you know that boards are near when...

You know that boards are very VERY near when any of the following happen:

1) Your husband tries to explain different pathways to you because the noodles at dinner reminded him of them.
2) Your husband comes up with what you can and cannot take while pregnant and tells in detail why and what it would do to you, your intestines, your blood...the list goes on
3) Your husband mumbles in his sleep about different diseases and then doesn't remember it ever happened in the morning
4) Your husband brushes his teeth and gets ready for the day while listening to Goglian
5) You cannot stand the sight of another "Rapid Review" book anything with the word "Kaplan" on it - you seriously want to burn every last one of them
6) There is no real entertaining conversation coming from your spouse because you don't understand what they're learning and since that's all they're doing right now, it's not a very fun conversation. But you smile and nod and say "That's great!" and try to be as encouraging as possible even though you want to rip your hair out (and their's, too!)
7) You are mega turbo stressed at the mere idea of boards - a test so big and huge that, in their words, 'determines your career' - but you don't let on that you're stressed out so that THEY don't stress and with every mention of 'the boards' you shiver - just a little.
8) Looking at your hidden count-down of how many days are left until the boards are over is one of the only ways to cope - that, and trying to forget that they even exist
9) There is a stark difference when you discuss how much time is left until boards. You think, "YAY - not much more to go" and they think "OH MY GOODNESS!!!! That's all the time I have left?!?!"
10) The question of the day is never "How was your day?" it's: "Did you feel productive today?"


And such is my life for the next 15 days...please pray for patience and understanding when you think of it. Oh, and perfect recall for Scot would be good, too. He takes the boards on the 9th and the 14th.

half-birthday surprise!!

So you know how I said I had a thing with numbers? Well, I do...and I CAN instantly calculate someone's half-birthday without really thinking about it. But I woke up Saturday morning without a clue that it was MY half birthday - so I was delightfully surprised when Scot said we were having cinnamon rolls for breakfast (one of my absolute favorite things ever) and then I noticed the gift bag on the table and I was slightly confused - no, ok - I was REALLY confused until Scot smiled and said "happy half-birthday". I laughed, not at him, but at me. And then I kissed him, because seriously...how sweet is that?

So we ate our cinnamon rolls and they were delish!! mmm...gotta love that fact that the bakery is just a few shops down from us! And then I opened my gift bag... (I also need to add that my favorite 'sugar cereal' was sitting there, too! - Growing up, we always got to pick ANY kind of cereal we wanted for our birthday and i loved it) Anyways, he did a really good job! :) I got a new pretty nail polish and a glass nail file (ladies, they are amazing! You need to get up right now and go out and get one! They're at Walgreens and you'll never regret it), a pretty new lip gloss and then a small assortment of my favorite candies! It was a little bag to pamper myself with and pamper I did. I sat down, ate some of the candies and did my nails. LOVELY!

The rest of the weekend was good, too. I got a lot of organization done around the apartment to help in the moving process. I FINALLY finished the baby book, so now it just needs to be filled in and I love how it turned out! I caught up with a bunch of friends and hung out with others. It was great. Sunday, Scot and I had a graduation and after party to attend and while it was a lot of fun, we were drained afterwards. Monday was a repeat of Saturday (minus the cinnamon rolls) and so I feel like I had a good and productive weekend! Evan is doing well, still kicking up a storm during the day and quiet at night - I'm hoping that's a habit that sticks! haha I'm feeling great but the waiting just seems like it's going to go on forever! I hope you all had a great Memorial Day weekend!!

it's a gloomy day...

...and even though I know I should be in a good mood because the cooler weather means I can see my ankles for just a wee bit longer, the gray skies really do a number on me! But I have MANY things to be thankful for. Here are just a few:

1) I serve a gracious and merciful Lord who provides beyond what we could ask or even hope for
2) I'm married to the sweetest man on earth (I know, everyone thinks that...but seriously, I am)
3) I'm expecting a little boy in 5 weeks (and I wish I could show in typed letters how excited I am!)
4) My due date is now 5 weeks away instead of 6 - and next week it will be 4 instead of 5...
5) I have finally found a position in which to sleep that allows me to get out of bed in the middle of the night without grunting and whimpering (yes, i said grunting - but it only comes out in 'grunt' form because I don't want to wake Scot up with a full-on yelp) it's amazing.
6) I have amazing amazing friends both near and far. I could go on an on about each one of them...but I won't subject you all to my random gushy moment
7) My parents love me and raised my in a Christian home - probably the best thing ever. And they're still super cool - ask my friends if you don't believe me. (No, I didn't always think they were cool, but I've come to realize that they always were, I just wasn't 'with it' enough to comprehend their 'coolness')
8) I'm going to get to see mountains almost everyday for the next 2 years if not longer.
9) The Spring is indeed lasting a little longer than normal and therefore, we are experiencing cooler weather later in the season. ie: i still have ankles
10) I work at a job that allows me to actually be on the internet or read when there is nothing work related needing to be done - hence the reason I'm able to update the blog whenever I want.

