Thanksgiving 2012

Caleb and I both had the day before Thanksgiving off work, so we celebrated our own little family Thanksgiving that day.  It was so special.  Actually, it was the first Thanksgiving we have had since we have been married that we were both healthy!  We even got to go on a walk together when the sun sort of came out briefly.  We just thanked God because, the past couple of years, Caleb has not been able to walk during the holidays.  It was priceless and amazing....and much needed after our meal we ate!

Because Caleb is on a special diet, I had to get creative with what I would make as side dishes for him for his Thanksgiving meal.  So, I literally made one meal for him and one meal for me (because how do you cook a turkey and not eat stuffing and mashed potatoes and gravy?!?!).  :)

Another reason why I went ahead and make up a huge Thanksgiving meal was so that we could bring a true holiday meal for Caleb to eat the following day, on the actual holiday, when we went to visit family.  We went up to Dad and Diane's and a bunch of the family was there, and we missed those who couldn't be there with us.  I was busy either socializing, eating, or napping....so I slacked on picture taking.  But here is what I ended up with....

We have had SOOOO much to be thankful for this year!!!  Top of our list: That we have each other, Caleb's health, our sweet baby who we are scheduled to meet 100 days from tomorrow (I so hope she is close to her due date), God providing for us abundantly, and most importantly, the love that God has for us so deeply.  We are blessed, and we absolutely know it!!

This morning I woke up at....get this....4am!  I have NEVER done shopping on Black Friday before. I love my sleep enough, and plus I am always a huge bargain shopper so I have always figured I would find just as good a deal some other time on things I need.  BUT, there was a sale on cloth diapers for this brand I have been looking at.  It started at 4am.  So I set my alarm and got up and placed an order.  Good thing to, because they ended up selling out at in 45 minutes!  So, I will have half of the cloth diapers I am planning on getting soon.  I will be partly stocked up!  However, I am planning on using disposables when she is a newborn, so I will have some time to wait for another sale to buy the other half.  I also found a couple of other online deals, so over all I saved over $100!

I have a feeling we will be taking some naps today, since Caleb couldn't sleep after I got up.

For now he is out helping the guys from church get Christmas trees to decorate the church, and I am at home organizing and cleaning so we can put up our Christmas decorations later this weekend!  Tradition...put them up Thanksgiving weekend! :)  It is going to be such a special Christmas....I just know it.  As I mentioned, we have so much to be thankful for.....

California Trip & 1st Baby Shower

This has been quite an eventful week!  First, Monday morning we woke up super early to get me to the airport so I could take a quick three day trip to visit Liz and her sweet family.  I was so happy to be able to go visit them, and meet her little boy, Flint, for the first time.  He is so precious, and his sister has grown up so much since I saw her a year ago!  Considering Liz and Mike have two kiddos under a year and a half, I got taste of what motherhood is like.  We spent most of our time in our PJs, playing with, holding, feeding, etc the kids...there was constant activity.  I can see that Liz has her hands full when it is just her on her own!  It was so sunny and pretty there, about 70 degrees, which was a nice surprise considering we have been cloudy and rainy in Portland and it was so nice to take the kids out for a walk in the sun.

It's great that I was able to visit Liz while I was pregnant with a daughter.  When I was first pregnant, but actually didn't know it yet, I had a dream that I went to visit her and I had a little girl.  She was showing me the best way to swaddle a baby. And I feel like in a way part of the dream actually happened this week.  It was so special!

And can I just say that Liz is so amazing!?!? She sent me home with two huge duffel bags FULL of all of Olivia's clothes she outgrew this year!!!  So I feel such a sense of relief as to how much I have to buy.  I doubt I will have to buy hardly any clothes for the first year!!  What a blessing!!!! I don't know how I can say "thank you" enough to that girl!

And then this morning, I went to my first baby shower!  It was sooo nice!  We had a small group of my friends who all went together and brought me to Mother's Bistro downtown for breakfast and gifts.  It was so much fun, and oh so nice of them!  It was the perfect setting (it has always been one of my favorite restaurants) and I cannot wait to use all the gifts on our little girl!

This morning Caleb took this picture of me.  On Monday I was officially 6 months along...so in two days I will be 25 weeks.  I can't believe my third trimester is only a couple weeks away!!! Wow!

Now I am so ready for a nap.... :)

Big Announcement For My Clients

Wow.  Where do I begin?  My mind and my heart are racing with what to say and where to start.  So I will begin with getting right to the point.

I gave a month and a half notice today at work.  This means that December 15th will be my last day working at the salon.

This decision has been a very big decision for Caleb and I, that we have not taken lightly.  I have done hair for over a decade of my life, for 11 years.  I love doing hair, but more importantly, I love each and every one of my clients.  For those who know me well, they know I don't just see my clients as "clients."  They have become my friends.  And their love, hearts, stories, and perspectives have impacted my life greatly.  I have been blessed to live life with so many fabulous people.

But with our little baby coming, we had a decision to make.  My dream, since as early as I could remember, has been to be a stay-at-home mom.  From kindergarden to even when I was getting my college degree, if I were asked what I wanted to do, I would say that I wanted to be a wife and a mom.  In my eyes, it is the most admirable job there is.  And there is nothing I want to do do better than to do those roles well.

So when we found out that I was pregnant, we were beyond thrilled.  A life long dream of mine was coming true!  But with that questions of what that would look like for my career arose.  A month later, the day we saw our little girl on an ultrasound for the first time, Caleb would go in for a final interview for a job he would be offered the next day.  The timing could not be more clear in our eyes that God gave him this job to provide for the baby He was giving us.

That being said, now that Caleb's football season has ended, and his health is going so great, we made a final decision that this is a good time to step away from my career.

Last year, when Caleb's health was struggling, if I am honest, I felt like it almost killed me.  It was so hard for me to keep up with being caretaker for husband, and also keep up serving all my clients. So now as I go into this new role in life, I want to be able to do it not feeling the pressure to perform for everybody that needs me.

In fact, that is why I am resigning a little bit earlier than intended.  First, Caleb will have two weeks off at Christmas where we plan to just enjoy our holidays together.  Considering we have yet to have a Christmas where we are both healthy since we have been married, this is priceless to us.  Then January and February I will take time for myself...to process through all we have been through (I have yet to slow down since Caleb was in the hospital last year), to process all that is to come (I am gonna be a mom!), and to get practical stuff done like cleaning and getting the nursery set up.  Plus, I don't know if I am gonna want to stand all day those last couple months!

This all leaves me with a variety of emotions.  Everything from grief to excitement.  Grief because there are many people who I have seen on a very regular basis for over ten years, who I will no longer be able to see as much.   To excitement....my life-long dream is coming true!  So, yes, there are tears as I write this.  Maybe its just the pregnancy hormones.  But I feel like they are tears foreseeing the many "goodbyes" I am about to have.  But also tears of thankfulness for the friendships I have experienced with so many that I love and dreams coming true.

So were do we go from here??....Good question.  I am already so booked between now and December 15th! So if you have yet to schedule, please make sure you get in touch with me soon.

And I will try to remind myself that this doesn't mean it is a permanent "goodbye."  This just means that we will have to be more diligent to call each other and do coffee now!   I mean, after all, I want you all to meet my sweet little daughter!  :)

I love you all very much.  I really do, and I trust you know that.  Thank you for letting me into your lives and for trusting me with the secrets, tears, and laughter we have experienced.  You have truly impacted my life.....I love you and thank you.