Date #3 - Happy New Years to Us!

Once again, (much to Janet's dismay I imagine), Eric decided to stay yet another night in Chicago with his friends so that we could be together for New Years Eve. Not only that... but he graciously invited me over to their house to celebrate! By day 3, we were both getting a little tired. Two extremely late nights were taking their toll... so a night indoors of games and Dick Clark sounded pretty good. (Wait... Dick Clark didn't do the ball drop thing last year did he?) Anyway, had someone told me what game was going to be played... I probably would have reconsidered my trip downtown. But, Trivial Pursuit was not mentioned until I arrived... and since I really didn't know these people, I kept my mouth shut... and unbeknownst to them, willingly agreed to subject myself to total humiliation and torture.

Here's the thing about me. Right around the time that Ricky came home with me... I developed the worst case of "mommy brain" that I think anyone has ever had. My memory went completely in the toilet. Give me half a second - and I will forget the person I just met. Ask me what I had for dinner last night... and you can expect to be waiting for about 2 hours for an answer. Ask me when the Civil War happened... and you might as well move on to the next victim completely because I guarantee... I will look like the dumbest person you've ever met.

So... it became the night that Eric learned this woman he was "falling for"... had a brain made of jello. I on the other hand, would learn quickly that Eric... was a wealth of trivia knowledge both useless and useful. We were paired together. Great for me... not so good for Eric. I don't even think I answered one question correctly. Eric on the other hand... didn't miss one. He even guessed right! It was disgusting. I was completely embarrassed by the whole thing - especially in front of these people I didn't know... but thankfully they all allowed me to stick around. It was my last game of Trivial Pursuit... I'm pretty sure no one ever wants to play with me again anyway!

Date #2 - Rice Water

First a little background:

For those of you who were curious about how Eric and I met in the first place... let me give a summary. Here's the version we plan on telling our children:

We originally met 1 & 1/2 years prior to the first date, at a wedding of mutual friends. Eric was the best man, I was a soloist and bridesmaid. Therefore we had "known" each other all that time. :)

The truth is we exchanged a couple of sentences at that wedding at the most. I definitely noticed Eric - and even inquired as to why he was single. But I was seeing someone else at the time... and Eric didn't seem the slightest bit interested when I did make an attempt to converse. (I believe my exact words were: "oh, that's so sad... you're sitting at the table eating your cake all by yourself".)

Anyway... fast forward a year and a half. Honestly, I never thought about him again after that wedding... until early December, 16 months later. I was talking to my friend who had been married and suddenly asked what had ever happened to "that guy" that was the best man at her wedding. She said he was still single... and hung out with them quite a bit. I asked her what was wrong with him... (you single girls no doubt understand my asking that... the decent looking, successful ones inevitably seem to have something wrong with them... or they're already taken). She didn't seem to think anything was wrong with him - that she knew of... to which I replied...

"Then how come he never called?!"
"Why would he call you? You live in Reno and up until a few months ago you weren't even available."

I finally managed to talk her into suggesting to him that he email me. (Too forward?) Hey... all I can say is it worked. :)

A couple weeks later, Eric did indeed email me. You can imagine the many hesitations along with the confusion that he must have had... emailing a girl he had barely even met almost a year and a half ago - who lived in Reno, Nevada - 2000 miles from him. But he did! We exchanged messages for a couple weeks leading to Christmas, and then I reeled him in. Here's how the emails went:

Me - "So what are you doing for Christmas?"
Eric - "Spending time with my family, then heading to Chicago to visit John and Janet (perfect!). What are your plans?"
Me - (dropping the bate) "My parents will be out here for Christmas, and then I'm heading back to Chicago with them for a week. Maybe we'll be there at the same time!"
Eric - "Maybe we could get together for dinner one night." (Fish hooked!!)
Me - "OK, that sounds good." (HUGE smile on my face but carefully choosing my words to sound cool, calm, and not too desperate. I think I even waited a day or so to respond.)

