12.17.09

sorry for the lack of narration.....obviously our little isaac warren is here and we are healing and learning to adjust, all the while rejoicing in God's incredible blessings on us! more to come when i'm not sleep deprived and doped up on pain meds!

fast forward

so the dr. has decided that our son will be born December 17th...about 2 weeks before due date. this is due to several reasons...high blood pressure, swelling, etc. etc. needless to say...we're excited! we are stoked to have him here before christmas. we will, once again, combine our families for a holiday and just surround ourselves with God's blessings on our family. i really don't think many of us have given much thought to actual wrapped presents this year...which is great! our little bundle of joy will be more than enough for years to come.

we had one final ultrasound today to confirm baby's position, size, etc. as part of the final plans. we were able to see a 3d ultrasound, which was incredible. tim's parents were able to come to the appointment as well, so they were excited. the lab tech spotted a head full of hair already! (i've always known this boy would be just like his dad)

i'll have to update later on our staff christmas party tonight....that turned into a surprise baby shower for us! it was absolutely incredible to feel so loved by a church family. we are truly truly blessed to have found this ministry.

here are some of the latest pictures...enjoy!

i will be out of commission as far as blogging goes for the next few days. we're moving into our new rental this weekend, doing thanksgiving w/ tim's family, etc. etc. don't know when internet will be set up at the new house and all that jazz.

i'll leave you with a couple of other random updates:

i'm excited to have a good 5 day weekend ahead of me
my feet and hands continue to swell by the end of the day
we're in the process of moving (again) but we're both really excited about this new place - more details later.
i continue to get closer and closer to wanting to have this baby - you're all more than welcome to pray that he's here by christmas! :)
my energy level is diminishing
my MRE friends threw me a fantastic shower and were more than generous
they're calling for possible snow on thursday!

love.

34 weeks

no room in the inn

i apologize (again) for not posting sooner. it's been crazy around here, and i don't expect it to slow down soon for awhile. we're still in the process of finding a place. the house we really want to rent is still not put back together so we can see it. the realty company that owns it decided to replace all the carpet, paint, trim...you name it. it looks really nice (yes, i peeked in the windows when no one was there)but we're still waiting on the realtor to give us the official tour. once we've done that, he has a couple of applications to weed through, including some people that could possibly be interested in buying the house instead of renting. i've been using my dad's advice by basically calling or emailing once a day since i found the listing and not letting him forget me. he's going to have to either let me have the house or deal with a very irate pregnant lady. i now understand a bit of what Mary went through trying to find a place just to have her baby! i've done everything from send our rental application in early to chatting with him on the phone about his son to pulling the pregnant and i have no place to live card. So i feel like we're on a first name basis and he can't say no:) hopefully the house will be done by Monday and we can get a move on! Literally. in the meantime, we have an apartment on hold if nothing works out. not our ideal choice, but yet it's a nice place and would force us to downsize and live as simply as possible- which we're totally ok with. i only worry about poor Miss Marley not having her big yard to explore. keep us in your prayers that we can get a place and get moved soon....i will not bring a baby home to unpacked boxes! :)

a few college friends had a surprise shower for tim and i (even though he knew about it and helped plan it) and i was blown away! i had absolutely no clue and it was so amazing to see how friends will drive long distances just to be a part of something like that! i definitely felt overwhelmed at how much i love my friends. tim and i really do think that we have the best friends anyone could ask for. it's just amazing doing life together with people you love with all your heart, even if they now live several states away. thank you guys from the bottom of my heart!isaac is going to grow up with so many amazing aunts and uncles, he's not going to know what to do:)

no pictures this week....i'm in the swollen stage of pregnancy, so i've definitely become a little more camera shy. sleeping through the night has become a challenge, since i can only sleep on my sides and i have trouble with my hands going completely numb to the point of pain. i can't wait to sleep on my stomach again....sigh. i'm still measuring about 6 weeks ahead, which means even though i'm only at 33 weeks, my belly is the size i should be at full term! i hope that means i can't get any bigger...i can't imagine it. tim is being so generous by sharing his sweatpants and sweatshirts with me:)

the more we think about it, the more excited we're getting about having a baby close to the holidays. we both didn't really want a christmas baby at first, but just the season of christmas alone is so fun for us that it just adds to the excitement. plus, i'm VERY thankful that i'm not hugely pregnant in the heat of the summer!

well, i should get off and start packing a box or two...that's the rate i can go these days, without getting too overwhelmed by how much crap we have to get rid of or just by being exhausted.

