"Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter..."

She is my joy...

2011-06-14T12:48:00.000-04:00

My Parker girl was born 1 year ago today. How can that be? Where did the year go? It seems like I blinked and 12 months passed...

Parker is truly the light of my life. She always has a smile and a laugh to go along with her silly antics! She is crawling like a maniac and is walking along all the furniture. She will stand by herself for quite a while, though no steps have been taken just yet. I know once she walks, she'll be running all over the place :) She knows the sign for "milk" and uses it every day. She is finally holding her own bottle... which I know is pretty late... but for the longest time she was a diva about feeding and only wanted US to hold the bottle. What a little stinker! She also whistles now and is quite proud of that newly acquired skill. She "sings" along to music sometimes while we're in the car. She says "Mama", "Dada", "Baba" and a few other strange little sounds that I can't spell. :P She loves being chased around the house and waits for you to crawl after her. She loves to blow kisses to people and waves to everyone around when we're out and about. One lady I met in a store said, "She should be a little beauty queen!" Umm... no thanks. Toddlers & Tiaras will NOT be part of her future. :P But she is my princess, even if she doesn't enjoy wearing frilly dresses. :) I should say that DADDY doesn't always like her to wear frilly dresses. The only thing Parker doesn't like about them is how they hinder her ability to crawl quickly. When she does crawl in a dress, there's a hitch in her movement... it's pretty hilarious!! :)

Shane & I have loved these last 12 months... though some moments stick out in our minds more than others. We loved those first few minutes with her - just staring at those big blue eyes and wondering if we were really ready for all that lay ahead. We loved the first time we heard her voice - even if it was a cry! We loved the first time she slept through the night - it was at 7 weeks and we were THRILLED that we could get a full night's rest again. We loved hearing her laugh for the first time... no better sound on earth! I loved watching her dance with her daddy at my brother's wedding in Washington. What a beautiful moment that was for me to witness. We loved watching her eat that first bite of food - the faces she made were priceless! We loved watching her sit up by herself for the first time - she was so proud of herself. :) Hearing her say "Dada" is pretty amazing... though "Mama" was what I had been waiting for. It might have taken her far longer to say it, but once I heard it, I loved her even more than I knew I could. We don't get much cuddle time with Parker, as she just isn't one to sit still for that long. But when she rests her head on our shoulders, all is right with the world. And watching her crawl for the first time was such a fun moment! We were all together at my parents' house and everyone was sitting in the family room as she made those first forward movements. My mom has it on video, actually!

So many moments to love... and what a beautiful little girl God has blessed us with. I pray that she grows to love Him deeply and fully, that she understands the sacrifice that He made for her on the cross. I pray that her heart will break for others who are hurting, that she will want to make a difference in their lives. I pray that she will always be so full of joy, that even in the darkest times, her heart will shine through. But most of all I pray that she will always know that she is loved... not only by us, our family & friends, but by her Heavenly Father - the Author & Giver of Life. Amen.

My daughter, the ham :)

2011-06-06T10:47:00.000-04:00

Is anyone shocked by the fact that Parker is a little ham?? I'm certainly not. :) She is definitely my child... when I was her age I always wanted to entertain people (and still do for that matter... though it's certainly not cute like it was when I was a baby!). Parker is constantly making us laugh with all her shenanigans. I'm grateful to have been blessed with such a joyful little girl -- I knew her middle name would speak the truth. When we go places with her, whether she's in her stroller or perched in a shopping cart she loves to smile and wave at everyone in her path. People laugh and say, "Look at that baby! She's saying 'hi' to me!" It's hilarious, I must admit. :) I also got a call from my sister this morning letting me know that Parker is now whistling... WHAT?!?! Yep - she has discovered how sucking in air between pursed lips produces a soft whistle. My mom was doing this with her the other day, but I never actually heard it come from Parker's mouth. So funny all the little things she does. God is so gracious -- I pray that I never take His gift for granted.

I'm Baaaaaack

2011-05-27T12:39:00.004-04:00

It's been SO long - and while I know I've said that before, I'm hoping this time will be the last time. This will probably be rather long, perhaps a bit sad, and more of a stream of consciousness than anything else. Let me preface this post by saying I've come to learn that writing is therapeutic for me. I never really kept a journal, with the exception of the time in high school when my family vacationed in Australia. My mom bought journals for me and my siblings and said, "You should write in this every day during our trip so you can look back and remember all the little details." She literally asked EVERY day during the trip if we had journaled yet... and while it was forced on me and I was quite annoyed at the time, I'm actually thankful now to have those memories written down.

