...and baby makes THREE!

Hello!

I am so thankful that I set up this blog this year as Joel and I have been going through so many changes. Our latest update is that we are going to be proud parents come the end of September (Sept. 22nd is my due date). As much as it was planned, it was a complete surprise as to how quickly we became pregnant (the first month!). We had our first ultrasound today and everything came back normal. The heartbeat was 174 beats per minute- some say that means it's a girl, but so far that is only an old wife's tale. It was so awesome to see the little 'spud' squirming about and to see the heartbeat. Amazingly, time feels like it is flying by. Ten more weeks and we will be able to tell if the baby is a girl or boy!


(the head is facing down w/ the feet in the air- if you look REALLY hard you will be able to see the arms and eyes as well)

I seem to have every symptom! without any breaks, but overall, doing very well. I am currently 9 weeks and 2 days. I've only now realized why mom's are so good about numbers and dates when it comes to their children's ages. (like, they say their child is 24 months, instead of just 2!) I think it comes from all the counting that began when they were pregnant.

Our families are sooo excited, I think my sister most of all! My brother John's birthday is the 24th of September, so we are excited at the chance that the baby may be born on his/her uncle's birthday. Joel is doing is best to make use of his 'free' time- working on his new car, watching lots of movies and playing video games- his count down is more or less, one that leads to the inevitable shift to parenthood. (and I don't blame him) He has been doing an awesome job supporting me through all my ups, downs, naps, and cravings. I couldn't ask for a better help mate!

Believe it or not, I am actually one of 6 ladies at work who are expecting between July and September. Not everyone knows at work, but as soon as I break the news, I will have plenty of people to sympathize with, which will be nice!

In other news, we recently moved into a smaller and cheaper apartment after receiving word from Joel's job that is will be another 6 months before they anticipate being able to move us to northern VA. It's a very large one bedroom, with the actual bedroom being larger than our last apartments- which is quite impressive. (plenty of room for a crib) We moved about 15 minutes south from where we were, and Joel's commute is down to only 5 minutes (if he hits all the lights). My commute remained the same, as we are so much closer to the main highway.

Well, that is all we have for now. We will be updating this blog once when we hit different mile stones in our pregnancy and life in general. Please check in, and leave comments! We would love to hear how you are doing!

Have a great day!

Joel, Jacqueline and BabySamples

'Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;' Psalm 127:3-5

Christmas letter

Dear Karen:
Life has been in limbo. The building industry is hurting, as we all are aware of, and we thank God every day that Joel has a job. We are learning to live day to day knowing that God has a plan for our lives that is in the making with every step we take. Some days are harder than others, of course!
I have learned to enjoy the perks of working at a Spa- facials and all! It's wonderful to recieve such a great discount and share it with others. Joel had his first massage at my spa this past week and he is ready to have another. Of course with the uncertainty of Joel's job, both of our lives are on hold- Big and small things, that you take for granted- I've been wanting to join the gym with Joel, but have held back in the case that I can only take advantage of it for a month before we are uprooted and moved. I have been stubborn as the Lord has been teaching me to take root where I am planted- even if it means using the nature trail down the road as my personal gym.
Joel and I reached the one year mark more in love than the day we married and we are looking forward to what year two has to bring. We had a quiet celebration, which included turning our kitchen and living room in to our very own restaurant- filet mignon, suit & tie, dancing floor and all!

Thanksgiving was spent with Joel and I heading in 2 diffrent directions. I spent the week with ALL(gramas and cousins included) my family in Ohio and Joel carpooled with his uncle and brother as they headed to Florida to attend the Turkey Run at Daytona Beach (huge classic car show) which has become a tradition for them.

I can't believe Christmas is next week! I have to work on Christmas eve, but we are excited to have Joel's Uncle and brother over for dinner followed by a quiet Christmas morning with just the two of us (and our crooked tree).