more updates soon, hopefully! love to all.

now what?!

so....we're moving again. the house that we're renting finally sold (miraculously) and we're going to have to find another place to rent. i really was not worried due to the economy and the fact that there are probably a million and a half houses for sale in Anderson b/c nobody moves here. well, i'm now proven wrong. we technically don't have to be out till december sometime, but i'm not moving then!!we decided to do it now and get it over with.

we only have one prospective house that we're looking to rent and, needless to say, we're REALLY hoping it works out. we can't see it until november 1, and from the pictures it actually looks like it would be just fine..maybe even another full bathroom! i'm just really hoping that we're the first ones in line with deposit and application in hand, that the house is a decent place to live, and that we can just hop on over there without a hitch. we'll see. what timing, huh?

i'm really trying not to be upset about it, even though the timing sucks and moving's a pain and costs money AND the fact that we just finished painting the baby room here. we have very generous landlords who allowed us to paint whatever we wanted, and i'm wondering if that helped sell the stupid thing. some couple probably thought, "oh,look. the nursery's already done and it's so cute! we'll take it!" bah.

ah, well. onward and upward. just waiting for that peace i'm supposed to be feeling. how am i supposed to "nest" and get ready for the baby if i don't even know where my nest will be?

30 week pictures coming soon. i'm getting a little more camera shy the bigger i get...

pictures for heather

here i am at 28 weeks...and marley at 28 weeks. :) i can't believe i still have 12 weeks to go. have mercy! where will it all fit? it's a wonder i'm still upright.

27 weeks

sorry for such a blurry picture...i know i skipped a week, too. i honestly don't see much of a difference as the weeks go on in this stage but i still want to keep the motherly folks and faraway friends happy:) plus, this is like my own pregnancy journal.

not much news to share...i still have to get a picture up of the painted nursery for Heather, even though it only has a crib in it. i promise, Heather!

fall is definitely here in indiana. i know that by two things: it's 40's in the mornings and i am in the middle of my annual battle with strep throat. i guess your immune system is a lot weaker when you're expecting so the little ones at school have blessed me with their germs early this year. hopefully this will be the only time i get sick!

tim is FINALLY getting his big half sleeve tattoo next week. i told him to save up the money and get it by christmas, or he never speaks of it again. i was tired of hearing about how much he'd wanted it since we'd started dating 5 years ago (no, i'm not exaggerating)so i set a deadline. surprisingly enough, there's a really nice tattoo shop here in Anderson so Tim set up an appointment. sure, we could use the money somewhere else, but he deserves it. i guess it's his "thanks for pulling over so i could throw up, telling me i'm beautiful, eating taco bell 3 nights in a row, and dealing with my leg cramps at night" daddy-to-be gift:) plus, the guy haggles so much on craigslist, i think he just ended up selling a few things to foot the entire bill. i'm sure i'll have pictures of that when he gets it. i'm pretty excited for him! his son will be proud. and no, i'm never paying for any of my son's tattoos. unless it's a birthday gift. a small one. and it's "mom" inside a heart:)

doctor update & 26 week ultrasound

so we had our follow up ultrasound today; the one where they wanted to make sure they saw the "stomach bubble". i was a little nervous going in, but my mind was elsewhere since i had to pee SOOOOOOO bad. in order to get good ultrasound pics, they ask that you drink an ungodly amount of water right before your appt. and not use the bathroom. this is uncomfortable for anyone, let alone a woman who is 6 months pregnant! i was actually in a lot of pain and i'm not sure how tim kept a straight face watching me waddle into the hospital with a look of desperation. i couldn't even sit correctly in the chair in the waiting room i had to go so bad. and, of course, you have a couple of pounds of child deciding to take the opportunity to see how bad Mommy really has to go and kick and squirm on top of your bladder. (hopefully, not a preview of attitudes to come...)

we finally took the images we needed..i was allowed to relieve myself (for probably about 10 minutes) and then we proceeded with the enjoyable part of the ultrasound. the lab tech was able to clearly see the stomach bubble (praise Jesus!) and said that everything looked beautiful. i've included some additional images we got today. i have PROOF that it's a boy...and a pretty cool face shot. you kinda have to step back a little and look at the picture as if it were a shadow. i love the ultrasounds...getting to actually see pictures of what i'm feeling. tim and i determined that he is more and more like his daddy every day. every time we take an ultrasound, his legs are crossed and the lab tech said he had very long feet! :) he was also pretty stubborn and didn't like to have his picture taken, turning his face away whenever we got close.

they measured the femur bone once again, and moved my due date up another couple of days to January 1! we'll see how long i can hold out...just hoping i don't spend christmas in the hospital. although, if i am...i think i'd be ok w/ that being the only thing under our tree.

on other smaller notes, we bought and assembled the crib and the nursery is painted. i'll try and take a picture of that soon, once we get things together. it is a very strange realization having a crib in the spare bedroom.

love you all, and THANK YOU for your prayers! we are so blessed to be having such a smooth pregnancy which will result in, i'm sure, a beautiful baby boy!

