This is a story.

Okay, so I know it’s been so long since I’ve posted.  I’ve been watching kids during the days, then we had VBS, and then last week we went to DC with our youth choir.  So, it’s been exhausting!  

The most present issue is that morning sickness has settled in and I wonder if it’s here to stay.  It is not just in the morning.  It is all stinkin’ day.  I got a prescription and it doesn’t really help.  I also got preggie pops.  Don’t think those help much.  So…  I’m praying that this will be for the first semester only.  I only have about 4 more weeks left. 

Washington D.C. was incredible!  We had a great time with our youth choir.  We worked at Gospel Rescue Mission, which is a place for recovering addicts to live and get back on their feet . We did everything from painting to helping with job searches to making food to yard work.  The part that was most fun was getting to participate in their worship services.  It’s awesome to see how God has changed these men’s hearts, when months ago they were using every spare dime to get high and living on the streets.  They have awesome testimonies.  

We could definitely see God’s hand on us as we traveled.  Last Monday, when we arrived in DC, we caught the subway and then checked in to the hotel.  We found out there that the red line subway we’d just ridden had collided in what would be called the worst subway collision in DC history.  There were 9 fatalities and over 50 injuries, I think.  Wow.  That was sobering.  Thank you Lord, that we were not on it when it crashed.  

Then on Wednesday, the group planned on going to the capital.  This was the one morning that I absolutely didn’t have to go, and I was feeling sick, so I decided to meet up with them later.  It was also our third anniversary, so Kevin was going to come get me at the hotel and we’d have lunch.  So the group of 25 gets to the capital, and everyone’s carrying their backpacks.  They decided to leave them outside, because security was so tight.  Our youth minister and one other youth stayed outside with the pile of backpacks.  The rest went inside for the tour, and every kid put their cell phone in Kevin’s backpack, so Kevin took his in and checked it in security.  Meanwhile, outside, there were these dumb people who decided to just leave their bags with our pile, and that’s not okay!  Our youth minister can’t account for those, so security freaks out and the bomb squad comes.  They escort youth minister and the one kid to the other side of the street, and the capital goes on lockdown.  Meanwhile, inside, the group gets stopped and Kevin gets pulled aside, because his bag has “suspicious content.”  By the time all the air cleared, they missed their tour and it was lunch time.  So they never got to finish seeing it.  Crazy!

We went to the Holocost Museum.  That was very sobering.  I would recommend that anyone go there if you’re headed to DC.

The subway, on the other hand…. I don’t know how those people do it all the time.  It is the most stressful thing!  Those doors close, no matter what.  I recommend traveling with your strong husband.  He definitely had to use his might to pry those darn things open!  If not, I’d be stuck to this day.  It’s scary.  And one time I nearly got left on the subway when I needed to get off.  It was rush hour and people got all mob-like and started pushing and yelling.  Plus, you have to get all comfy with these people you don’t know, and it never failed that when I felt my worst, the sweatiest, stinkiest man would be the one whose armpit was in my face.  I prayed for the Lord’s love!  

The first day we were there, we went to the mall and saw the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.  As a choir, we sang in front of these places, which was totally cool.  I was surprised to see how well we were received.  I thought people would throw tomatoes or something.  Oh, and as my group of about 5-6 girls was walking, I heard this really familiar voice, and I turned to the right to see Owen Wilson, not 5 feet away, on his bike!  All the girls in my group just stood and pointed, mouths open.  Owen must have noticed that he’d been recognized, so he started to pedal away.  If we’d been thinking, we would have asked him to stop and take a picture with us.  But all we could do was gape.  And yes, it was definitely him, because there’s no mistaking that nose.  And Marley was with him.  Okay, not really!  Marley died!

We had our first sonogram the week before last.  It was so beautiful to see our baby’s heartbeat!  We have one beautiful, healthy baby.  I cannot wait to find out if our baby is a boy or a girl.  We’re just thrilled!  Sooooo, that’s life!