So there you have it. NOW. Date #2:

After the first date and much to my excitement, Eric decided to stay another night with John and Janet so we could go out again the next evening. This time he planned to head out to the suburbs and meet me at my parents. We headed to downtown LaGrange, got some coffee, and walked around a little bit. Since it was raining, we headed into a little Mexican place for something to eat. To keep the story short... I'll skip to the juicy details. At some point, the conversation lulled a little... and Eric reached over and took my hand. Right about then... three things came into my mind:

1) My hair must look horrible after being out in the rain.
2) Oh - my - gosh. I'm totally going to marry this guy.
3) I think I'm going to be sick.

Our waitress came over and chose that moment to tell us how cute we looked... and I think we were asked about dessert. I noticed something on the menu and couldn't help but ask... "what is rice water"? She asked if we'd like to try some - and Eric ordered me a glass. Basically - it tasted like it sounds... but it makes for a good title to the story right?

After that we headed out for some more walking in the light rain. If you ask Eric... I believe he will tell you that shortly after walking out of the restaurant, he took my hand and knew himself that we would get married someday. Soon after, we wound up under an awning somewhere... talking for what we later realized had been 3 hours. Towards the end of that three hours... the conversation went something like this (and for the record... Eric will tell you a slightly different version but trust me... he's wrong).

Eric - "I kind of feel like I just met my wife."
Me - "Yeah, you did."

I'm not sure we really said much more that night - because neither one of us could believe that we had said or felt what we had... It was overwhelming and terrifying to say the least...but I guess things worked out. :)

The next day was New Year's Eve... as luck would have it, neither of us had a date for the evening... so Eric decided to stick around for yet another night before heading back to Indiana. (Poor John and Janet. I should mention that Janet was about 11 months pregnant at the time, and kept asking John when his friend was going to be leaving!! Sorry girl... but I'm SO glad you tolerated the extra company for a little longer!!)

P.S. MORE friends have started blogs!!! Check out Amanda (we go way back to high school) and a nursing school friend, Michelle.

Date #1 - 1st Date Anniversary

Today is the two year anniversary of the first date I ever had with my husband. For me, this Anniversary almost feels even more special then the Anniversary of our wedding. It was the first of 6 dates in a row - before I would return to Reno confused, excited, and overwhelmed. We met at the Italian Village in downtown Chicago for dinner, and then spent the evening walking around the city enjoying the Christmas lights and decorations.

Prior to our meeting, Eric had mentioned that it would be fun to "dress up" and have a nice dinner somewhere... so the morning of the big date... I frantically combed OakBrook mall with my mom, looking for the "perfect-first-date-dressy-but-not-too-dressy" outfit. I was a mess - ask my mom. I couldn't find anything that looked good enough, and still fell in my budget. Finally, after about 3 hours and out of complete desperation, I plopped down $80 for some pants at Limited, and another $75 I believe on a cute sweater set. I was still looking for shoes when I noticed a voice mail on my cell phone. It was Eric. The message went something like this:

"Hey Meghan, this is Eric. Uh... I think I said something awhile back about us getting dressed up for dinner tonight... but I only brought jeans and a shirt up with me, so I won't be wearing anything that nice. I just wanted to let you know so you didn't show up and feel too overdressed."

You gotta give the guy credit... at least he thought enough to let me know ahead of time.

I believe my mom's response was, "well now you don't have to buy something to wear!"... to which I replied, "NO... NOW I have to find something really CUTE and really CASUAL!!"!

SO.. the next 2 hours were spent running BACK to Limited where the original outfit was exchanged... and the search began all over again.

Despite the drama of the morning (which Eric remained clueless about for quite some time after), we had a fabulous time on our date. I have a picture of the two of us, that was taken by a photographer somewhere downtown - and I've been scouring the house looking for it today. When I find it I'll post it.

At the risk of sounding really cheesy, I knew on this first date that Eric and I would have some kind of a future.... can't say I knew just what that would be. THAT certainty, did not come until the next evening... when we both knew we would be married someday....

But that story will have to wait until tomorrow...

Return of the Bloggers!

I am VERY excited to report that Jessica is BACK!!! And Carrie is making her blogging debut!! I am SO excited that they have decided create a blog so I (as well as others... I'm sure they didn't JUST do it for me!)... can stay up-to-date on what's going on in their lives. Please leave them a comment and welcome them to the club when you get a chance...