It's been quite an interesting journey for our little family of 3. My amazing hubby is crazy busy pursuing a Doctorate of Chiropractic degree (and loving it!). I am working a full-time job and while I can't say I'm always loving it, I can say that I'm thankful for it. Our little girl is not so little anymore. In two and a half weeks we will celebrate Parker's FIRST birthday... how can that be??! It doesn't seem possible that time has gone by so quickly with her. I always thought it was cliche when I heard people say that children grow up so fast - but I wholeheartedly agree now that I'm experiencing it. Being a working mom is tough. I feel as though I'm missing everything, and though my head tells me that's not true, my heart tells me otherwise. She is changing everyday and learning new things. She isn't quite walking yet, but she probably will be any day now. Parker is a crawling maniac - curious about everything around her. She is pretty much happy all the time... and during her first 6 weeks of life, I never thought I would ever be able to say that. Those weeks were not my favorite, needless to say. :P My sister is a rockstar and watches Parker 3 days a week. Oh - and did I mention she has a little boy of her own, just 7 weeks younger than PJ?? Yes... you read that correctly, she is basically dealing with twins every other day. I will never know how she does it, but I am forever grateful to her for the amazing gift she's given us by taking such good care of our sweet P. My mom (who is also a rockstar!) watches Parker the other 2 days each week and is having a blast with her in between teaching and tutoring. There is no greater blessing than to have our daughter raised by family. I wish we lived closer to Shane's parents as well so they could take part in the weekly baby parade. :) It isn't easy for us to head out of the house each day, knowing we'll only get maybe an hour or 2 together as a family, but this is the season we're in - and it is temporary. I have to tell myself that every single day.

When we moved back "home" to New York, I think we assumed it would be far easier than it's been. We were so excited to be close to family (which we ARE), as well as friends we've known for a long time. The transition, however, has proven to be much more difficult. While we were in Kentucky, life moved on for everyone back here. I think we almost expected to waltz right back into friendships as if nothing had changed - as if they hadn't found anyone to fill our shoes. Don't get me wrong - we still have those friendships... but they will never be the same and I am mourning that loss. And while we were in Kentucky, we forged new relationships as well - ones that I pray will remain forever. We miss those friends more than anything... doing life with them was one of the greatest honors of my life. Moving back was like being in Seinfeld's bizarro world, or maybe more like the alternate 1985 in Back to the Future, Part II - everything first appeared to be the same, yet when we took a closer look... the world was completely different. We are still trying to find our place in this "new world" - a world that doesn't offer much time for anything outside our daily routine.

I am happy to say that we've found a church where I've been able to plug in musically, and we're excited to get better connected to others and become more involved as we join our first small group there. I have found that I am having to get used to the idea of being by myself more often... not for lack of others around me, but more due to the fact that those around me aren't like-minded. This is the case at work - thus why it's been challenging to love it. I am learning to lean more on God through all these things, though, and I know in my heart this is probably why He has us here for this time. It's been so easy for me to keep Him in a little box and only pull Him out when things are tough. I've led a very blessed life and I know I've taken those blessings for granted. He is making me aware of my shortcomings as one of His followers, and it's a painful process... but one that I know will strengthen my love for Him - and that is my one true desire.

But through these tough times and moments of transition, as I look to the future and what my Heavenly Father has in store for us, I am filled with hope. He is changing me, stretching me... I am called to be a light in this dark place. I am privileged to be a child of the living God - and I need to walk in that truth with full conviction. A song filled my heart about a month ago that continues to resonate in me this very moment...

"Restless"
(Audrey Assad & Matt Maher)

You dwell in the songs that we are singing
Rising to the heavens
Rising to Your heart, Your heart
Our praises filling up the spaces
In between our frailty
And everything You are, You are
The keeper of my heart

And I’m restless, I’m restless
Till I rest in You, till I rest in You
I am restless, I’m restless
Till I rest in You, till I rest in You, oh God.

Speak now, for my soul is listening
Say that You have saved me
Whisper in the dark, the dark
I know You’re more than my salvation
Without You I am hopeless
Tell me who You are, You are
The keeper of my heart

And I’m restless, I’m restless
Till I rest in You, till I rest in You
I am restless, I’m restless
Till I rest in You, till I rest in You, oh God

Still my heart, hold me close
Let me hear a still small voice
Let it grow, let it rise
Into a shout, into a cry

And I’m restless, I’m restless
Till I rest in You, till I rest in You
I am restless, so restless
Till I rest in You, till I rest in You, oh God

I am restless... but I am learning to rest in Him. It is a daily decision and one that is still a struggle at times. It's easy for me to dwell on the negative, rather than on all the amazing things He's already done - which is pretty crazy considering ALL He's done. I want to be a grateful child who reflects His image. I am a work in progress and each day He is stripping away the old selfish pieces. I have a long way to go... but I'm refusing to go back. Less of me and more of You, oh God... this is my prayer.