24 weeks and a baby room!

22 weeks

i obviously took this picture myself:)

prayers needed - doctor's appointment update

another routine monthly doctor's appointment this morning...got to hear baby's heartbeat in the 140's - very good. i've been feeling movement the last couple weeks, which he says is right on time as well. this week, dr. blake actually started measuring my belly with a tape measure - i guess for every centimeter you measure from your pubic bone to the top of your uterus should be pretty close to whatever week you're in. well, i'm almost to week 22 and measured 28 centimeters! whew. i hope that's no indication to a 12 lb. baby...ain't fittin' to deal with that. it could also mean that baby is perfectly comfortable all stretched out from end to end, which might make sense considering the horrible pains in my ribs from his feet. either way, i am really hoping i'm not the size of a buick by christmas! maybe i've done most of my growing already, and will slowly grow the rest of the time.

last ultrasound we had, the lab tech was checking for all major organs, all chambers of the heart, measuring bones and head, etc. she mentioned the fact that they couldn't find the "stomach bubble". i didn't think much of it...figured it meant baby's tummy wasn't full because mine wasn't either. today at my appt, dr. blake mentioned that we need to do another ultrasound after my appointment in september to see if they can see it then. if they can't see it, he will send me to indianapolis and have doctor's there do some testing to check for any defects in the development of the baby's esophagus and trachea. apparently, checking for the stomach bubble means that the baby is swallowing like he should. dr. blake said that worst case scenario, the baby would go through surgery early on and things are easily fixed. he told me not to worry, since it can be hard to see in the first ultrasound.

neither tim or i are worried....we really have no reason to be until we have something definite to be concerned about. either way, we'd still really really love your prayers for our baby boy. we've never done this before, so it's amazing what little things can make you nervous. everything has gone so smoothly thus far, and we want it to continue that way! it was a little rocky getting to the point of expecting a baby, so we feel blessed in any circumstance. thank you so much!

p.s. i promise to get a belly picture up soon!

my life (lately) in pictures

Here are some pictures of my classroom this year (not completely finished yet) and the most recent purchase of baby clothes i've purchased.it's so much fun looking for little corduroy pants and shirts with puppy dogs(which we have a lot of)and rocket ships. belly picture update soon...sorry i've missed a week! oh, and a picture of ella playing in the sink - a good glimpse of how we now spend a lot of friday nights:)

ultrasound pics

i've gotta admit...i'm a little disappointed to not have any "manly" parts pictures to show you as proof. the lab tech gave us what she gave us. so i've included a picture of his little arms crossed in front of him and his tiny foot (i counted five toes!).

snips and snails and puppy dog tails...

yes, it's a BOY! you can imagine my reaction when it was *ahem* quite clear on the ultrasound that we were bringing a little man into our family. as you see previous posts, it's quite rare that a boy is brought into the family on my side by blood...usually it's just a legal negotiation that we allow them to hang around:) just kidding. well, kindof.

the more i think about raising a son, the more excited i get. i've always loved the beautiful chaos of little boys being who they were created to be....muddy, wild, and daring. it's definitely a picture of who God is. i look at our lab and just imagine the trouble they will get in together, both standing in front of me in the kitchen with innocent looks on their faces, hoping i'll blame the other. my dad has literally had dreams of this day for years to come. he's always warned me, "court, you're going to have your hands full one day." yeah, and little does he know - any crazy antics that stir from our son's mind will be directly linked to my father's influence in one way or another!

tim and i were up in Port Hope, MI this last week with some awesome friends we haven't seen in way too long...it was great. the weather was perfect and the family was together. tim's still trying hard to make peace with the state of Michigan. instead of being "the third ring of hell" as he refers to the summers before when it's been a little warmer than he'd like, this year he was almost eaten alive by some mysterious bug or allergen. but nothing a few steroids, choice words and millions of topical ointments won't take care of. it's just like any relationship worth having...ya gotta make sure it's worth it. :)

my 18 week picture above was taken by my artsy mother on the pier in Port Austin, MI. i've definitely "popped" recently and have accepted the fact that the pain i constantly feel on my right side is just my loving son wedging his feet in between my ribs. ah, motherhood.

