Party business

It's officially less than a month until the reunion! I'm so excited, I could just burst.

 

Below is an approximate list of costs for the weekend. Of course, this could change depending on our spontaneity. But it will give you a little bit of an idea as to what to plan for.

 

Costs

 

Food & drinks:  $50+

 

Space Needle:  $14

 

Transportation (ferry, bus, etc.):  $20

 

Film Festival:  $10 – 20

 

Other possible costs:  shopping/souvenirs, mani/pedi, etc.

 

-----

 

Also, if you haven't already, please send me your flight info when you get a chance.

 

I should be finishing up the scrapbook in the next week or two, so if there are any more pictures you want to include, send them my way.

 

I think that's all for now…

 

Love you girls!

Quick Visit

Kim and Adam and Josh and Julie were here in T-town this past weekend for Josh's graduation. I didn't get too many pictures, but I thought I would share a few. The second one is of our first Sapphire baby girl, Lilah, and her cousinVictoria (Vanessa's baby girl). And the bottom one is just of Lilah being a very tired little girl. She had a long day! :-)

It was fabulous having you girls in town! I will upload more pictures shortly onto Kodak Gallery. Love you girls! See you SOON!

preperations

I do believe that God is preparing me for little boys... little boys who love to play in the mud and get dirty.
Nobu had so much fun today at lunch. He played for a while in his kiddie pool and got sopping wet. Then he ran over to the patch in our yard that has no grass... 100% loose, fun dirt! And just like that, Nobu was a black lab! What do I do but just smile, laugh, and kindly encourage him back into the pool where I tried my best to get him clean enough for the indoors. sigh! But seriously, I'm just glad he was having fun, that made me smile. Plus, he was all worn out by the time I headed back to work so I'm pleased that he will sleep through the afternoon. I love being Nobu's mommy!

Not much...just hello...

Jamie!! I am so glad you are coming up! Sorry for your crappy weather. We haven't been much better though. It's seriously been rainy and/or cloudy for going on about 3 weeks. Tulsa is actually flooding. Its crazy. We've been in a drought for about a year and a half, so now that's over. :-)
Strep is done! It wasn't so bad this time. Just really draining. I was tired all the time.
So...I am so glad that it's not too much longer until we get to see each other! I love the countdown thing on the side of the blog...very encouraging!

Well, I love you girls! Julie and Kim - I can't wait to see you this weekend! :-)

Weather Report

Just thought I would give you the strange weather update from Colorado. We had 3 or 4 inches of snow last night and they are calling for more tonight. Steph -- I'm so sorry you have strep...yuck, I hope you are feeling better soon.

Another update from us -- WE ARE COMING!! We booked our tickets last weekend to Seattle. We'll see you on the 15th about 2pm. I hope to bring this wet weather back to Seattle with us. :)

So unfair.

I have strep throat. In May. It's not fair. Luckily, I only missed one day of work, but still. Who gets strep throat in May?

Number 11

My sister just had her baby girl, Violet. Get ready for this... She arrived at the hospital at 5:30 this morning and delivered at 6:06, just 36 minutes later! Anyway, that's 11 neices and nephews. Number 12 to be born in October!

