:: Brinna's ::

:: Saturday, April 30, 2005 ::

Hello,
it's been a bit since I've written, but that's okay. I've got a picture of the crocheted blanket/afghan I finally finished that matches my layette set. I'd already finished the layette and left it at home.

I think I'm on the longest run I've ever had with reading the Bible every day. I started with Ecclesiastes, which is a fascinating book. I really liked it. Now I'm going through James, tomorrow will be the last day of that. I'm not sure what book I'll do next. Something that really caught my attention in James was the verse (James 4:4) that says that if you're friends with the world, it is hatred towards God, and that anyone who chooses to be a friend to the world becomes an enemy to God. There are many fine lines in Scripture and this is one of the places where not only is the line fine, but where the heck is it?? We're supposed to love the people in the world, but not be of the world or like the world itself... I kinda understand about being an enemy to God. More like being on the other side...like working against Him. But I've never understood where the line is between being in the world, being content, and enjoying life, and being friends with the world. Because to be honest, overall I love life. I'm one of those people who lives more in the moment, not worrying about tomorrow (although not to the point of not having a basic plan for the future), and I try and stay on the bright side. A generally realistic optimist, I guess. :) Remember in Matthew 6:34--don't worry about tomorrow, it will take care of itself, each day has enough troubles of its own. And I think that basically I am content with my life. Sure, I'll be raising a baby alone because my husband is in Korea, but I'm living for free with my parents (until they decide if they're charging rent)! Sure he's in Korea, but it's better than Iraq! Sure I'll be like a single mom, but I've got one of the most experienced baby-raisers I can think of in the next room who's thrilled to be a grandma. I've got a room full of stuff given to me at a baby shower, and a nursery/bedroom that has (almost too much) quality furnishings and decor for far less money than most nurseries. We're to be content, and to enjoy life. That's said many times in the Bible. So how do you enjoy life, AND not be too into the world? Why does God give us so many material things if you're not supposed to have them? Many people enjoy surrounding themselves with nice things. Is that wrong, as long as you don't make them more important than God? Why does God bless people profusely if He doesn't want people to enjoy their time on earth? I know He says we're supposed to give to others out of our abundance, and that's part of the reason He gives things to us. But seriously, we're supposed to enjoy life here on earth...so how the heck do we do that without being friends with it? We're not supposed to be enemies to the world! I mean, I know we're persecuted and all, but that doesn't mean we are enemies to the world, does it? The nearest I can figure is, keep God above your material possessions and desires, and follow whatever plan He has for your life, not what you want to happen. But that still doesn't answer the question of why we're supposed to give all our stuff to the poor. Is the point just to be willing to get rid of it? The verse before the one about not worrying about tomorrow, Matthew 6:33 says, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and...da da...all these things will be added to you. He's telling us He's going to give us material junk. The verses before this one talks about Him clothing the lilies of the field, and how He knows we need (and want) all these things that the pagans run after. (So stop running after 'em, you pagan! Yes, you! just kidding.. :)) Therefore...does it all just go back to keeping God on top? Fine lines, people, fine lines...but at least I can say that if that's is the way it is, especially since I've been reading my Bible everyday, then it is well with my soul. :) For the moment. Sigh. (I won't even get into the 'I don't do what I want to do, and what I don't want to do I do' passage.)

A car alarm just went off outside...awesome. It was from thunder. It's raining pretty hard. Today is Saturday, and in a nearby town some festival was happening that Andrew was supposed (required) to attend. I was going to go too, but there's no point now. It's probably been canceled. Andrew called and told me not to go over there, because it's been delayed, and we'll find out if he has to do anything today or if he's free to do stuff with me. As far as I know, they're still holding him hostage. Hopefully they're keeping them in their rooms, cause Andrew said he's hoping to get all his packing done before he goes out for field training next week...Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday he'll be out somewhere doing something and I won't see him. In the meantime, I'm still keeping busy. Very nice maid on my floor. Friendly, but not overly so. A black lady. Overall, I like black people. They've got personality. I'm not racist, but it's hard not to be in some states in the South. And it's not the white people that make you racist, I'm sorry to say. It's not the old attitudes of the rednecks or what-have-you that have been passed down from the plantation owners and all. It's the black people. All that talk about welfare leaches and people with no respect for themselves, it is, in general, quite deserved. And mind you, I did not feel this way at all until I lived in central Virginia, but your eyes are opened when you live right on top of it. I've known many, many respectable, friendly black people, with ambition and drive and whatever makes America great. But there are so many that are what make America poor, and it's as a whole their own fault. And I would have never believed it until I lived in VA. It seems unjustly rude and mean to say things like that about them, but sadly it's true. But I can also honestly say I am not racist at all towards them. It's not racism by a long shot. I've seen Mexicans (excuse me...Latinos) that I'd be ashamed of. And plenty of white people too. But don't get me wrong--I don't hate them. I'm sad for them. God says to love everyone, and of course I have issues with that just like everyone else--but if we were to look at each other in the face I wouldn't be mean to them. (I wouldn't be mean to their back either, if you were wondering.) Of course if they're threatening my life or trying to harm me in another way, that's a different story!