Jehovah Jireh

2010-10-03T22:11:00.004-04:00

Wow... has it really been this long since I've posted??! Not like there are tons of people following this blog, but I thought I should probably get on here and share what's been happening over the past couple months. Life has changed completely for us - but in the best ways one can imagine! I will try to play catch-up a bit and go in order of events. This may take a while, or perhaps even a couple different posts. I'll give you the "Reader's Digest Version" as Shane often requests. Otherwise you'll be here for WAY too long!

Let me first share our "week of miracles" (as I've come to call it). The day of Shane's graduation from Asbury was Saturday, May 22nd. That Tuesday (May 25) he received official notice that he was accepted to New York Chiropractic College in Seneca Falls. Wednesday (May 26) my sister and her husband received a phone call that they'd been waiting months - in fact YEARS - for... a call about a baby they would be adopting! And then that Saturday (May 29) we sold our townhouse!!! All these things took place in a span of ONE WEEK. That Sunday I was leading worship at church and just could NOT contain my joy or my thankfulness to God for all He had done in that past week. Don't get me wrong - I am thankful every single day for His goodness, but all of those things packed into 1 week was nothing short of miraculous! We sang "Because of Who You Are" that morning and I want to share these words that spoke to my heart and inspired the title of this post: "Because of who You are I give You glory, because of who You are I give You praise, because of who You are I will lift my voice and say, 'Lord, I worship You because of who You are!' Jehovah Jireh, my Provider; Jehovah Nissi, Lord You reign in victory; Jehovah Shalom, my Prince of Peace - and I worship You because of who You are!" I could barely hold it together that Sunday morning... He has truly been our Provider in ways that I could never have fathomed. We had prayed for months that the house would sell, but with the market in rough shape, we truly didn't know if selling was the way that He would choose to answer that prayer. We trusted that He would provide an answer, and we actually had one prior to the sale of the house in the form of a renter who was coming to the seminary right after we were hoping to move back to NY. But He took that answer and bumped it up about 5 notches when he provided this buyer for the house. I just cried and cried when Shane called me to say, "WE SOLD THE HOUSE!" I was (and still am) in awe of how God has continually provided for us along the way. We serve an awesome Father! So with the sale of the house came the closing of that chapter of life in Kentucky. It was bittersweet as we made such wonderful friends during our time at Asbury, and those friends will stick with us forever. God is so good... I can't say it enough!

Now that Shane had graduated and the house had sold, all we had left to wait for was our little bundle of joy - Parker Joy, that is! :) She opted to come 5 days after her "estimated due date." She's like me... what can I say?! The delivery was long (which I will write about in a separate post), but I was able to do everything just how I wanted - no intervention and a completely natural childbirth without complications. Again... I can't say it enough, GOD IS GOOD! On Monday, June 14th, 2010 at 8:22pm, Parker Joy DeHaven came into this world weighing in at 7 pounds, 15 ounces, and 20 inches long. Jehovah Jireh, my Provider. My world changed the moment I saw my daughter. Watching the video (yes... I have video!) is always emotional for me. I kept saying, "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" and, "Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Jesus!" after I held her in my arms. There is no greater experience in life and words cannot express the fullness in my heart that occurred when I held her in my arms. It's amazing to me how God opens your heart in ways you could never imagine after having a child. I never knew I could love someone that much or so immediately, nor did I realize that I could love Shane more than I already do! When Parker was born, I believe that a new part of my heart was laid bare - one that I never knew existed. I love more deeply now than ever before, and I am humbled that God has chosen me to be a mother to this beautiful little girl. Jehovah Jireh, MY PROVIDER!!! Pictures still to come...

Pomp & Circumstance

2010-05-26T10:33:00.003-04:00

Shane graduated from Asbury Theological Seminary this past weekend with a Master of Arts in Theological Studies!!! :) I am SO unbelievably proud of him... words really can't sufficiently express. He has worked so hard these past three years - juggling schoolwork, 3 jobs, and taking care of so many other things. I am blessed to be his wife and look forward to this next journey we're about to take. Here are some pictures from the weekend (and yes... my belly is visible in most of these - so I hope they suffice for prego pics, too!):

Before the ceremony

We had great seats! :)

Richard, Shane & Tab - the 3 amigos!

35 weeks!