You make me smile

Hey girls! I don't have much to say right now because there's not really anything new happening this week. My brother got married on Saturday. It was lovely and stressful and exhausting and everything you would expect when your ADD little brother decides to do something like throw a wedding for 400 people. Dan and Lauren are on their cruise now and should return tomorrow. Their flight was delayed the morning after the wedding, which caused them to miss their connecting flight to Houston (cruise out of Galveston). So, they missed their cruise departure and had to fly to Jamaica to catch the boat at its first port. It worked out though because dad got them 2 nights in Jamaica at a Breezes resort for their wedding gift so that they wouldn't have to stay in the ghetto and get their fingers cut off for their wedding rings. Lauren spent the morning crying because they missed their cruise and then spent the evening crying because she was so excited about the all-inclusive resort in Jamaica. I think they're have a good time because Daniel sent us all a picture text message the morning after the wedding with his arms over his head and the title "Victory!" Anyways, after sleeping for like 2 days to recover from all the wedding chaos, I started working part-time doing some copy-writing for a friend of Kim and Adams and that has kept me very busy. I am writing about herbal supplements and I am now dreaming about vitamins and herbs all night long. Although, I'm also thinking about starting on a couple specific herbal regimens. I'm going to turn into a crazy, holistic, herbal supplement popping hippie by the time I'm done with this job. Also this week... we went out with mom and dad and Dave and Ben and Sarah and their kids on Tuesday night. David had a piece of art that was chosen to be displayed at the Young Masters art exhibit in the Troy Haner Center (where Kim got married). So we all got together for dinner and to see his art. It was very good by the way, he's quite talented. Anyways, we were at dinner and my nephew, Owen, stood up on his chair and shouted "Hey everybody! There's a baby in my mommy's tummy!" So, Sarah is pregnant again and is due December 24. I think they were ready and were planning to start trying around now anyways. But now the pressure is on because everyone expects us to follow suit pretty quickly and we're not quite ready yet. We close on our house on Wednesday and will be working furiously to get painting and stuff done so that we can move in ASAP and stop living with my parents. We have quite a bit to do and no money to do it, so that does take some of the fun out the renovations I have to admit. But, I will post pics of our new pad once we get things settled a bit. I feel like things have just been a whirlwind lately with weddings and work and moving and Josh's graduation is coming up. Also, both of my babies are sick and that can be time-consuming because they don't sleep and all they do is fuss and wipe snot everywhere. YUK! Lilah has been up every night for the past week because she's sick and last night she woke up with a 102 degree fever. I think she has developed an ear infection from the nasty cold she's had. The poor thing really feels yucky. Seth is handling it a bit better. So we would appreciate prayers for everyone to be healthy again.
Kim, your blog made me smile because you are able to put such a ray of light on life even when it's not perfect. I hope you get a job situation worked out that you enjoy a bit more. Although I will miss your discount. For the first time in my life, I have nice shoes! I also hope you get pregnant soon. Although, I do love little black babies. They just don't get much cuter. =) I know that God will work something out for you that is perfect and even though it is really difficult to go along with it right now, I'm sure that you and Adam and your future babies (whatever color they may be) have wonderful blessings ahead. And if you do have like quintuplets or something, I'm sure that your Sapphire sisters would be happy to at least help you out with them so you can take a nap or go shopping or whatever. (And I really would take one or two if you want. hehehe... just kidding... no, I'm not).
Love you girls!

Catching up

It's almost the weekend and it cannot come soon enough. I was supposed to have my annual performance review at work today (groan) but it looks like it will be taking place next week instead. I can't believe I've been here for a year already. A whole year of my life dedicated to shoes. It's been a good run but I think it might be time for me to start looking for something else.

 

So there's been some more turmoil on the family front. Adam's step-dad, Ken, moved out and will probably be divorcing Adam's mom sometime soon. This wasn't completely unexpected – he's been a not-nice person for a while now – but it's still been sort of a difficult time for everyone. Especially for Kendra, Adam's younger sister, who is about to graduate from high school. Anyway, we'd appreciate prayers for his family, and for us, because it's a little freaky when almost every adult in your life is getting divorced. Okay, maybe not every adult, but sometimes it feels like that.

 

We're still trying to multiply the Linds – so far, without any luck. My doctor put me on a fertility drug last month, which increases our chances of having multiple babies. But if any more than two come out, we're going to ship them out to you all. 

It is hard to let go and trust that someone has a better plan for your life than you do, especially when you want something so badly. But maybe that's part of the process for us. Needless to say, we will be overjoyed when it happens. And if it never does, expect some little black Sapphire babies to be adopted into the family.

 

I guess that's all the news from Seattle for right now. Hope you all have lovely weekends!

 

The circle of life...

Today I had to take my brother to the dealership to get his truck (it was in the shop). On the way back I went past a farm and one of their little lambs was outside the fence. He didn't seem to mind that much though. There is very tall grass outside the fence and he seemed to be enjoying that. There was another one just inside the fence keeping him company as well and also trying hard to enjoy the tall grass. However, it happens to be next to a busy 2 lane road and I'm just hoping the lamb doesn't get any ideas to wonder out onto the road.
So here's the cool thing, I know the people who live there cause we used to live right across the street. The cooler thing is, my mom is going there today to take one of the Amish ladies to the doctor, so I called my mom right away to tell her to tell them to save the little lamb from its possible fate. How cool is that. I could be responsible for saving a little lambs life today. I'm feeling pretty good about that.