Moving on...here's that picture of the afghan.





And...that's a picture of a trench coat (or pea coat, or whatever length it officially is)--it's slightly wrinkled around the bottom, but oh well--that took me about 2 years to finally finish. I would work on it every few months or so but never get around to actually finishing it. Until now! :) I got the fabric for it about the same time I got Moby, my love-him-or-hate-him Yorkie. Well, he is for some people, anyway. I love him, of course, and most of the people in the house like him alright, but he does have his faults. And his unexplainable bad deeds. But don't most dogs do bad things sometimes? Here's a pic of him taken en route to Christmas '04 in CO...the only pic I can find of right now.



I also have pics from my wedding, which was in my in-laws' front yard in Virginia. They have a lovely old house that was built around the time Jackson was president, I think. I was looking through all the pics on Andrew's computer, and there's a ton! Pics of me when I thought I was showing...silly me. :)



Dad taking me down the 'aisle', obviously...doesn't he look like he's about to cry? How sweet... On the left is my father-in-law. It was his idea to wear the shirts that Dad and him are wearing, the style that has embroidery down the front. I liked it a lot, because I wanted the wedding to be kinda informal.

Notice the 'guest of honor', 'President' Bush. The front yard was basically open and flat under these huge trees, which are actually in the historical register. Except for this small bush in the middle that we can't exactly uproot for the ceremony. So we put the chairs around it and stuck a sign on it saying 'President Bush'. My idea...hehe.

On the right is Mom... sitting down is Daniel, my only brother, who later was labeled 'suicidal' for picking up a rock the size of his head (or so I heard) and then holding it above his head, as well as climbing up the side of the arch and a few other things. Well I guess he was only 2 or 3, but still. :)

Speaking of the arch, that was also decorated the morning of the ceremony (by the way, the ceremony was supposed to start at 11am), by yours truly. You'll see it in the next pic.

Oh, before I forget, also on the right in the photo is my father's mother, my grandmother who has always insisted on being called Frankie. One of her daughters, my aunt Laurie, I believe took these pictures, and her other daughter was sitting behind Mom. My mom's parents couldn't come because of health reasons, and my father's father (who's divorced from Frankie) was in Idaho being a volunteer forest fire fighter, or a driver of a bus for the fighters, or some such.



In the thick of it. Again, notice my veil safety-pinned together on the back of my head...I hadn't wanted my face to be covered so only bought a single-layered veil and superglued it to my tiara. But Dad insisted I have a veil over my face, so there I am. It's funny what happens on a day like that...Dad also insisted I stay far far away from the window I was trying to peek out of, lest my future hubby glimpse me.

Speaking of which, check out Andrew's hair!! I much prefer the close-cut look the Army makes him maintain...



There's all the wedding party, minus a temperamental flower girl (Sammy) and plus the pianist, who I've since heard was high on that day, but I don't know if that was true or not. It would explain why it took so terribly long for him to start playing again after the wedding was over, so we could walk back down the aisle as 'husband and wife', but when he did play, he didn't play badly, so I don't know. Maybe he was just in his own little world?

