: : pet peeves and seven weeks : :

Boy, am I glad this work week is over. Hopefully the weekend won't fly by like usual. I'd like to actually be able to enjoy it and relax...

I haven't written in a while and I've had this topic kind of stuck in my head and need to get it out sometime, so now is the time!

My recent pet peeves:

1. Canadian Drivers.
I love Canadians. Don't get me wrong. I think where I live and who I work for, they help keep our economy going. But, when it comes to driving our roads... they have no stinking clue! Where are they going at 5:40am when I have to get to work by 6:00am and they are going 40-45 mph in a 55 mph zone? They have to see the signs that say it's MPH NOT KPH... do they get the idea when five cars pass them? No. Do they get the idea when 10 cars are backed up behind them? No. Annoying.

They also don't slow down when the speed limit changes. I may pass them in the 55 zone, but when it slows down to 25 mph, they catch up to me because they're still going 45 mph in a 25 zone! What the???

It just goes to show that we need to get out of Sumas so that we don't have to be mad at Canadian drivers everyday.

2. Drivers that don't use turn signals.
It's not that hard... if you're turning, use the dang thing! Otherwise you're going to get rear-ended! And it will still be my fault! The turn signal switch is there for a reason.

That's all I have to say about pet peeves really. I feel like I'm whining and I don't like it when I feel like that, so I'm done.

Baby update...
Sara and Gracelyn are doing fine... we're down to seven weeks until our due date, so time is FLYING by! We're very excited for her delivery and have been VERY blessed by all our friends and family that have thrown us showers and gotten us almost everything that we need. There are still a few things we need to get (diapers and a diaper genie), other than that, we have PLENTY of newborn-three month old clothes. We could use more of any clothes 6-9 months and 9-12 months, but we know we'll be provided for.

Gracelyn is head down now, so she's getting ready to drop anytime. She still likes to punch Sara in the bladder which isn't at all comfortable... and neither is her stretching and putting her feet in Sara's ribs. She seems to like music. Whenever she hears it, she starts moving and kicking... either that or she's doing her calisthenics to get ready to learn to wrestle (I keep telling Sara that there will be girls wrestling at most high schools by the time she grows up, but Sara would rather her be a wrestling cheerleader, like she was, and just appreciate the sport from the sidelines.

Birthing class has been pretty fun. I think it's kind of neat to meet other couples that are in the same boat as you. I think we only have three more classes left, and then an after-birth party to see all the babies.

Needless to say, the time is drawing near and we are pretty excited. We appreciate everyone that given us stuff, helped us with stuff and who have kept us in their prayers! Please continue to keep us in your prayers, especially Sara (she is the one who has to deliver this baby... my job is to make her comfortable, but I don't imagine any part of childbirth is "comfortable"). I know my wife is strong and will do awesome! She's pretty incredible.

: : WHA??? : :

Two posts... in one week? Unheard of! Well, deal with it people! :)

So, I thought I'd just do a simple post with the latest ultrasound pictures of my (I'm 100% positive she'll be) beautiful baby girl.

In this first picture, you can see that she has her left hand palm up against her forehead showing that she's being a drama queen (like her daddy... as Sara said). :)



In this second picture she's just imagining she's weightless, in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by tiny little seahorses.

: : Living Hallelujah : :

Some days you wake up and you don't want to be happy. You woke up on the proverbial "wrong sie of the bed" and there is no way you're going to be happy. Well, that's the way I woke up this morning. Partially because of the way I fell asleep upset last night, partially because I was upset that I had to get up at 5:10am, but whatever the case, I was not happy to be up.

Then I had the revelation (that I've heard many times before) that being upset all day is a choice. My mind had already made the choice to be in a bad mood for the day. I've decided to squish that thought. I don't like being grumpy, and nobody else like me when I'm grumpy. My wife especially. So, I'm nipping it in the butt and I'm going to strive to be in a good mood for the day. With God's help, I want to be "living hallelujah" to God. So, with that said, here are the lyrics to the song I want to live my life by today:

"Living Hallelujah" - Sarah Kelly

Who am I?
That You came to earth for me
To die on a tree?
Who are you?
Son of man, Son of God
Yes, I believe it's true
More than words I bring to You
May all I say and may all I do be

(Chorus:)
Hallelujah, hallelujah
May everything about me be
Hallelujah to my King
Hallelujah, hallelujah
May everything about me be hallelujah

All of me
I surrender completely
Take control
I want all of You
So I'm letting go

I am healed and I'm forgiven
I am free because I'm living

(Chorus)

It's all so clear, it's all so clear
I was born to worship

Hallelujah, hallelujah
May everything about me be hallelujah

: : my bad... my bad... : :

So I've been catching up on reading my blogroll... and thinking some people were slacking on their postings... then I looked at the date of my last post and realized I AM THE ONE SLACKING! Holy smokes... it's like I've been grounded from my blog for the last month. Let's see... what do you need to know...

Sara and Gracelyn are doing fine. Gracelyn is still baking in the oven and things are going great. Four more months until "D-day". We've got another doctor's appointment on the 8th. Not sure what for... just another check-up I suppose.