Whoops...

Meant to post that last post on the Healthy glow blog.

Just so you know... I'm praying for all you guys. It sounds like a lot of us are going through some challenging times. I really wish I had some really great encouraging words for all of you, but I'm at a loss right now. Just know that I love you all and my prayers are with you. It's the challenging times that make us stronger and allow us to appreciate the happy and less challenging times.

Can't wait to see you all in Seattle!

prayers

Hey girls,

It sounds like there's quite a bit happening in everyone's lives these days. Steph, I will be praying for you guys and your financial situation. Jamie, I am so sorry to hear about your miscarriage. It breaks my heart to think of what you guys must be feeling right now. Please know you're in my prayers as you and Nick heal right now and prepare for the things God has for you in the future. I'm sure there are blessings just ahead of you. All you girls are in my prayers as I know there are lots of big things happening for everyone. We appreciate continued prayers for our move and everything that entails. Especially that we find a good church in Columbus and that God provides the perfect job situation for me with the kids. I have to make some supplemental income but that's easier said than done when you have kids. (You lose all your income in child care unless you have a really good full-time job. And I really don't want the kids in full-time day care.) So anyways, we are also praying for provision and friends and a sense of community and purpose in Columbus. I'm going to need a lot more support than what I had in Tulsa with Josh working 100 hours per week. On a good note though, we did find a house and we close on it April 25. I will post pics once we get moved in. I think it will work well for our family and it's in a good part of Columbus. So that's it for us. I love you girls and can't wait to see you in Seattle. Again, Jamie, I'm thinking and praying for you.

Missing you all....

Hey everyone! Thank you so much for the birthday wishes. I had a nice quiet birthday with my family. It has been a crazy month for us. We had found out that we were pregnant in the middle of March and then I miscarried about 7 days later. The one thing that I have decided through all this is that God is faithful and He knows what is going on. I know that I will not understand what happened fully, but I do know that I trust Him fully and that is all I need.

The miscarriage happened the day before spring break, so I had a lot of time to recover. We went to GA to see Nick's family on Wed and headed to Destin, FL on Thursday. (I also found out I had strep right before we left!) Two days on the beach, a two week spring break and two novels later I am feeling encouraged and healed.

Nick is also feeling encouraged. We were worried that we couldn't get pregnant, but now we know we can. :) I look forward to the day that I can blog and let you know that we have a little one on the way.

Steph...we will pray that God provides all you need according to His riches and glory. We are approaching a similar time in our life. Nick is going to be working part time so he can complete his internship hours. I am praying that He provides us with the funds to come to Seattle in June.

School is going well. Nothing exciting to report there. I really have missed you guys this past month. Thank you for all the birthday wishes and update. Jen, Nobu is so cute! Thank you for sharing your new addition to your family. :) I am praying for you all! Love you.

Prayers...

Hey ladies!
I know I haven't posted in a while, but things here are good! We're both happy and healthy and doing well! Shawn's about to end his first semester back at OSU and I am working my tail off at CTSA. We had a great Easter with his family in Chickasha, OK. I hope you all did too!!! Jamie, I hope you got my text, but if not, I was thinking of you on your birthday! Love you!

God has been so faithful to provide for us during this time that we should have been nearly broke. We have hit a snag financially (Shawn won't be receiving unemployment anymore) and we're not sure where some of our income will be coming from. He's looking, of course, to start working part time, but I don't want his schoolwork to suffer for it. There is a scholarship that we've applied for, but it is taking a long time to be approved...So that is one of our major prayers - that it's approved and soon! That would take care of the rest of his school and pay some of his travel expenses. Anyway, I know I have some great prayers in my circle of friends, so I thought I would let ya'll know what we're dealing with.

Like I said, though, other than that, things are great! I hope everyone is doing well and I can't wait to see you all in June!!! :-)
Love you!

Counting the days already...

Approximately 57 days till Seattle Reunion! Just thought I'd give you all the update.
Oh, and happy birthday to Jamie! Hope you had a wonderful day yesterday.
Happy Easter to all!

Nobu is home!

Yes, it's official, we are puppy parents! And I must say, he's the cutest little guy you've ever met, i just love him to death! Will post pictures this weekend!!