Jessica's blog is: http://boysmakenoise.blogspot.com

Carrie's blog is: http://carelizabeth.blogspot.com

Now who's next?! You know you want one!!!

Ultra Sound Images

Here are a few shots taken during the ultrasound...

This shot is a profile view and you can see the head and some facial features




Here you can see an arm and a foot. This morning I felt that foot kick Meg in the stomach. Its a pretty amazing feeling to know there is a small baby growing inside my wife and that in just 4 months we'll be getting no sleep and changing diapers.

The Results are IN!

Well... we were set on boy names... had the boy clothes... picked out the boy nursery bedding...

None of it will do us much good now unless we're willing to subject our child to some serious gender identity issues!

I have a feeling that the tighter Eric tries to hold onto that wallet... the more girls we'll see in our future! :)

We're both very excited... although I'm pretty sure I did see a look of momentary dizziness fall over Eric as visions of hormones, credit card bills, and expensive weddings flooded his mind. She also appears to be taking after the feistiness of her mother already. We could barely get her to stay still and cooperate during the ultrasound! (Another groan from Eric) Don't worry.... he's already over it and now I'm dreading the fact that no doubt this will be "daddy's girl". Chances were he'd be a far better disciplinarian with a boy. (*sigh).

Congratulations to those of you who guessed correctly! Thanks for playing!!

Pink or Blue???

OK!!! Tomorrow morning is the big day!!

If this kid cooperates we should know if it's a BOY or a GIRL!!

Let's take a poll... what do you think it is??

What do you win for guessing right??? I have no idea. Just humor me on this one. :)

Christmas Photos

I've decided that one of my favorite things ever - is receiving
Christmas photos each year. Seriously... I absolutely love seeing
updated pictures of friends and family that I haven't seen in awhile.
Receiving one of these awesome photos in the mail makes me feel
special... and in some twisted way it takes me back to grade school
when the more school photos of friends you had, the cooler you were!
(I'll ignore the eye rolls from my husband, and probably many others,
for that comment).

Listen. I was never popular... so this is my chance.
I've decided to make it a personal goal to collect as many Christmas
pictures of people as possible. Sure, I'd prefer to know them... but
really - no one who sees my collection will have much of an idea as to
whether I know everybody or not! I suppose this goal would also require
that I continue to make as many friends as possible.

So please. If you haven't sent me your family photo, either incidentally
or intentionally... would you mind re-considering for the sake of my
collection and my quest for "coolness"? And for those of you who opted out of this somewhat
oppressive project, maybe you could just take a quick snapshot for my
benefit?? Sure, I'd prefer the fun decor and layout of the Snap fish or even Wal-Mart variety, but Christmas is in fact just 9 days away and I'll make exceptions for the sake of time.

Another point I have to make because it's a little pet peeve of mine. Please don't take offense if you are already guilty of this issue... but please include yourselves in the photos rather than JUST your children!! I LOVE to see those adorable kids growing up... but unless they are paying rent and having the pictures printed themselves... I want to see the adorable parents faces plastered right along next to them as well! Give yourselves some credit! Who cares if you haven't been to a hair salon for two years and have wrinkles mapping their way across your face! Those kids PUT them there and you deserve to be recognized!!

Another tip since I'm now setting some Christmas photo guidelines:
While I have received a couple very lovely "Costco Christmas
Photo" specials... I personally cannot recommend them from my own
experience. Those of you who were privileged enough (or burdened
perhaps), to receive Eric and my photo this year, will notice that we
are a lovely shade of Grinch green. If I had been my mother's daughter,
I would have promptly returned to the counter and demanded they be
re-printed. But... I am pregnant... the line was forever long... my
feet were hurting... and I had to pee. Enough said.

Merry Christmas from the Green Johnsons.

(P.S: Where is everybody out there in blogland???)

Logan, the Sky Angel Cowboy

My mother-in-law keeps finding these great YouTube videos. This one will have you crying in about 3 seconds. It's an actual radio show that broadcasts from Houston, TX - KSBJ. Pastor Mike received this call from a 13 year old boy named Logan who lives on a ranch in Nebraska. We can all learn from kids...

