: : 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.

: : pac-nor-west : :

The Pacific Northwest According to Jeff Foxworthy

1. You know the state flower (Mildew)

2. You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.

3. Use the statement "sun break" and know what it means.

4. You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.

5 You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.

6. You feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nice restaurant.

7. You stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the "Walk" Signal.

8. You consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain.

9. You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle's Best, and Veneto's.

10. You know the difference between Chinook, Coho and Sockeye salmon.

11. You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Issaquah, Oregon, Yakima and Willamette.

12. You consider swimming an indoor sport.

13. You can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food.

14. In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark - while only working eight-hour days.

15. You never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.

16. You are not fazed by "Today's forecast: showers followed by rain," and "Tomorrow's forecast: rain followed by showers."

17. You have no concept of humidity without precipitation

18. You know that Boring is a town in Oregon and not just a state of mind.

19. You can point to at least two volcanoes, even if you cannot see
through the cloud cover.

20. You notice, "The mountain is out" when it is a pretty day and you can actually see it.

21. You put on your shorts when the temperature gets above 50, but still wear your hiking boots and parka.

22. You switch to your sandals when it gets about 60, but keep the socks on.

23. You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.

24. You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists. (I truly do...)

25. You buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old ones after such a long time.

26. You measure distance in hours.

27. You often switch from "heat" to "a/c" in the same day.

28. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat.

29. You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Raining (Spring), Road Construction (Summer), Deer &Elk season (Fall).

30. You actually understood these jokes and will probably forward them! (or blog them...)