16 weeks & family time

this weekend, i was able to fly home and surprise most of my family. it was a chance to see lots of people i've missed dearly and help ashley get a jump on wedding plans. i hadn't been home in over a year, and with the baby coming i'd probably not be home in another whole year until ashley's wedding. it was due time. tim was unable to come, however, and that bummed him (and many others) out greatly. i actually flew in thursday, only to get in a car for 6 hours (not my favorite) and trek to Pennsylvania to see my Aunt Jen and cousin, Bonnie. Sarah met us there from her summer camp for the weekend, along with one of her best friends and we all had a great time. My aunt lives in a gorgeous historical home in downtown Carlisle and i think it was the first time in years that it had just been "the girls" home without any boys in tow. Needless to say, my dad was in seventh heaven and it was very hard for me to imagine the possibility of bringing a boy into the family.


i'm now starting my 16th week and (i know i say this every time) but am rounding the corner of sick and tired. let's forget the fact that i was in bed at 9:30 last night, and focus on the fact that i do feel a little more energetic every day...a very good thing with school coming up next month! i feel like i balloon out a little more each day and am currently in the market for new pants.

13 1/2 weeks

So the belly pictures begin...mostly for my friends and family who aren't close to watch me grow. :) I've always had a "pooch" but Tim says it's obviously a baby bump now.

I had another doctor's appointment this morning. Nothing groundbreaking...heard the heartbeat, which doc says is nice and strong around 150's. Now that my nausea is *fingers crossed* slowing down, everything has become a lot more enjoyable. Doctor said at one point, "This is too easy." I hope it stays that way! So far, God has been so amazing and given us nothing but better-than-great news at every appointment and ultrasound so we're praying that it continues that way. We've seen the baby move early on, and even been able to identify all developing anatomy (like in the picture from last post). In early August, we'll have a "formal" ultrasound (I suppose I should dress up?) and hopefully be able to determine the sex of the baby!

In the meantime, I'm doing my best to eat as many fresh fruits and veggies as I can and take naps whenever my body tells me it just...can't...go...on. I am so thankful that the timing worked out for me to be off of school during the "ugh" part of pregnancy. God sure has His hand in every detail of this little one's life.

Tim and I are headed back up to Michigan this weekend to Grand Rapids, where we'll spend a long weekend celebrating our 2nd anniversary and attending a conference put on by Rob Bell. I'm sure it'll be a relaxing and challenging weekend, but nonetheless...the first vacation we've taken by ourselves since our honeymoon. Probably the last in awhile, too! :)

God bless you all. Love and miss you dearly.

p.s. thanks to nicole for my super cute new maternity shirt! :)

some pictures

this is a lovely shot of the blood vessel that burst in my eye...a result of major vomiting the first trimester of pregnancy....yeah, real fun.

I never have much motivation for amazing new updates. I hope you still read.

Tim is at Jr High camp this week, so it's been me and the pup keeping each other company while he's gone. So far, it's been a pretty boring week...but it's been salvaged by going to eat with Tim's parents and The Bachelorette party with the Canfields - always an adventure. I passed on Troy's second trip to the Frito Lay factory for dumpster diving. I'm sure I missed out on an entertaining hour, but I will have to eat through the many jars of salsa before we're ready for another load of perfectly good day old bags of chips and cookies. A grand idea...welcome to being friends with the most thrifty people I know. :) Katrina has lots of good tips for saving a buck with baby products as well. I now know how to make my own laundry detergent and baby wipes- genius! Tim and I are excited to have friends who can pass on little things like that...as well as eat an entire pan of brownies with us! :)

I think (fingers crossed) I'm over the sick part of being pregnant. I have never been more grateful that school is over with than I was last week. Tim said I looked like I'd been run over by a truck and all I wanted to do was sleeeeeeep. Thankfully, I got it under control with a little help from a nausea prescription and figuring out the right foods and time of the day to eat. I'm going on 5 days in a row without morning sickness, so let's pray it's over! I'm just shy of the 12 week mark so we're hopeful that those sick days are behind me. Tim has been amazing through all my laziness and puking....setting alarms for me when I fall asleep without knowing at 8pm...making peanut butter sandwiches with my request at 10:30...setting crackers and water by my bedside...letting me sleep as long as needed, etc. He's been wonderful, and I can't imagine how helpful he'll be when the baby really comes. Which he's convinced is a boy.