Life

Well... it's been awhile since I've updated (as several of you have been kind enough to point out)! :) Life has been a little busy. I'm trying to grab some overtime shifts whenever they are available while I am feeling good. As I approach my 20th week of pregnancy I'm enjoying the energy that had left me for awhile... and trying to make a few extra dollars to go towards maternity leave!

We found out last week that Eric's step-mom was going to be having a last-minute hysterectomy. Debbie lives alone now, since Eric's dad past away 3 years ago from colon cancer, so we rushed down to Louisville, KY to be with her for surgery Friday morning. The surgery went well, but we received the devastating news that they found she has ovarian cancer - stage 3. It was a difficult weekend for all of us - most of all Debbie... but she is recovering well from surgery, and hopes to be home tomorrow. The road ahead will no doubt be extremely challenging and full of unknowns, as she begins chemotherapy in a few weeks... but we are praying for miracles and hoping to be there for her anyway that we can.

We returned home late this afternoon... I am now at work and Eric is in the middle of his 1st final of the week. He is thrilled that the end of the semester is finally here, and looking forward to a 3 week vacation of baby room projects!! We will know next week whether this baby is a boy or a girl and I cannot wait!

Stay tuned for belly pictures (really guys, are they THAT exciting?). I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that we have not taken even one... somehow the photo documentation of an enlarging stomach along with boobs, chins, cheeks and thighs are really not all that exciting to me. NEVERTHELESS... I know that ONE day MAYBE I will enjoy looking back on these (wonderful??) body changes this baby is putting me through.

For now... you'll have to wait just a little bit longer. At least until I catch up on a little sleep and the bags under my eyes tone down a bit.

Merry CHRISTmas

The video is lacking... but the words are pretty cool!

Break Out the Christmas Lights!!

Maria and her Mommy

Do they look "meant to be" or what?

Maria

Eric's cousin, Brandon and his wife Dayna are adopting a beautiful little girl from Guatemala. Isn't she the cutest thing EVER?! We are beyond excited for them, as they have been waiting for a child of their own for so long... and they have been blessed with the opportunity to give this little girl the ultimate gift of a life that she otherwise would not have.

The international adoption process is long and complicated, but they are trying to be patient as they anxiously wait to bring Maria home to Indiana. In Guatemala, orphans are placed in foster homes - a huge advantage over the orphanages that some countries use - so Dayna and Brandon are able to use a translator and call her foster parents for updates.

Today, Brandon and Dayna left for Guatemala to meet baby Maria in person!! They are not allowed to bring her home (although that probably hasn't stopped Dayna from conspiring a way to sneak her in a suitcase), but they are able to stay in a hotel alone with her while they are there. Please pray for them as they finally have this special time to meet and get to know their new daughter... and pray harder for them as they then have to leave her there and return home empty handed - for now. I know Dayna was hesitant at first about whether visits would be wise... as it inevitably would make the separation harder... but this process is not for the faint of heart and in the end I know, they will treasure every moment they have with her.

Please, please, also be praying for the adoption issues in Guatemala right now. A month or so ago, the President of Guatemala announced that all international adoptions will cease after the first of the year due to various issues. This would include adoptions like Brandon and Dayna's, that are "in process"... as they are still most likely several months away from being able to bring Maria home. Many have been fighting this and right now, it looks like they may allow those adoptions in process to proceed, but many decisions have yet to be made. And even if these families are allowed to proceed, many many children will be left stranded in foster care throughout the rest of the country if international adoption is halted.

So much to pray about... here's another picture for inspiration:

Out of the Mouths of Babes

A "friend" of mine emailed this to me with a note mentioning how glad she was that I have moved out of Reno. While I typically avoid providing anyone with ammo against one of my favorite places (particularly my mother)... I couldn't resist this one. I'm not sure if I believe it... but the school does exist. And it's pretty funny, in a twisted, "what-is-our-world coming to"? sort of way.

This is a picture submitted for a "What do I want to be when I grow up contest", by Amanda Marsh of Westview Elementary School in Reno, Nevada.