These are in no particular order (after the first 3 that is) - I mostly just wanted to try and get myself out of this gloomy feeling! (and hey, whadyaknow...it worked!)

Hope you all are doing well!

34 weeks and going strong

Here I am at 34 weeks...yes, I know, I've grown.

a 'nesting' weekend...

Yes...I have discovered the joy of nesting and my goodness was it a shocker!! I even called my mom mid-stream to tell her!! I woke up Saturday morning with this 'urge to purge' and purge I did! I ended up with 2 trash bags FULL of paper we didn't really need and such. And then there is still a pile of stuff in the living room of stuff we haven't used for the last 2 years and so I'm just going to give it away. You know how that goes. You think you may need it at some point...but you really don't. Now this may not seem like a huge purge to some of you - only 2 bags of trash and 1 pile of giveaway - but we have an itty bitty apartment and half our belongings are already in CO!!! So not only did I go through almost everything we have and clear stuff out, but I cleaned - like deep spring cleaning cleaned. I was down on my hands and knees scrubbing floors!! I just couldn't stop!! So that was all in the morning. The afternoon hours were lazily spent out in the sun and in the cool of the house with Rebekah and Elijah. They are my sanity at times. And then once I got back to house, I started again. I finished the purging and I packed up another clear tub! I felt so accomplished. I now believe the women who tell me that when nesting hits, it hits, and there's nothing you can do about it!

The weekend was great otherwise. My hips have started to shift/move and I have to say, it's not a pleasant experience. I just feel like everything is 'loose' and sleeping is a nightmare. I've pretty much decided that I'm going to start sleeping on my back since it's the only way I actually sleep well. I figure women did it for hundreds of years before now and all their kids turned out just fine. I figure my mom did it and I think I turned out fine...so I figure if I sleep on my back for only the last 6 weeks, Evan will be fine, too. Like my logic?

Scot and I had a wonderful Sunday! It was simply gorgeous out. We went for a walk after lunch and just hung out until about 4:30 when we went and saw the new Chronicles of Narnia movie! SOOO good and probably one of the last times we'll get to a movie for quite a while. We decided that Evan didn't like the loud hard music because every time there was a war scene or the music got really 'excited' he would start thrashing around. And I don't use the word trashing lightly!! He was seriously wanting to escape or something, I felt kind of bad - but then I realized that I should be thankful - our son can at least hear! I guess he takes after me in not liking loud noises. After the movie we went out to dinner!! It's been forever since we went out and it was such a nice treat! I got a gift certificate to a nice restaurant in town for "Secretaries Day" and we used half of it - I was so happy - we have another whole 'dinner date' to be used still! But it was so great to get dressed up and go out! Scot has 4 weeks until he takes Boards and we have not quite 6 weeks til I'm due...so we're trying to use our together time wisely. :)

Me? A what?? Are you serious?!?

Yesterday was Staff Development Day on campus - which basically means that you sign up for lots of different seminars to help expand your knowledge base in order for you to be of better use in the office. Well, since I'm leaving, I skipped all the Excel and SharePoint workshops and decided to attend seminars that would help me out in everyday life as well as these last 5 weeks in the office. One of the ones I attended was "Extreme Office Makeover" and it was a seminar on how to better organize your work space. Of course, I was thinking more in terms of the future kitchen counter and desk space and not so much files and whatnot, but it was still helpful. The funniest thing, though, was that the gal who was leading the seminar had us all fill out a quick personality survey because, she said, you can never talk about organization without also talking about personality. True true.

So I looked at my survey paper: "Circle the answer that most closely represents your innate preference". Lovely. Question one. When you go on vacation, would you rather a) plan what you will do or b) just go. Well DUH - that's easy!! And then I got to thinking. We typically just GO - but that's mostly because I'm married to Scot who likes to do the spur-of-the-moment thing. My innate response is, of course, to plan. Ok, so not a big a deal. Question 2 I circled A again...and I did the same on the third...and fourth question. In fact, I circled A on ALL the questions. But hey, they asked for innate - not what REALLY happens. Thankfully, God matched me up with someone who forces me to get out of my comfort zone and just go and do instead on plan plan plan. It's something I've been working on, but to plan is still my first instinct.