Not really sure what's on the agenda for today...right now Marley and I are sitting on the porch trying to figure out if it's going to rain. I may head down to Greenfield for some quality Gooch time and then who knows. It's hard for me not to just shop til I drop when I have nothing else to do! The goal of this week was to get some major cleaning and organizing done, but I seem to find other things to take priority.

We're at CIY in Michigan next week, so hopefully I'll have a few pictures and awesome "this is how God moved" stories to tell. Looking forward to going with Tim on all these trips this summer...won't be able to for long!

major update!

ok, so 2 months without an updated blog....very sorry.

there have been some very exciting and new things lately:

1. school's OVER!!!! woohooo! now i am packing my bags and following Tim around the country. we have lots of fun trips planned, and i'm excited i am able to go on all of them!

2. i'll be moving up to teach 2nd grade next year (very excited). the older, the better. whew..

3. we're PREGNANT! we just had an ultrasound today and got to see the baby squirming and kicking like crazy! i'm not sure what to think about that already...i feel like i'm already having to keep up with it...tim thinks it'll be just like his mom. we all know he's pretty easy to keep up with:) keep checking back for more updates. we couldn't be happier or feel more blessed! we love you all that have been praying so hard along with us. i feel very much unworthy of having such a short journey to get here.

just sell all your stuff and eat bean sprouts

i've always had great ambitions to organize...and reorganize...my life in terms of housekeeping, work, cooking, storage, etc. etc. i think to an extent, every woman dreams of perfect organization and impeccable systems.

i am a sucker for systems. maybe it's the teacher in me...? i get a kick out of watching Kate Gosselin organize her crazy everyday life, and i naturally gravitate towards the plastic storage aisles in stores. i think that side of me will really show once we have children and i have to resort to making sure more than just myself is taken care of and looks somewhat put together.

to go along with that, tim and i have always dreamt of simplifying our life. we have only been married a few months shy of two years, and have already way too much stuff. the house we're renting is too big for us (we think) and we would love to live in a simpler time with less stuff. it's exciting to think and dream of ways we can do that. i am blessed to have married an old soul...a man who wants nothing more out of life than a good beer, a fire, and people he loves to discuss Jesus with. that's someone i want raising my children.

i think along with simplifying our lives, it's our way of saying, "there are other things that are more important." of course, anyone who knows us knows we love a good shopping trip just as much as anyone else but we're constantly challenged by finding the best deals. does that justify? probably not. tim and i also get excited about the thought of one day raising a child in those same values. we want to raise them to be different than the world. we want to raise children who TRULY appreciate the simple things in life and love Jesus more than anyone could possibly imagine.

i've read a lot of things lately that convince me that our diets and the products we use all the time have a major impact on our lives and health. i'm personally trying to stick to a certain diet and avoid disgusting substances (mountain dews, candies, processed foods with way more dyes and chemicals than should be legal) in order to restore my own health and body. a book to read if you think i'm crazy - The Maker's Diet. it's eye opening for sure, and it'll make you think twice about what you buy at the grocery. you'll probably still think i'm crazy. i've realized i've even incorporated my newly discovered beliefs to the dog's diet. she still eats normal dog food, of course, but i'm a lot more likely to throw some apple slices in her dish now. i figured that's what she would've eaten in the Garden, so why not? i don't even want to read the label on the Puppy Chow.

i think we're on our way to simplifying our lives and truly living in consideration of the planet. we're not super freaks who only eat hummus and bean sprouts (even though i grew up on both of those) but we're slowly leaning towards wholesome living in any way we can:

-we're avid recyclers
-we're growing a community garden for our fruits & veggies this summer w/ friends
-we're trying (that's more for me) to shop more at Goodwills for practical things...did you know Target will donate their BRAND NEW items to area Goodwills when they can't sell them??? best thing i ever discovered. brand spankin' new sassy shoes for 2.99? yes, please.
-i've always tried to buy organic, but sometimes the budget just will not allow. more and more mainline grocery stores (Kroger, Meijer) have plenty of organic options at reasonable prices.
-we're hoping to have a major garage sale this spring with things we thought we'd touch but never have

oh, and tim won't let me buy bottled water. it's the nalgene and a brita filter for this girl. he's also not cutting his hair, but i'm pretty sure that has nothing to do with going green. it's pretty sexy, though, now that it's getting real long. just my opinion. :)

well, you're very welcome for a long mindless post all about me. *sigh. i guess that's okay, with a blog. it would be wrong to write about others.

if you have any green/organic/organizing tips to share....please feel free!

love you all.



oh, and one more thing to get off my chest. hi, i'm courtney and i'm reading the twilight series.