We were robbed...

Enough said.

Better Days

Life has been crazy busy for the last few weeks... but we have had several highlights. Here's a few pictures of the fun stuff!

Most recently... Susie and Kira came for a visit. We visited the Indianapolis Children's Museum and Kira had a blast.

We met up with our good friends John, Janet and Henry for the Purdue Homecoming game. Both John and Eric graduated from Purdue... Eric, as we all know loved the school so much he decided to return after a degree in Mechanical Engineering for 5 more years of Pharmacy!

And since we're digging football so much these days... we decided to have some other friends (Ryan, Lori, Emma, Noah, Sarah and Anna) over to the house for the Colts game! We had a great time watching them win (as usual)! We even made caramel apples at half time!

The Worst Day

Today marks the 2 year anniversary of the worst day of my life. It was the day I came to the realization that Ricky was going to die. It followed the worst week of my life... which ironically began, with a confident peace that God was going to bring something big out of this long awaited trip for a transplant evaluation. Little did I know, the answers in my plan, were nothing like the answers He planned to deliver.

Ricky did not die on this day 2 years ago. The anniversary of his death is tomorrow. But it was on this day that I experienced pain I will never be able to describe, more anger at God than I ever thought I was capable of, and a greater sense of loss than I ever thought possible.

This was the day that I learned that the ultimate demonstration of love is to let someone go when you yourself don't think you'll survive without them.

This was the day I learned that even children must suffer the consequences of a fallen world.

This was the day I came to understand that all the wisdom and talent in this modern age will never even begin to measure up to the hand of our Heavenly Father.

This was the day I stopped breathing.

This was my little boy when we arrived in California...

And this is all the life we were left with just 6 days later...

I specifically remember telling God that this could not be how it all ended... because I was so terrified that these were the memories of Ricky I would be left with. I didn't want to remember him like he was in those last few days. The last two years I have struggled with just that. Sad as it is... the painful details of this week are ingrained in my memory, and I'm not sure there is a day that at least a moment of it doesn't creep into my mind. Sadly, the happier memories require the most work to remember.

2 years ago tomorrow... God gave me the strength to tell the doctors "no more". I told them it was time to let Ricky go and I wanted every tube and every wire removed so that the little boy who had really never had the chance to be just that... could just be... for even a short time. Even today there are times that I wish I could take those words back. Not because I think it was the wrong choice... just because I miss him and I want him back.

Nevertheless... tomorrow... was not the worst day. Somehow the day brought peace and reassurance... if only for a little while. Maybe it was because the vomiting and the bleeding finally stopped. Maybe because God spoke to me as he reached down and took Ricky from my arms. Maybe it was that deep down, I knew the nightmare that had been the last four days... was finally over for both Ricky and myself. Or maybe it was just because I knew that the constant pain and torture that had been Ricky's life... was now replaced with the comfort and simplicity that he had always deserved.

I'm not sure when it was that I started to breathe again. Time has a way of sneaking up on you I guess. I suppose this day each year will forever take the wind out of me. But at least I walk through it knowing the peace that is to come. And nothing is more comforting than the realization that at least for Ricky.... these are not the days that stand out. And tomorrow... was his best day of all.

Grandma Gloria

The day after Ricky's birthday I made a call to the nursing home where Grandma Gloria lives. Gloria began volunteering as a baby holder in the hospital when Ricky was born, and as you can see in the picture above, it was love at first sight. She was forever faithful in maintaining her relationship with Ricky even after I brought him home, stopping by for visits and calling regularly "just to check on him". Gloria even made her way across the country to be at my wedding last year... all at the age of 87.

I learned in that phone call that Gloria had passed away... and not only that... but she had passed away in July. It had been two months and I had not heard. Even the staff in the NICU had not heard... somehow everyone had missed the obituary in the paper. I felt incredibly guilty and sad about the whole thing... although the memorial service was private and I suppose I would not have been able to attend anyway. Still, I feel bad that I never knew.

After finding out about Gloria, the nurse (Maria) promptly asked, "is this Meghan"? She went on to tell me that Gloria's whole room had been decorated with pictures of Ricky, and pictures of my wedding. Maria said, "I just want you to know that Gloria prayed for you every single day, and told me constantly what a wonderful mother you are".