(Last time using this word, I think) Notice the beautiful bouquets, which were very inexpensively purchased the day of, at the local farmers market. Freaking everyone else out, my mom-in-law (who's the best mom-in-law anyone could ever ask for) and I went down an hour or two before the ceremony, bought what looked nice, came home and made some bouquets by arranging them a bit and then tying a ribbon around them. Certain people will remember feeling stressed at this time because I also took a shower and had my hair in a towel while I was arranging them. My aunt (mom's sis) blow-dried my hair and I did my makeup, and while everything was done somewhat at the last minute (heck, the whole wedding was at the last minute...we put it together in 3 weeks or so), it was still ready on time. Why it didn't start on time wasn't my fault. I still don't know why it didn't!



Here's my gorgeous cake, which I was lucky to get with a week's notice to the baker.
We used the leftover rose petals that didn't fit in the flower girl's baskets and a little bear figurine glued onto a little clear plastic box. I think it turned out quite well...the icing flowers weren't the type I was hoping for (I like the type with 5 little petals), but when you give the decorator a week's notice, what do you expect? I was probably lucky to get the mile-a-minute 'squeeze and lift' drop flowers.



This picture is of the California coast nearby to where we lived in Monterey. I think I actually took this out of the side window while Andrew was driving. Not bad, eh? Where we lived in Monterey was the first place we'd lived alone as a couple since we were married. It was at least a year and a half into our marriage. It was also the happiest I can remember us being. Coincidence? :)

Since hardly anyone got to see my lovely house in Monterey (which was testament to the fact that God has blessed me and my hubby with material things, as is the amount of baby things I have...and we still have a few thousand in the bank...we're seriously considering a digital SLR camera, the type with removable lenses, since we both enjoy photography), here is a picture of my living room.



The acquiring of the couches was a major headache....we went to a place where you choose the fabric and the style of couch and they custom make it for you. It took eons to get them (about 3 months or so) because we kept going back to pick different fabrics, because every time we picked a fabric, we'd find out later it was discontinued. So eventually the store sent out to the companies for brand-new swatch books, because they were also pretty frustrated and embarrassed at our trouble. Andrew wanted to go elsewhere with our business, but I persevered, and I'm glad I did. We got a really good deal in the end, they let us upgrade our couch style and fabric quality, and I got a chaise lounge instead of a loveseat, for the same price we started out with. I think we paid $1200, maybe a hundred or so more, for them both. Anyway, you can't really see in the pictures, but they've got bronzey metallic-like floral fabric, and an olivey green corduroy-like fabric, and striped pillows to match. I designed the color scheme. The wood around the frame is almost a perfect match to our coffee and end tables, and has carvings in it. The rug we also got at that store, it was on closeout and matched quite well I think. Another cool thing was that the curtains were an almost perfect match, although I'd bought them long before. One of the coolest things was how well it matched the recliner you see in the front of the pic...that's a Barcalounger, a very good brand of chair, that is nearly new from what we can tell. We got it at a thrift store for $100. We figure, by looking around online, that it would cost about $1000 new. By the way, that hairy thing on the couch is Moby, in case you were wondering. :)

Here's a better pic of the chaise and fabrics etc. (and also to rub it in how well off we are at 20...how well off were you at 20? Hmm? just kidding...:) ).



One thing that thrills me about God and my house is that all the things you see in the pic I got at discounted prices...thrift stores, Ross, or by just sticking it out. So it didn't cost near as much as it could have to have such a nice looking house. And yes, I'm still happy to be living in one small room in my parents' house instead of living in Monterey, CA! God gave me all that stuff and now He's temporarily taken it away. And I'm still content. In fact, I almost miss being at the house. I am happy to be here seeing my husband (nearly) every day, and I never get bored, but I'm also ready to move on! At least to my in-laws in Virginia, where we're going for Andrew's leave before he goes to Korea (sniff). To keep myself from getting bored I streaked my hair pink again. Andrew liked it. :)

Well, you all better be happy with the massive entry I just finished typing, it took me all morning. I could have been crocheting, or knitting a baby-sized suede Ugg bootie! :) And if there's any weird grammatical or continuity issues, well sue me, because I've been working on this blog for hours, and I couldn't just let my past work lie...I previewed and added things and rewrote sections a jillion times and I'm not about to sit here another 15 minutes to reread the darn thing as a whole. :)

:: Brinna 8:13 AM [+] ::
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Not much going on...I've been crocheting more than sewing today, trying to finish my layette set I got when I found out it would be a girl. I ran out of pink yarn halfway through the last flower...rrr. Fortunately I was at a point where I was able to use a scrap I had left over and just finish the round I was on, and it looks okay. It's like a flower bud instead of a full flower. No way am I buying 6 more ounces just to finish one flower! :) I already had to buy more white about 5 times. I don't know why, but I used waaayy more yarn than it said I'd need.

