him our songs and prayed over him....and put him in his bed....Ren cried for 2 to 4 minutes and then asleep.....sweet baby....although not a baby anymore. I still nurse him in the morning when I put him in bed with me sometime after 5 am....but I have a feeling that he will not nurse at all for very much longer. Bittersweet....I am going to miss our time together.....we started nursing as soon as he was born....right after they wrapped him in his lil blanket. There is nothing I can compare this past year too....nothing I have ever done in my life comes close to the wonder-filled moments of being a Mama.

9 Days and Missing

To go....till my lil pea-pie is ONE!!!! I can't believe it....well I can....this year has sped by with lightning fastness and I have been enjoying every.single.moment. every.single.day....all of them. The early birthday party went off with out a hitch, we enjoyed a lovely week with the man and are now settling down for the long haul....the days, weeks and months till September arrives and the man returns to the ones he loves that love him.

The drive home after dropping him off at the airport was a bit teary.....Ren asked for Da a lot and I talked through teary eyes that Da had to go bye-bye and he loves us and would be home before we know it. So, I am adjusting, shifting...in my head mostly (does that even make sense?)....Always the nagging in the back that something could happen to the man....that the kisses I gave him at the airport as he shouldered an impossibly heavy bag...could be the last....and I know to shush the nagging to pay it no mind....my man will be fine...he will return home strong and full of missing us. So, I push it away and I don't think about it...
but I do leave his favorite boots at the doorway to our room....sure to see them when we enter and leave...a silent reminder of love and prayers....of missing the one we love.

Ramblings

Sooooo.....last Friday..my last post...I was all excited and pumped to blog again...to get my thoughts out and just take some time....and then...then I hit a slump...a wall...an I.would.rather.not.be.around.me.either. couple of days.....and well as you saw...or rather didn't see...I did not write. I am still feeling a little funky but thought that I would just get some stuff out of my head.

~My hard working man is coming for a 6 day visit! I am very excited to see him and spend some time together before he leaves for 6 months. I am hoping for a day to the mountains for a hike, a day at the zoo and maybe a trip to the beach...who knows though. We are going to celebrate Ren's birthday a bit early with a party while he is here...so..I have been pretty busy and some-what consumed with nailing down the final plans and figuring all the party stuff out. I decided to go with a pretty generic theme...just primary colors and balloons. I will post some pics of the decorations that I am creating and then of course some of the actual day itself.

~We thought we knew where we were moving to...but the plans have been canceled as far as we know and now where we live after September is all in the air again....not.much.fun to not know. But in military life nothing is official until it is official and then still it might not be official....so I hope we find out something sooner than later.

~My parents leave India today....and are headed for Europe until the end of March. I am glad they were safe while there and can't wait to give them hugs when they get here!

~I have not started training for the run...but as soon as this weather is not so cold/windy/rainy I am getting out there for sure. I did do some yoga stretches today..like two or three and one sun salutation...ha....I so need to start practicing again...I know it will be good for me for sure.

~I am working on a quilt for a friend...her first little one is due in June...It's a girl! Fingers crossed I can get this done in time for her shower the 1st of May.

~I took notice the other day when my niece told me I was on the computer a lot...and I knew that I was...it just took her saying something for me to see just how much. So I have made it a point to not play around/waste time on the computer during the day at all...If Ren is awake...then my laptop is closed. Which has turned out to be a really good thing. Not facebo0king quite so much...thank goodness that place is addictive and can be depressing sometimes too....I like it to keep in touch with family and cousins and long lost friends...but I don't need to post what I am doing....that I ate dinner...what I ate...who I saw...or didn't see...life was just fine before I ever signed on...it will be just fine if I check it once a week or so too. Funny facebo0king was taking up so much of my time...that and reading random blogs....my goodness what did we ever do before the world wide web...and I know...I know that is such a dated term...what is it called now?...Oh I know what we did...we spent time with each other....and we read books and had face to face conversations...don't get me rong though...I heart the www.

~Last but not least...here is a picture of my sweet boy..who is now 11 months and 1 day old...my.goodness.this.year.has.flown!
I love him...I love him...I love him...with my whole heart and then some!

7 Quick Ones

1. I recently joined an online encouragement and recipe exchange forum...I was able to post several recipes that I created and it was SO COOL that several of the girls have cooked and then posted a good review of my food!!!! YaY...makes me want to get in the kitchen and experiment some more.

2. Ren had a "Date Night" with me tonight and he was so well behaved. I brought Broccoli and Cheese soup from a deli for him and then took him to a Sushi place. He even ate a California Roll (minus the nori)...yum.yum.good.

3. My parents are doing missionary work in India (they have been gone since the first of Jan) and I can't wait to see them....I miss my Momma and Dad.

4. I am thinking of running...yes I said running...the annual Mud Run at Ft. Jackson this year. I have to get my butt in gear and start training! You can read about it here and yes I think I may be crazy!

5. Looks like we will see my Champ of a Man before he "hops the pond"...we are just waiting on dates. YaY!

6. If you ask Ren if he is hungry or if he wants to eat...he starts smacking his lips...it is so funny!

7. I am planning on trying to post a "new post" at least 3 times a week...if not once a day.....I hope I have enough stuff to blog about.

Conversion Diary if you've never read Jennifer's blog....you should check it out!

In the Overflow!

It's official! I bought my ticket today (my sister bought hers yesterday) we are headed to Atlanta on April 24th to see Beth Moore and say a final farewell to Insecurity! We bought the books this past week and I can't wait to start to read and learn and hear what God has for me and how he is a going to change me. Kelly over at Kelly's Korner has a list of fellow bloggers that will be there (and btw...if you have never stopped in to read her blog...you should...her Harper is the cutest thing and she is a wonderful Mama and Christian). I can't wait to see what God is going to do! I just wish I could take all my sisters and sister-friends with me...ya wanna go? There are still some tickets left...go here for more information and then let me know if you are going to be there!