Baby Liam

Adam and I spent this last weekend in Denver, where we waited and waited and waited for our new nephew, Liam, to be born. I was in the room when he finally came at 3:00 a.m. Sunday morning. The nurse didn’t even have time to put her gloves on before he came shooting out. The doctor finally made it in the room a couple minutes after and said, “What has happened in here?”
And we were like, “We just had a baby.”

But thankfully, Liam and his mom are both fine. It was amazing and beautiful and scary and I’m so glad I was there to witness it.
Adam was with our other nephew at the hotel but he came over to see the baby after he was all cleaned up. It was quite an emotional time for everyone, especially those of us with female hormones.

We came back to Seattle Monday morning and I went straight to work, where I zombie-walked through my day. I’m feeling a little more rested today but still sort of out of whack.

But I’m so happy it’s April. April is such a happy month. Birthdays and Easter and flowers blooming and new babies.

Love you girls!

So, we moved this past weekend from Tulsa, OK to Ohio. It was a horrible, stressful, exhausting week and it just keeps going that way. We closed on our house on march 23rd and immediately started the two-day trek with our children and my mom to help to Ohio. The kids actually did pretty well on the road. Seth had a pretty hard time with the week of the move because everything was changing and it kinda freaked him out. he got really clingy and upset and would just keep asking us if we were going "bye, bye." His little world got flipped upside down and he's just been feeling a bit insecure during this transition time. But everything has gone pretty smoothly. other than when Seth locked Lilah in the mini-van in Greenup, IL (wherever that is!) We were stopped at a Dairy Queen and had gone to the car to change diapers. I got Lilah all situated in the front seat for mom to change her and Seth locked the door without me realizing it. When we were trying to switch places for mom to change Lilah and me to get Seth, the door bumped closed and Lilah got locked in with my diaper bag and keys on the floor of the van for the diaper change. It was 80 degrees outside and the car was probably 100 degrees because it had been in the hot sun for about an hour already. We called 911 and got Lilah out. But she had been in there about 15 minutes and was drenched in sweat and dehydrated and was struggling to breath. It was a disaster and we spent the next hour back in dairy Queen cooling her down. We eventually got home and are now starting the house-hunting process and are staying very busy with that. That's about it for us. I'm going to bed now because it is 2 am and I'm exhausted! Love you girls! (Oh, and I'm sorry Steph, I'm not coming back to Tulsa... but I wish I could because I'm missing it.) Also, sorry I missed you in Ohio Kim. And I'm sorry I never called you back while I was driving. It ended up being really busy and I want to try to call you when I can actually talk. =)

Out there...somewhere

I spent most of last week in Ohio, where my mom was supposed to have surgery. Instead, her surgery was postponed indefinitely because of abnormal EKG results. At first, her doctor thought she might have had a minor heart attack, but the cardiologist she saw didn’t think so. But they are doing further tests in a couple weeks to find out just what is going on.

So instead of spending the week in a hospital, I spent it with my mom and sister and family, just hanging out and doing normal Ohio-type things. I flew back on Saturday so I could get back to work.

Adam was in Vegas for his cousin’s wedding, but he changed his ticket to fly home on Saturday as well. It was all kind of last minute and a little bit stressful (especially my delayed flights on Saturday), but it all worked out in the end and we spent a lovely Sunday afternoon just wandering around like tourists.

Well, I guess that's it for now. Hope all is well with you girls. I love you lots!

are you girls still out there?

So this weekend was spent puppy-proofing the house. I cleared the coffee tables and end tables low enough to be whacked by a wagging tail. I picked up numberous decorations or little odds and ends from the floor and put them in their place (spring cleaning too!), and we purchased a baby gate for the downstairs hallway. We also purchased anything and everything else you could imagine to get ready for Nobu's homecoming. Check out my blog for the most recent photo!
Does anyone else have boxelder bugs covering one side of their home? Ugh, i just gag when i see one of those buggers get inside. I can't stand them, and I especially can't stand killing them because they 'crunch' when killed. ugh, I'm loosing my appetite just thinking about it!
Oh, Chris is up to 30 pounds lost and I've topped off at 15 pounds lost. Girls, this is an unbelievably easy lifestyle!
much love ladies!!