I'm really, really glad I convinced Andrew to go ahead and let me order the crib and dresser ahead of time last month, because they're not here yet. The dresser I can understand...JcPenney told me it would be back-ordered until late April. April 27th or something...anyway, I got an email today saying it just shipped! Woohoo! I haven't gotten charged for it yet, though, oddly...my crib, on the other hand, I didn't know it was back-ordered, and yet it's paid for. I called the company today to find out what's up, and they checked on it. It's not supposed to ship until mid- to late May! Like I said, I'm glad I got it ordered last month. I'll be freaking out if it's not there in June. Fortunately, the smallest amount of painting goes on the crib...just a couple flowers and leaves. If it didn't have a drawer it probably wouldn't get any painting.

I've been reading my Bible every day. It's great...it's been a long time since I've read it every day, when I wake up. And it's all because of my glasses. I decided to put my glasses on my Bible next to my bed when I go to sleep, and when I wake up, the perfect reminder! Since my vision is so bad I always remember my glasses.

:: Brinna 9:34 AM [+] ::
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Well, here I am in Ft. Rucker, Alabama. I'm in my inexpensive but actually very nice motel room. Andrew brought his desktop computer over from his room, because I get free internet access included in the room.

The trip went very well, no problems...I did get pulled over once, but I'm not sure what for. I guess it's like the times when Mom was driving on the road trips and we got pulled over for no reason. Maybe they were looking for someone. The only other interesting thing was, I was passing a semi at night and nearly killed myself because another car came out of nowhere from the other direction, speeding. Hopefully it wasn't as close as I felt like it was, since it's hard to tell headlight distances at night. All I know is, they weren't there when I started to pass, and that I won't be passing at night for awhile. :) On a brighter note, I passed a cheese factory and got some cheese curds. Yumm!

Alice is doing well, and I still have no complaints about pregnancy. Especially once I discovered that my back/rib ache issue I'd been having sometimes when I sat in one spot for a few hours (like a car seat :)) could be alleviated usually completely by pushing down on my stomach. Apparently she just kept creeping upward and I didn't realize it. Rib cages may be expandable, but that doesn't make it comfortable! :) It's amazing to me how easily they can be moved. I always thought it sounded difficult and painful to try and manually turn a baby to be head down instead of breech, but now I know it can't be that hard. She doesn't do lots of gymnastics (like flips) inside of me, but it's really easy for me to shift her position if it's uncomfy. It only takes a couple seconds of pushing down for my rib cage to stop hurting. It may get more difficult the larger she gets, but at least for now everything works out.

I haven't gotten bored at all yet. I arrived Friday morning, and saw Andrew at lunch time. Then we went out to dinner with some of his friends at a Mexican place. Not bad tasting, either, considering we're really far from Mexico! I had a virgin frozen margarita. Usually they don't appeal to me at all but I've really enjoyed the taste of citrus lately. It was like a lemon-lime slushie. No cravings to speak of..apparently my vitamins are doing the trick. I only have slight changes to my tastes.

Anyway, the next day I didn't see Andrew until the afternoon because they had to clean their building. He thought he wasn't going to get to see me at all, but he was, as usual, overly pessimistic. We went to the nearest large town and his friends all got a room at a motel. It was funny, there was about 8 of us in one hotel room watching tv, and some of them had a couple beers, and everyone was basically doing nothing they couldn't on base, but the fact that they were off base made all the difference. The next day all we did was roam about town browsing stores.