We thought she was pretty wonderful too.

I'm pretty sure who Gloria headed for upon arriving in heaven... nothing seemed to make her happier than singing to that little boy in her arms. Turns out his birthday party might have had one more special attendee that I wasn't aware of... She no doubt had a long awaited chance to spoil him rotten once again. While I was said to hear she had gone... I really doubt she was sad at all. I can't help but smile when I hear her telling me over and over how much she disliked living at that nursing home. "Everyone there is so..... old", she used to say.

Ricky's got Jesus... and he now has Gloria.
I think he's going to be just fine. :)

No fair Gloria... you beat me.

Random Shots from Reno

I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I wanted to this time. In so many ways Reno just feels like home to me... and I guess when you're home, you tend to forget the "uniqueness" of the experience. I was relieved to find most things were exactly as I left them. The mountains, the people, the fresh air... really nothing has changed. About 16 or so people from work all met up for dinner with me - and it was just so wonderful to be with them again. Melissa and I both planned our trips there the same week so we could all be together again. I got to see new babies of old friends, hit all the favorite restaurants, see Vicki up in Tahoe, and just drive around remembering. I couldn't have asked for more. (Except maybe to have my husband there for part of the time... I missed him!!)

Beautiful Tahoe

Only in Reno...

A REAL coffee date with Carrie!!!

My old house... isn't if cute?!

Baby Peter

Momma Stacey and Baby Peter

Peter doesn't look like his daddy at all!! (Just kidding!!)

Happy 3rd Birthday Ricky!! (10/2/07)

I can't even begin to describe how special it was for me to actually be in Reno for Ricky's birthday this year. Memories began flooding back as soon as my plane landed at the airport, and I spent Ricky's day driving around remembering so many moments that I had forgotten. I knew I had to find an Elmo birthday balloon... and I headed up to the cemetery in Reno, where I have always wished I could have had Ricky buried. There is a small section there designated for kids, with a plaque that says "Garden of Christ's Children". On either end are statues of Jesus holding children. After a little while, I let the balloon go and watched it soar into the sky until I couldn't see it anymore... I kind of doubt it made it all the way to heaven - but I'm pretty sure the party up there made my small gift of a balloon pale in comparison. :)

I decided kind of last minute to make cupcakes. Turns out I was never meant to be a cake decorator. When it was all said and done, I had 4 dozen, sloppy (yet tasty) looking things... but no party to share them at!! So I headed over to the hospital - probably the only place where I could show up with these things and NOT have anyone question why. I felt a little silly showing up with all these things... but was greeted with "Happy Birthday Ricky" 's... and comments about how we all couldn't believe he would have been '3'. It occurred to me as I was leaving that they weren't the slightest bit surprised at my delivering cupcakes at all... and once again I was overwhelmed by what an amazing family Ricky and I were blessed with in the Saint Mary's NICU staff. I love them all so much.

Girl's Week in Reno!

So tomorrow I head out bright and early for my annual October trip to Reno. These are a few pics to show the fun we are all anticipating... Melissa arrived from Virginia yesterday, and I can't wait to join the group. Stacey gave birth to her baby boy Peter just a few weeks ago, and I cannot WAIT to see him!

What would have been Ricky's 3rd Birthday will be this Tuesday, and I can't think of ANYWHERE that I would rather be to celebrate. I'm a little on the emotional side thanks to this pregnancy to begin with... so I'm fully expecting this reunion of old friends, the beauty of Tahoe, and the arrival in the place that Ricky is most real to me, to completely do me in. I'm sure I'll be crying 80% of the time... but I am looking forward to every minute of it.

Eric will be staying behind to focus on school (lucky guy), but I'm pretty sure he's looking forward to his bachelor week. I really havn't been cooking a whole lot for him lately so he's not going to be missing much. He's apparently got plans for a "Man-cation" with a buddy or two... I'm choosing to not ask what all that entails. :)

Be back in a week with new stories and pictures!!

Where are the Men?!