...

Marley thought it'd be a bright idea to eat a pack of light bulbs while I was sleeping.

i survived a college campus

i feel as if the last 2 months, my body is attacking itself. i feel run through the mill in a thousand different ways of being sick. right now, i'm trying to shake the flu/cold/cough/stuffy nose symptoms before i go back to another week of school with germy kiddos. the weather is only holding at about 50 something and i'm begging for it to be warm so i don't have to deal with cold wood floors and jackets in the morning anymore.

tim is on his way back from cincinatti with some of our kids. they went to a CIY discipleship weekend-another thing i wish i could've been in on. instead, i got to take PRAXIS tests to keep up the process of turning my TN teaching license into IN. however, the tests i'm required to take were the ones that most undergrads take, if they even have to based on ACT scores. good ole' IN requires i take 'em, no matter what smarty pants things you can show on your previous exemption scores. so there i was, at 7:30 in the morning, trying to find my way around a major university (which i've barely even been to) in the dark. i had copied down directions the old fashioned way, since tim took the gps with him, and realized that i was all too dependent upon the stupid thing.

i pulled into Ball State's campus and actually managed to locate the correct building. oh, but now i need to find parking. around a few blocks, i luckily followed another car of obvious students (MO license plates) to the LAST metered parking spot left within a few blocks of the building. i had a few minutes to zip into the building and find my room and testing site before they'd stop letting people in. i basically followed the crowds of other kids (yes, they were very young)into a building w/ a PRAXIS sign on the door.

the lady at the table said, "oh no, dear. your test is across the street." ok, so the building right out these doors and across the street? well, kindof. go out these doors, you'll see a long building. that's north quad. burkhardt building sits on blah blah blah. whatever. i'll find it. i walk outside, and realize- oh yeah, it's still dark. i can't see street signs and of course ALL THE BUILDINGS LOOK THE SAME. i scared some poor student to death when i ran up to her and asked where the building was. she pointed, and i ran over to walk right into my seat. prayers do work. God knows he needs to place directionally competent people in my path-always.

the test is over, and i have an hour and a half until my next one. i'm not even going to dare to leave the building. i wander the halls and look for a restroom. ok, there's the mens'. ladies? nada. i look around and just go into the mens'. quickly, quickly. it seemed like a funny skit when i was peeking around the door to make sure no one was in the hallway. ah, no one will know. (well, except you guys.)

i sat and read for awhile, ate an apple (brain food), read the posters on the wall. then i decided to set my alarm on my cell phone and just nap. i wasn't asleep for ten minutes, when i my arm slid off of the ledge and i jerked awake in a short panic, startling the 19 year olds that were now waiting outside with me.

quite a morning. needless to say, it's a good thing i went to a small school with only so many buildings...and signs for each one of them. and equal access to restrooms.

:)

updated

so our trip to Knoxville was so great. exactly what we needed...everything from the warmer weather, the view of the mountains, to reconnecting with GREAT friends and spending time with the whole family. i saw everyone that i wanted to see while i was there, and it was fantastic. it was really tough to remain positive when we were driving back to good ole' Anderson. we miss Knoxville so much and are so ready to go back and live there. the timing will be right eventually.

tim and i have been taking Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University class through our church. i absolutely love it because i feel so much more educated with so many financial things now. we've finally put together a budget (our first one ever!) and will hopefully be really disciplined about sticking with it. it's amazing how much farther money can go when it's properly managed. we're really looking forward to paying off our small, but annoying, debts and saving for the future. i HIGHLY recommend anyone to take his class...it's incredibly educational. i'm glad we finally have someone kicking our butt and telling us how dumb we've been previously.

when i was going through our budget the other day (yes, i'm the nerd in the household who LOVES to be the budget-keeper) i mentioned to tim how we have no money set aside in case anything breaks in our house such as washer/dryer, tv, stove, etc. we laughed about how crappy our washer and dryer were since the buttons have come off and you literally had to stick your fingers into the machine to find the on switch. real safe, i'm assured. they were given to me free a few years ago from my parents' neighbors who used them when THEY got married. seriously old. no sooner than a few days later, one of our youth sponsors tells Tim he has something he wants to bring us. low and behold, he brings us a new dryer. God sure does take care of us...and even BEFORE things actually break! i'm definitely impressed. we both had to chuckle about our conversation and decided we need to start mentioning things like that more often. :) it's so awesome when God's people take care of each other.