Despite spending so much time outside of the room, I feel like I've gotten a few things done. I'd brought my sewing machine with me, and I cut out and sewed some fabric I got at Walmart. It's pink and white stripes with little blue and pink flowers, and it's really pretty good fabric. I got it from the discount area, $2/yd. But it feels like good decorating fabric. I made it into a crib sheet, crib bumper, and crib skirt. You'll see it when I take pics of the room. I loved working with it, it's got a great feel to it. I'm not sure if it's totally cotton but that's ok. I'm going to make a diaper stacker too, sometime soon. I also brought my trench coat to work on if I feel like it, and a Hello Kitty fleece pieced blanket kit I bought at Joann's a while back. I have plenty of handwork too though, for when I tire of sewing! It's just been so long since I've sewed very much, it's nice to sew again. Handwork is portable, but sewing isn't.

Oh, I forgot to tell what happened with my brakes...well, I told my dad about what they said, so we took a wheel off on the weekend to check it out for ourselves. He said they were getting somewhat low, yes, but I had a good 5-10 thousand miles left on them. Certainly not 'you're going to die tomorrow' or taking my life into my hands sort of thing that they conveyed. But Dad thought we might as well change them out anyway, seeing as how I was about to go cross-country. We went down to Auto Zone and bought some brake fluid and pads for all of $40. Much better than $240 that Midas wanted! So I've got new good quality brakes now. I drove them all the way to Alabama and no problems yet!

Last but not least, I'm going to post a picture of my belly, because I have no idea when I'll get around to it next or have an opportunity next. For all I know, my baby will hatch prematurely in the next week and I can say, look! that's as big as I got! :) (Although I have to say, it is starting to look pretty big.. :)) I'm getting close to my 8th month already. Today I've completed 29 weeks, and I'm in the 30th. Eek! But anyway, here you go, and until next time...

:: Brinna 8:50 AM [+] ::
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Wow, I've gotten a lot done in the last couple days. I'm done with my armoire/hutch, I even took a pic. And a before/after pic of my room. I got some cheap sheets and a comforter from Ross, but my pillow is still out in the trailer. I don't think I'm going to actually sleep in the room until I get back from Alabama, but I've got most of my stuff moved now. I'm keeping myself from getting into the pile of baby stuff until I actually have somewhere to put it. My crib and dresser/changer should be here when I get back, so I'll just wait until then.

I made my reservation for my room at Ft. Rucker, it sounds perfect. It's only $24/night, and it has a microwave, fridge, iron and board, dishes, a continental breakfast, a vcr, a desk, and a table. Not a very big room, of course, but who needs space? :) I'll be by myself with my crafts.

I went to get my oil changed and the tires rotated at Midas before the trip..pretty good deal, monetarily. When I picked up my car they gave me a scary lecture about how badly worn my brakes are and that I should get them replaced immediately. What I want to know is, is it true? I've had services suggested to me before. An engine flush was 'strongly suggested' to me at Jiffy Lube. I was driving a brand new, 9 mo. old Toyota. They tried to tell me my engine oil was so thick it was like sludge or tar. Yeah, right. The oil looked pretty good when I looked at the dipstick! I took it to the dealer for the next oil change and they said the oil was like new. The point is, I haven't noticed any problems with my brakes. I still have great braking distance, no loud squealing, nothing to suggest my brakes are on their last leg. Granted, brakes are a very important safety system on a car...so Dad's going to check them out tonight after work. He's already been able to tell me that the rear brakes are just fine. I looked up midas online and found lots of bad reviews, so I'm not sure where to take it. I don't have a mechanic other than my busy dad! :)

Hmm... what else is happening...my glasses are done. They were actually done on Saturday but they called the house instead of my cell and no one was home. They left a message, but still, I told them to call my cell!! Well, I'll pick them up today.

Here's a couple pics I took of my room. The first one is the before shot, that I used in Microsoft Paint to try and decide how to paint the room.



This is after:



Wow, the colors look awful. I'll take some more pics when I get everything truly set up. Notice the lovely bedside table, handpainted by moi...and the border around the room was also painted by me. Yes, the border is not even. Yes, I'm okay with that. I'm learning to let go of perfection. :) The mirror was already on the wall when I moved in, as you can see from the before shot, but I painted the frame white. Hopefully it will be useful--I hear babies love mirrors, and it's the perfect height for when we're on the bed!

Here's the closet with all my baby booty:



I wonder if I'll come home to even more presents? A few people have said they were sorry they couldn't make it, and if there was anything I wanted...and a couple people had forgotten to bring it to church..I know, I'm greedy... :) The only things I haven't gotten are car sunshades, a changing table topper/pad for the dresser, and some cute toy blocks. If no one buys me the blocks I'll buy them myself! :)

And last but not least, a picture of my armoire thingy.