This past year has been amazing! So many new friends and experiences-Joel and I couldn't be more thrilled to begin 2008!
Have a blessed holiday and a very Merry Christmas!
Jacqueline

crouching twister hidden seams

It's early in the morning, Joel has just left work and I already scarfed down a bowl of cereal and have found myself back under the covers- it's soo cold! The AC hasn't been turned on the past two months and we are trying to see just how long we can march around in sweat shirts and wool socks before we HAVE to turn the heat on.

Last week I stumbled upon some great fabric at an amazing deal, $2 a yard! I went ahead and purchased the coordinating fabric ($3 a yard!) too. I started sewing a duvet cover for our bed with the aspiration of sewing a matching bed skirt and euro shams. So far so good. Besides the fact that I can't cut or sew in a straight line- things are coming along. I tend to over measure, so I end up with blenty of scraps... I love the idea of sewing, sewing it self... I just can't handle all the measuring and numbers. When it come to being artistic, I'm a "throw paint on the canvas' artist and less of the detailed 'rembrandt' kind. The only space large enough for me to sprawl the fabric out is the floor, so this morning, my body literally feels like it played a competitive game of twister.

Yesterday after church, Joel and I had the chance to meet up with his Uncle and "lady friend" at the moonshine festival in Dawesonville. I have a feeling it's the only place left in the atlanta area where everyone still knows their neighbor. It was a true blue festival set smack dab in the middle of Dawsonville's town square. They had a ton of booths, all selling beads and bags. There was a car show attached to it as well. It was great for Joel and his Uncle- my only problem was that once I have seen a five 66' mustangs- I have seen a million mustangs- the only difference is the color. So after the third row of classics, I found a spot to grab a drink and hot peach cobbler in the shade :) It posed concern for Joel, as this Thanksgiving we are heading to Daytona Beach with His parents to go to the Turkey Run- one of the largest car shows- I think I'm going to bring a book and head to the beach!

No more new news about where joel's job may be taking us and when- but I promise, that as soon I know- you'll know! :)

news news news

Good DAY! Welcome back...
Well the news is swirling that there is a strong possibility Joel's job will be taking our adventures to the nations capitol. scary, eh? nah- not really, we are sooo excited. Per map quest, Pittsburgh is only 4 hours from D.C- which means four hours away from our dumpling neice!
With each new day we recieve more news about when, where and exactly what Joel would be doing... Stay posted as we are anticipating some sort of definite time-line by next week.
If not, that's ok too- I think the Lord is enjoying just giving us a bit at a time and elated as we scream and shout thanksgivings to Him!

love.
us.

dreaming in Blonde

Supposedly when ever Joel has a dream with me in it, I'm the 'blond.' I told him that it is his subconscious telling him to let me become a slave to highlighting once again... I miss the blond and even more importantly I miss blaming my random moments of stupidity on the color of my hair.

Moving update: though we still have some time before we HAVE to make up our minds on an apartment complex- I've started getting clutter fever. Every evening I find 10 more things that I can't wait to either throw away or give away- it's a form of cleansing the soul, i swear!
My justification to Joel was that I was going to have an 'on-line' garage sale and try to make some money... but so far I'm having more fun just giving it away. So if you're in the area and need a flat screen 13'' TV, that's been gently loved- let me know!

p.s. We thanked the Lord yesterday that we did not sign a lease at an apartment complex we were considering when we read the front page of the Gwinnet Gazette announcing that the police had discovered a double homicide in one of the apartments.

will we EVER move?

welcome to our blog! for the first post i thought i would keep it simple and give everyone an update as to where we are amdist the craziness of this so called 'life'.

So the saga continues... for those of you who may not know, Joel and I been weighing back and forth between taking the leap and purchasing a house or continuing the Apartment living lifestyle... We collectively decided on Sunday that there were still enough unknowns in regards to Joel's job that we decided to down grade to a one bedroom apartment and utilize the next 6 months to save money. At the moment Joel hasn't decided on an apartment complex (I gave up the search last week and put him in charge).

Other than that- we are loving our small group that meets every tuesday and currently we are going through the Crown Finacial Study- which is putting our butts in gear to begin bugeting and saving. The Lord's timing is perfect.

I promise to keep you posted.
Jacqueline