nothing else new to report. still truckin' through the school year and trying not to kill any of the kids:) we only have about 12 weeks of school left, which i feel will fly by pretty quickly. who knows what next year will bring!

alright, i'm off to try and motivate myself to go work out. wish me luck. i've already spent too much time blogging instead of going.

wednesday

i wish i had a picture. last night, i came home early from our Dave Ramsey class, and walked upstairs to let Marley out. lately, we've been just keeping her in our bedroom instead of her kennel so she can roam around a little more and not be penned up so long. usually, she does great and hasn't taken much interest in anything except having the bed to herself. i opened the door, and it was just like a movie scene. a chocolate lab standing in the middle of the floor, covered with little white feathers and feathers still floating all around her. yes, she had decided to eat the tag off of our down comforter, and then realized how fun that was when the feathers kept flying about. the remainder of the evening was spent by me sweeping up as many teeny tiny feathers as i could find, and with her chasing what was left and occasionally hacking up a few that she had swallowed. she never ceases to amaze us.

i just finished reading Betsy's blog about the spring-like weather in TN, and it made me so excited for spring as well. I love the first day you can wear sandals, and not have to take a jacket with you. I love leaving windows open and sitting out on the porch. I love being barefoot. I've always been that way, even as a kid, and therefore I need multiple pedicures throughout the year...

The 12 inches of snow just melted, and then we're supposed to get 1-3 inches of rain on top of that. It's pretty soggy up here in Indiana, but as much as I loved the snow...I'll be ready to move on. I can't believe it's more than halfway through the school year and I'll be sending the kiddos on in no time.

Lately, I've been thinking about making a big change in teaching. There may be an opportunity to teach a higher grade, like fifth or sixth. I've student taught in sixth grade before, and while I was incredibly intimidated going in, I loved it! I loved being able to really discuss social issues and work on writing persuasive essays. I loved that they could do things for themselves!! Oh, that would be sweet relief. Don't get me wrong, first grade has always been a fun grade to teach, but I think I'd love the challenge of teaching older kids. I am about done with the whining and tattletaling, not being able to tie their own shoes, picking noses, etc. I didn't go to school 5 years to run a daycare. That would be a big change and a lot of extra preparation on my part, but it sounds soooo good these days. Am I cut out for the job? The worst thing ever would be to get the class that laughs in my face (eye to eye I'm sure) and doesn't take a thing seriously. It's one thing to discipline a 6 year old, but quite another when they're you're same size.

Lots of changes to come, I'm sure. Especially with the seasons. Rest assured, we're keeping Marley forever, staying in this house, and remaining in Anderson until told otherwise;)

Only 2 weeks til Knoxville!

this belongs on a myspace bulletin...but for the sake of a blog, what the heck.

keep in mind, i have a teeny tiny ipod that hasn't been updated in a year or so. wear it.

1. Put your MP3 player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS! DON'T CHEAT OR YOU'RE LAME


IF SOMEONE SAYS "ARE YOU OK" YOU SAY?
"Alcohol" Brad Paisley.....hahahaha. is that bad?

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
"Carolina Blues" Blues Traveler....apparently I'm stuck in 7th grade, sad, and belong on the east coast.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
"I've Loved Enough to Know" Deanna Carter....oh, more true than you know.


WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
"What Am I to You?" Norah Jones....hm.

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
"Sunrise" Norah Jones....no, I don't think the sun rises and sets on me.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
"Waiting on the World to Change" John Mayer.....SO true.

WHAT IS 2+2?
"Undertow" Sara Bareilles....that's a dumb one.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
"My, Oh My." The Wreckers.....hahaha. very suitable.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"My Dear Country" Norah Jones...wha?

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
"She's Everything" Brad Paisley...yes, I am very much loved.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"Seasons Change" Corinne Bailey Rae

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
"Lost" Michael Buble....I'm sure at one point they did.

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
"Lay Me Down" The Wreckers.....haha, oh my. ;)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
"Don't Miss You at All" Norah Jones.....ouch.

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
"I'm Your Man" Michael Buble....i gotta put more songs on here.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
"Winter" Eastmountainsouth

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
"Some Mistakes" Brad Paisley....yes, but weren't they fun!?

