I'll start with the a trip to Seattle at the beginning of November. Jim attended a continuing education class in Seattle and I took the opportunity to take a mini-vacation while he got his learnin'. We spent as much time in Seattle as possible exploring, shopping, and eating all the food we had been missing. We took a trip to the Seattle Aquarium, to see Sweeney Todd, lunch at the Space Needle (way cool!), and watching Hacksaw Ridge at a reclining "lounge" movie theater. It was a fun and busy weekend!
Monumental moments later in the month of November included FINALLY getting long awaited chicken eggs from our own backyard, watching the dogs play, voting and watching the election results unfold, and (the most exciting news) the birth of my newest niece Skyler Nicole! She arrived on Thanksgiving morning, 3 days after her due date. She filled our hearts with thanksgiving! She did battle slight respiratory issues in the NICU and received a round of antibiotics but this was minor and she has fully recovered and is thriving now at home with her two wonderful parents. She is a beautiful girl and I can't wait to learn all about her personality and watch her grow. So thankful!
I spent the first part of December preparing for our community's Children Christmas Program, "A MARVELous Christmas". I really enjoyed working with all the kids in the show and getting to see their confidence grow and excitement when they saw the crowd of people that attended both shows! The show was about a group of superheroes who heard that a new "superhero" was arriving who was here to save he world from the villain, sin! They were afraid that they would no longer have a job and was wanting to find the superhero (Jesus) and make sure their jobs were secure. It was such a cute and creative play! We also prepared our home for Christmas but did not go out to get a 'real' Christmas tree this year as the roads at the end of the island were very icy and we have a puppy that doesn't stop chewing on things, so decided to only put up a fake tree upstairs where they puppy can't access it. We attended the tree lighting downtown in Wrangell. This is a big deal! Santa comes, Main street is closed, shops stay open with "Black Friday" sales, and EVERYBODY is downtown for this celebration. This town is just so cute. I also sold my little Nissan Sentra and purchased a Jeep. We really needed a vehicle with all-wheel drive for these roads and with more trunk and space for a car seat for our upcoming addition.
Did you re-read that last sentence a few times? You read correctly!!! WE ARE EXPECTING A BABY IN AUGUST 2017! It is such a surreal feeling. We have started mentally preparing for this adventure, but I don't think the reality has fully hit us yet. Although, my body can definitely feel that it is happening. I am fighting constant nausea, I am exhausted (requiring at least a 2 hour nap a day), and I have food aversions like a crazy person. We are just so, so excited and amazed that we are so lucky to be given this gift from above.
My "God thing":
New year, new resolutions, lots of changes, and even more expectations. I think it is safe to say that 2017 is going to offer a lot of change. Many people are anxious and excited as new years begin with attempts to "start it off right". I think it is important to remember that "beginnings" can happen anytime. January 1 is a good beginning, but so is every Monday when you start a new work week, or every morning when you start a new day, or even every hour when you decide "this is my beginning". Time is different for everyone. Time is immeasurable for our God. He is with you every year, every month, every week, every day, every hour, every breath. It is amazing. I am so thankful for His presence, especially this year as I prepare to be a parent and begin a new adventure. He is so good, all the time.