We found out about two weeks ago that Sara's twin sister, Amy, is also pregnant! Now our daughter will have a cousin that is close to the same age. That's exciting! Too bad Sara didn't originally find it exciting. I guess the whole being a twin and competing in/over everything got old as they grew up and Sara was expecting to be the only pregnant one in the family... then along came Nate and Amy's seed. :) (Sara is doing much better with it now)

My parents have finally been approved to get their new house and land! They should be living in Birch Bay by the beginning of May! (this is a much needed move... they've been in the same dilapidated old mobile home since 1980 and it has definitely seen it's better days... I remember those days... I was about 4...)

Speaking of houses... our condo is officially on the market. If you know anyone that would like to buy a quaint, two bed, two bath, 1100 sq. foot condo in Sumas, send them our way! We've decided that with gas prices rising, and with Sara's 50 mile round-trip commute, that we'd be better off not living in Sumas. I personally don't mind the drive... not to mention the fact that I drive the more fuel efficient car ("why not switch then?", you may ask... well, we're trying to do that more often... Sara just hates driving my car). We don't think that we are going to jump right back into buying another place. We're thinking we may try to find a place with cheap rent and try to get caught up on some of our debts, like our credit cards and Sara's car. Good thing we're not at the national credit card debt level (somewhere around $8,000 per household! OUCH!). We'll see when and where God opens the door for us to buy a house (we're praying), not condo, with a yard so we can get a Boston Terrier. :)

Well, that's about all I have to say for now. I will be leading worship this week at our new church (Valley Community Church). Feel free to stop by and check the church out (if you're in the area... we meet at the senior center in Sumas at 10:00am).

Happy April Fool's Day!

: : 95% for sure : :

We went to the OBGYN for an ultrasound on Monday. Here's what we found out:

- We were told not to take the tags off of any clothes that we are given.

- We were told that our baby is in the 59th percentile range for it's size (that's a little bigger than normal... don't blame me... well, maybe you should... after all, I was 10lbs 9oz when I was born).

- We were told that everything looks good and normal and that our baby appears to be healthy.

- We were told that (and he's 95% sure) that we're having a GIRL. :) (Cassie, your dream must have been a premonition... or something like that...)

Here's the latest ultrasound picture.















Have a blessed day! :)

: : wrap up : :

With wrestling season now over (for those that didn't know, I was a volunteer coach at my alma matter, Lynden High School), I thought I'd reflect on the season and the things I learned throughout the season.

1) I still love wrestling and being able to share my passion for the sport to young, moldable minds. (Maybe I should be a teacher! Ummmm... maybe not) It's great watching kids that have never wrestled struggle at the beginning of the season... and then seeing their light go off when they finally start to get it.

2) Time moves fast. Prime example: my first year as a paid coach was in 2004. I was an assistant coach for the Lynden Middle School team. The boys that were in 7th grade when I coached that first year, are now seniors. It's sad to say that only two of them remained on the team... but they were the strength of our team this year. They both made it to state this year, with one placing 6th and the other losing a tough match in the 3rd round to get knocked out of the tournament. Anyways..l all that to say that I coached these boys/young men at the beginning of their school careers, and it was really cool to be able to watch them succeed in their final year.

3) Making a time commitment like coaching, was a lot easier when I was single and didn't have a wife to take care of and be with. I'm sure it will only be more difficult next year when I have a little four month old baby at the beginning of the season.

4) I'm not as young as I used to be, and definitely not NEARLY in as good of shape. I found this out while wrestling at the "Geezer Classic" in December. To put it simply... I got whooped.

5) It makes me so happy to see what our head coach is doing with the wrestling program. He has turned it around from being a program that was lucky to have 10 kids, to a program that is now a force to be reckoned with... (on a good night) and is growing back to the way it was in the late 80's/early 90's.

6) We're lucky to have the coaches we did this season. All total, with volunteer and paid coaches, there were eight of us. Some of the bigger schools, like Bellingham or Ferndale... only had four or five coaches. It shows that they all believe in the program that Coach Randy is building.

7) I can't wait for next season... hopefully I'll be in better shape and be able to hang in there with the guys, instead of getting winded so easily... plus I look forward to losing my fat man gut. :)

That's all I have to say for now. Thanks for stopping by. Come back soon... there may be baby news after Monday! ;)

: : Not All It's Cracked Up To Be : :

Influenza A. It's not all that great. Well, it's not great at all. Not one part of it.
Not the 102.6 degree fever.
Not the vomitting.
Not the horrible cough.
Not the body aches.
Not the sore neck.
Not the sore throat.
Not the doctor's visit.
Not the doctor shoving a swab into my nasal cavaties.
Not my wife not being able to stay in the same room as me.
Not missing work (and subsequently, the paycheck that comes along with actually working).

I quit. I'm done with the flu. They say it only takes getting it once before you decide you never want to get it again and start getting the vaccinations. Here's to getting a prick in the arm next year before flu season.