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
"Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" John Mayer.....I can imagine that would suck.

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
"Scotch & Chocolate" Nickel Creek....hey, at least I'll be happy.

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
"Glass" Ingrid Michaelson.....interesting..?

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
"It's Not You It's Me" Little Willies....so true. I can really crack myself up.

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
"All At Sea" Jamie Cullum


WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
"I'd Like To" Corinne Bailey Rae.....have I not already? then what WAS that?

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
"Your Man" Josh Turner ....yes, he does.

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
"Die Alone" Ingrid Michaelson....yikes, my funeral does not sound promising.

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
"Love Ain't Worth Making" Deana Carter....um? i beg to differ?

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
"The Uncloudy Day" Brad Paisley

see far in a snow storm

another delay for school tomorrow due to winter weather in good old Indiana...I saw on the news today that so far in our winter season, we've accumulated a total of 22.6" of snow. yipes. a tad different from my marshy homeland on the east coast of Virginia. still, i am with Tim when I think that if it's going to be THIS cold, it might as well snow.

ya know, that's the ONLY thing I could find that was wrong with Knoxville. i'm not sure if i remember a GOOD snow in all my 5 years of living there. yeah, we had a few random snow days, but only because Sevier County schools were pretty skittish.

Tim and I are going back in a few weeks to rent a cabin with family and celebrate my sister's birthday. it's like we're going to Disney World; we are SO excited! we have plans to reunite with friends we haven't seen in way too long and just enjoy being back home.

i'm not sure if it's the arctic Indiana winter, but we are missing Knoxville more than ever. Tennessee in general brings back pleasant memories for both of us, and we both agreed we felt like it had seemed like home. we fell in love, made life long friends, and made some pretty big life decisions all within the walls of the Smoky Mountains and Vol territory.

i almost typed that i learned who Jesus was in TN as well. but while Tim and I were trudging through the ice and snow to meet his parents for dinner tonight, we discussed how our views of Christ, the Church, and the American Christianity have changed so drastically in the last year that even we were surprised by it. i realized how different i am now. yeah, my life changed drastically in so many ways in TN, but it's here in IN that i feel like i found Jesus. like, the real Jesus. the one who had opinions and feelings. the one who said some things that i never really thought were like him. the one who tells people that if they even so much look back to say goodbye to his mother, he is not fit to be a disciple. the Jesus who wants to restore the people and the Earth that he made to live in unison with each other. the one who expects love. the Jesus that never built a building to be a church.

i'm learning that being the church is SO much simpler than we've created it to be. keyword: we.

gosh. we have a lot of work to do.

six months later...

ok, so if you have thought, "today i'll check courtney's blog. i know it's been almost six months, but MAYBE she updated. i can just feel it." good for you! if not, understandable. i am the guilty one. but nonetheless, i am back.

let's just recap the last six months. here's what i've learned (in a very small nutshell):

-teaching is easier and harder than i imagined.
-God is so much closer and sometimes farther than i imagined.
-Jesus isn't who I thought He was...in a very good way.
-Tim is so much more than the picture of any man I dreamed of one day marrying

Those are only the broadest few things I could think of to recap several months, but they are still true. So let's see...

We are a few weeks shy of marking our first full year in youth ministry here in Indiana. There are certain people that pull at our hearts here that we now cannot bear to think of ever being without. Kids are starting to show us what they're learning and what we've said about Jesus that stuck in their heads.

I'm leading a 7th/8th grade girls small group on Sunday nights, and it's scary how much of myself I see in them. I love the relationship I have with them- a relationship that I had with my youth minister's wife once upon a time that changed my life as well. It's a humbling and fragile place to see myself in.

Our baby, a now 8 month old chocolate lab, is now reaching the huge category and is so much more part of our tiny family than we thought an animal could be. She is loving life, rawhide bones, apple slices and the 6 inches of snow.

My family was able to come visit over Thanksgiving, which was a blast. I'd never had the chance to be hostess for a major holiday and I loved it (minus the strep throat part). We had a low-key Christmas in Noblesville with Tim's family, which was great..especially since his dad is still recovering from a massive heart attack he had in the beginning of December. It was one of those, " I never thought it'd happen to me..." moments for us as a family.

2009 is well into full swing now, and I feel like it's a black canvas. I have no idea what it holds. Tim and I are on the edge of so many big things in our tiny little life as man & wife...it's a grand thing that God is so big. We have bigger dreams and desires than ever, and we know the God who can make them all come true.