:: Brinna 9:22 AM [+] ::
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Today was my baby shower. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The turnout was excellent, I think, and the booty was also excellent. :) I got nearly everything I registered for (not including pricey items like crib and dresser, which I bought anyway).

My nursery/bedroom is nearly done! It is now pink with a handpainted border, and above the border I sponged white stripes. I'm also nearly done with my armoire/wardrobe piece. It takes so much paint! After using up one can of furniture paint (and not even completing the first coat), I decided on another tactic. I'd used the glossy topcoat on the headboard I'd painted white with the cheap paint, and it looked great, so why bother with expensive paint? Since it takes 3 coats it's a lot more economical. I already finished the little table, it turned out really nice. I'm debating whether or not to paint the flowers on the armoire, crib, and dresser, though... I'm not sure if I want to make them unique or leave them classic looking. After all, I might have a boy next time! :) But then, it's not like the boy will care at that age if his changing table has flowers on it. And I'll bet none of the subsequent children get the royal treatment quite like the first baby. I talked to Andrew and he said I could go ahead and order the crib and stuff, so now I've got everything purchased, I think. There's nothing lurking in the back of my head, anyway. I got curtains, hooks for the wall, a bedspread for my bead, a bedskirt, a great rug, and some other things.

I bought glasses Thursday--my contacts aren't working out anymore. I went to the eye doctor and he told me (which I already figured) that around the 7th month, when everything starts swelling, in a lot of people that includes your eyeballs. So I have to switch to glasses. My timing is impeccable, too, because my eyes were killing me yesterday with the contacts in. I forgot to take them out before I slept, and when I woke up I had a bunch of stuff in my eye as if it was trying to flush itself. Ew. I got perscription sunglasses in some discontinued Hugo Boss frames, and included in that was a pair of the 'cheap' (a.k.a. non-name brand) glasses. (Buy one nice pair of glasses, get one free.) It cost $250, but I always keep my glasses for a few years. My aunt gets a new pair every year and hers cost $300. Mine cost $125 each (averaged) and I think it's too much! :) But it doesn't cost any more than going to Wal-mart. My sister's glasses cost $130 at Walmart.

The middle of next week, I'm off to Alabama! Hopefully it won't cost too much to stay around there for a couple weeks, but it's worth it, considering he's leaving for Korea. I'm taking all my crochet and knitting and cross-stitch stuff, as well as my sewing machine. I found a bolt of fabric at Walmart on the clearance shelf that was actually really good fabric, and perfect for my nursery. I'm going to make a crib bumper (can you believe they cost at least $40 new??) and crib skirt. At least I won't be bored!

:: Brinna 7:42 PM [+] ::
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Well,
it's been a little bit since I've written, but not a whole lot has happened. My current quandary is how to paint the room that Alice and I will be living in this next year. I really like the look of pale pink walls, but I also like minty green, and they look nice together, but I'm not sure how to stick them together. At least I've got all the furniture figured out, I can buy it as soon as I get back from the trip to Alabama, Andrew said. I'm not sure why he wants to wait..I'd really rather have it ready in the (unlikely, in my family) case Alice comes early. Especially since I'm planning on painting flowers on them. I went to Hobby Lobby the other day, and found an unfinished armoire/hutch/chest/wardrobe for $150. I couldn't resist..after all, I'd been eyeing those sorts of pieces in the catalogs forever, and they're always at least $600. I also got a small bedside table to put between my nursing rocker and my bed. Hopefully I'll get pics up of my nursery when it's done.

Here's a picture of me at 27 weeks:


I guess I'm getting kinda big, but I don't feel big when I look at myself. And it's not because I see myself in the mirror everyday. I'm half surprised every time I see my belly in the mirror because I forget I'm pregnant! I really haven't had any big problems. Except when I'm sitting in some chairs, then my back starts hurting. I also have to stop wearing contacts, because my eyes are changing shape a bit, a common thing in pregnancy. But I'd probably be better off with glasses after Alice is born, anyway.

:: Brinna 9:35 AM [+] ::
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