So then the lady stands up and asks how many people circled mostly A - and surprisingly most people raised their hands. She wasn't surprised, though. She said that most unorganized people would hate to come to a seminar on organization, and the people who DO want to come are the already organized who just want to up the ante a bit. I guess most of us fell in the that category. She then proceeded to ask how many of us used lists. Well DUH - how else would things get done in my life? She then asked how many lived off their lists. Again, I raised my hand, this time with a few fewer people. And then she asked: And how many of you, when you accomplish something that's not on your list, put it on your list just so you can cross it off? Well, I'm happy to say that I wasn't the only one who raised my hand that time. We were told we were definite Js on the Myers Briggs scale. (Just a little tidbit, I'm an EN/SFJ - I was one point more on the N side of things, but a lot of the S comes out in me, too)

So I learned a little about Js(judging) vs Ps(perceiving) and saw that I am a solid J and Scot is a solid P. This is shown, for instance, in the fact that I use lists on paper with lines, and if Scot writes something down that he needs to do, it's on a white sheet of paper that already has a corner torn off - probably for a note. I like to have my area clear so I can easily see things, and Scot doesn't - but he amazingly can find whatever he wants when he wants. My closet is organized by color as well as sleeve length or skirt length, Scot closet is...not. One of the deals Scot and I have worked out is that I do the cooking and he does the dishes.(It was his idea and I wasn't going to argue) The funny thing is that when he puts dishes into the sink, he just puts them there. I, on the other hand, stack the plates on the side of the sink, stack the bowls and put them on top of the plates. I line all the cups next to the wall and all the silverware goes in the sink in a little pile. Misc items stack as well as possible in the sink as well. Yes, I'm dead serious. What can I say? I like things to look at least somewhat put together even if they're all dirty!

I could go on and on about how different we are, but you know what, I think it's beautiful!! Scot appreciates my 'knack' at stacking and organizing and needing lists, and I love that he's 'loosened' me up a bit to the point where he can say "hey, let just go to Columbia today" and I say ok without asking him what we're going to have for lunch or where we're going to go or what we're going to do or if the car is filled up with gas. I've learned to just have fun and let things roll. It is funny, though, to look at our shelves in the bathroom. Mine with the lotions and such all in the order that i use them every day and Scot's shelf just slightly mayhem - but hey - it's his shelf and he gets to do it the way he wants. It just goes to show that no matter how much we curtail our innate preferences, they still come out and shine! :)

I would also like to add to all of this that even though I am an overall organized person, I'm not always. It never fails, but I always have 'that corner' that just seems to collect stuff - I don't know how, it just does. And I'll just put it out there that I hate to dust. haha. I hope you guys get a chance to look at the Myers Briggs test and figure out 'what you are' - let me know!

Showers of blessing...

So I had my last Kirksville baby shower on Saturday and it was tons of fun. You'll have to check out the picasa album to see...and make sure you see the onsies we all decorated! They are so cute! The shower on Saturday was with the gals from work and they did a fantastic job at putting it on. I got lots of neat things that will be totally useful! :) I also had a shower this past Tuesday night with the Bible study gals, and that was an absolute blast!! (Pictures will be coming) It was a book shower and I love all the books I got!! We have a little library started now! I think I'm going to sign up for some Scolastic book program where you get free books to bolster the library even more! You can never have too many books!! Do any of you know any neat programs involving "free" books?

Otherwise, this weekend was very productive. I went out and bought 4 clear plastic tubs to start packing stuff away. All of Evan's "extra" stuff (clothes we have that won't fit him the first few weeks and toys and such) fit in one and all my shoes and purses fit in another. This whole packing thing is looking more and more intimidating as the weeks draw on! I think I'm honestly more nervous about moving than I am about even giving birth! But one great thing I got done this weekend was I did the "My Family Tree" page int he scrap book and I really liked how it came out!! Simple, yes, but I got everyone on there which was the point! :)

7 random things...

Kjerste tagged me and it looked fun, so here goes...