Allow me a moment to vent. (No, I'm not looking for a new one or anything.)

I've actually been writing this post in my mind for a couple months now and have never gotten around to it... until now. The majority of my 20's were spent being stumped by the question stated in the title of this post. Year after year I watched my friends falling in love, and being married off. I was, as the saying goes, "always the bridesmaid, never the bride". You could bet I was standing up in those weddings thinking, "there goes another one... one of the last good ones out there". The odds were definitely not in my favor. Sure, there were plenty of "good" single guys out there. But finding one with strong Christian beliefs and goals in life that were parallelled mine... seemed next to impossible.

And that brings me to the reason for this post. I am, and forever will be tremendously grateful that God led me to Eric, and fulfilled my deep desire to be married. But there was a significant sense of guilt that accompanied such an amazing blessing. I left "The Club". It is a club that most of us single 20-somethings never wanted to be a part of in the first place... but nevertheless, we were bonded through camaraderie. There was comfort in numbers... and at the same time unspoken fear of the moment the next one of us would "betray" the group... and join the a new club. The one where everyone was married.

I remember vividly the pain and loneliness that is felt by single Christian women who truly want little else in life but to be loved by another human being... and be asked for their hand in marriage. I couldn't understand why it was so difficult to find the men who were ready to dedicate their lives to family, and who had a genuine love for Christ. The reality is, non-Christians have us significantly out-numbered. But still... I KNOW they are out there SOMEWHERE!! I was floored to find a guy like Eric... a Christian, accomplished, good-looking, AND somehow - still single/not even divorced!! It gave me hope... but of course that's easy for me to say... now.

Although I have "betrayed" the club... I am blessed to say that those friendships have remained strong. There are a handful of girlfriends of mine... who are praying and searching every day. They are amazing and beautiful women of God who want so badly to give their heart to a man... and they are trying so hard to be patient and trust. I seriously wonder what is wrong with the men out there who aren't jumping at the opportunity to get to know them.

Not that I'm trying to play match-maker... (although I wouldn't hesitate if eligible bachelors showed up at my door)... but I just had to "think out loud" a little bit (as my mom says I like to do). I just wondered if maybe someone out there might have some idea as to where these guys are. I believe that God is faithful to give us all the desires of our hearts, but I also know from experience He rarely accomplishes that in OUR timing. Try having that patience when your approaching 30 and your biological clock is ticking! :) I personally attest to the fact that the wait is worth it... but that waiting process can sure be miserable.

The one thing that I have been so inspired and proud of... is that no matter how desperate and lonely they have felt... they have refused to settle. When opportunities for "second best" have presented themselves... my friends have chosen to remain strong in themselves... and wait. I couldn't be more honored to know women like these.

This is my friend Carrie... my greatest inspiration for this post. She has been an incredible blessing in my life for so many reasons, and she has been genuinely happy for me when I know it must have been difficult. Few things would make me happier than to see her find the man that we have prayed for for so long. I feel the same about my sister, Melissa, my new friend Becky, and all the other girls I'm forgetting to mention right now. Seriously. Where are the MEN?!

Feel free to let me know if anyone out there knows of any really wonderful eligible men! I'm on a mission. Although I'm still confident in God's perfect timing. (We'd just all be really happy if that timing could maybe be like next week or something???... Pretty Please!)

New Bloggers

Wow! Now I know how to get the comments coming in!! Guess I should have gotten pregnant a long time ago!!

I recently learned that a couple old high school friends of mine have joined the blogging world! I'm SO excited to be able to follow their lives now!

You can check out Marcy and Christi's sites by clicking right there on their names... or the links on the right!

Now all you other wanna-bes out there... (Deanna)... join the club! Everybody's doing it!!

Ricky's Big News...

So Ricky had a little news that we finally thought we'd share. It might explain some of my absence lately. Been a little tired... a little sick... (OK... "little" is a BIG understatement)... But Eric and I are very excited to share that we're planning on a little arrival around May 1st of next year!! Yeah... ERIC's plan was to wait to start trying until the END of this year... As you can see in the following pictures... I won that argument. :)

Here's a few shots of our little alien baby!! (Isn't it cute?!!)