7 random facts about me:

1) I have moved 14 different times in my life all within 8 different states, and I lived in 2 of the states at least 3 different times. And this next move...yeah, to one of the same 7 states! :)

2) I like numbers even though I majored in Creative Writing. I count things. Things like ceiling tiles, or bricks in the wall. When in a car (but not at the wheel), I'll count light poles or cars or sometimes if things are really slow, the little yellow dots. I once counted how many licks to the center of a tootsie pop. And I'm obsessed with dates. Like I'll know someone's birthday and automatically calculate when their half birthday is - bet you didn't even know you HAD a half birthday, huh?

3) Reading is a passion. I have 6 different books going right now (3 parenting books , 1 of a theological basis and 2 fiction) - college taught me to multi task while simultaneously taking away my urge to pleasure read. It took me a whole year to get 'the urge' back and now I'm racing time to catch up before Evan gets here!

4) Being a stay-at-home-mom is my dream job

5) I love to cook more than I like to bake purely for the fact that I don't always have to be really precise or even remember what I did to make something turn out yummy. And my husband would add to this comment with something to the effect of "and she's always missing the bowl...or pot...or something....but it's cute" - meaning I have a hard time keeping all my ingredients in the measuring utensils or in the mixing bowls...I'm constantly dribbling a little here and splashing a little there. But amazingly, the kitchen always looks fine afterwards and everyone is happy - so I don't give it much thought.

6) One of the best feelings for me is that "I'm ALIVE" feeling you get when you walk outside in the morning and the air is a little on the cool side and you can hear the birds chirping and you just know it's going to be a beautiful day.

7) If I was told I could only take one book with me to a deserted island, I would take the Trinity Hymnal. You laugh, but I'm serious. (And please don't condemn me for not saying I would take the Bible...I've really thought this one out)

The rules say that I get to tag 7 more people, but since I would probably tag the same 7 people I did last time, I'll just leave this free for anyone to take. So if you're reading this, consider yourself tagged! (The only caveat is you need to tell me so I can look at your 7 things!!)

The rules, should you choose to accept, are:

1.) Link to your tagger, and post these rules on your blog.

2.) Share seven facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

3.) Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

4.) Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

barefoot, pregnant and yes, in the kitchen

So last night after dinner I was happily making some banana bread when Scot popped in from studying, took one look at me and started to chuckle and then went even further to tell me I looked cute!! (Now how husbands find us cute in this very un-cute feeling time is beyond me!! Yes, we're curvier than normal, but how does us feeling the size of a small blimp translate into looking cute to them?? I think God must have - thankfully- hardwired something in their brain that tells them their child-bearing wife is cute even when she's feeling anything but.) Anyways, I gave him the classic 'ya right' look and continued on with my stirring while he left with his glass of water. But he popped right back in again, this time with a camera! (He said he couldn't resist...seriously!?!) So much to my chagrin, he snapped away while I was secretly thinking and plotting that I would erase all the pictures he was taking. And while I did erase most of them, I kept this one in particular because it was absolutely hilarious to me. If you look near the floor, you'll notice that I'm barefoot!! haha, how funny is that....barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen, and I have it on 'film'!!

April showers...

...bring May flowers!!! And I love it!! I have to say that as much as I'm excited to leave Kirksville (as great of an experience as it's been), I'm going to actually miss the Spring here. Scot and I had a great weekend outdoors walking and hanging out and smelling the roses - almost literally - except they weren't roses and even though some smelling happened, more pictures were taken than anything else. Here are some of my favorite shots! The Truman campus really has some neat floral photo ops. :)


There are all sorts of flowers growing ON the trees, it's fascinating


Lilacs will forever remind me of my mother :)


Pretty blue


More stuff on the trees...so neat


Pretty in pink! I have no idea what kind of flower this is, I just liked it!


Beautiful Tulip - love the blue!

Scot was so good and so patient to just talk to me while I walked around taking pictures. It must have been quite the sight, too, because I kept getting funny looks. Probably because I was walking around, 8 months pregnant, with a camera, leaning over this way, bending that way, trying to capture on 'film' what just isn't possible with my little camera- haha - meanwhile everyone else was bustling about stressing for finals. I hope I provided some comic relief to those poor stressed students. Oh, one last picture....


The view I have of my toes now...I seriously have to bend over to see the entirety of my feet. Now THAT's what I call comical!!

Along with picture taking, I had a very productive weekend!! Lots of household things and errands, BUT...I'm almost all done with the scrapbook now!! WOOHOO!! All that's left to do are the actual "First 9 Months" pages. I still have to print off pictures and journal about that. And then after that's done, all I have left is to make/fill in the "Family Tree" page!! Otherwise, it's all ready and set to be filled in and journaled on!! I'm so excited and feel so good not that it's pretty much all done. :)