2010-05-06T10:30:00.003-04:00

Yesterday (Wednesday) marked 35 weeks!! I can't believe how quickly time is flying by. Before we know it... she'll be here! :) I am still feeling great AND wearing heels. I get comments all the time at work about that and I just have to laugh. I'm actually more comfortable in heels than I am in flats for some reason! Maybe it's because I've gotten so used to wearing them... who knows?!

She is still very active during the daytime - particularly from 11:00am until about 3:00pm. I'm pretty sure I have a gymnast in there! She has also begun to be more active around 8:00pm for about an hour and a half each night. Haven't had much movement in the middle of the night, though, which I'm very thankful for! I hope she likes that schedule and can stick to it after she's born. :)

Thanks to our YMCA family, we were able to purchase our travel system and swing last night at Babies 'R' Us without spending a dime of our own money! What a HUGE blessing. :) We still have a few small things we'll need to get before she's born, but all the big things have been taken care of. My mom bought the changing table for us and gave us a cradle, my in-laws bought us our Pack 'N Play as well as our crib bedding, and we have more clothes than we'll know what to do with! If you've been on my mom's Facebook page in recent months, you can see all the adorable clothes that Parker has awaiting her. As my dad so lovingly says, "You've unleashed a monster!" :) My in-laws gave us a bunch of clothes at the shower this weekend, and we also received TONS of cute outfits from the ladies at that same shower. Our family and friends have been so generous to us and we cannot begin to express our gratitude to each and every one of you! THANK YOU - it is a blessing to have you in our lives.

And here are the most recent belly pictures (from all angles) that Shane took last night. Typically he takes a picture of me from behind because he's still pretty convinced that you can't tell I'm pregnant from the back. Personally, I think it's getting harder and harder to "hide" from ANY viewpoint, but I'll let you be the judge of that. ;)

Catching Up

2010-05-05T13:07:00.004-04:00

I haven't posted since we got back from Myrtle Beach. It seems as though our life has been a whirlwind ever since... but we're settling back into the groove of our routines now. :) Myrtle Beach was AMAZING! We started off on a rough note with the car breaking down about 50 miles away from Corey & Danielle's, but we were able to get it towed and the situation could have been MUCH worse. My parents saved the day again and rented a car for us so we could get the rest of the way to Myrtle Beach. Once we got there, we were just SO excited to see the family! It was sad that Tyler couldn't be with us, but we're looking forward to seeing him sometime soon (hopefully when Parker is born, if he's able to get out of class!). The week was full of relaxation, golf (for Shane), seeing "Avatar" in the 3D Imax (pictures shown below), good eating, even better shopping, and LOTS of laughter. Can't ask for a better vacation than that! Here are just a couple shots from our trip:

After we returned home from Myrtle Beach, we had 1 week of work before 2 baby showers! The first shower was given by my friends/co-workers at the YMCA on Friday during lunch. It was so much fun and people were SO generous to us! Thanks to our Y friends, we'll be able to get our travel system which includes the car seat, stroller, and additional base. I wish I could show you pictures from that, but unfortunately my camera was packed in the car already since we were leaving directly after that shower to drive up to NY for the NEXT shower! I think my boss, Gail, was able to capture a few shots on her camera phone, so I'll see if I can post those sometime soon. The food, the games, the gifts, the fellowship... all of it was sweet!

The shower in Jamestown was given by my mother-in-law (AKA "Nana", as she'll be called by Parker). When we first got to Jamestown there was some prep work left to be done, but Judy is SUPER organized, so it was easy to knock out those tasks. Mom & Dad DeHaven bought us our Pack 'N Play which we were able to set up at the shower to hold a lot of the presents! The shower was on Sunday afternoon and my sister was able to make the trip out! Unfortunately, my mom was in Portland, Oregon for Tessa's graduation and to meet her family. They hadn't met before this past weekend, and everyone thought it was probably a good idea for the families to meet before the wedding in August! ;) And although my mom wasn't there, her presence was VERY much felt! She sent along more gifts for Parker (and when I say "more", I mean that she has already bought so many amazing things for her - from outfits, to carriers, to her changing table - that I couldn't believe there was MORE). The shower was wonderful and all the ladies were so gracious - and again... EXTREMELY generous! Parker is such a blessed little girl already and we feel humbled to have these amazing friends and family surrounding us during this time. Here are a couple shots from the Jamestown shower (including the diaper cake Judy made!):

Thanks to EVERYONE who has made this time in our lives so special! We can't wait to introduce Parker to each of you! :)

Myrtle Beach... HERE WE COME!! :)

2010-04-13T14:51:00.003-04:00

This Friday we are leaving to head down to Myrtle Beach for an entire WEEK of vacation with my family! I cannot tell you how excited the two of us are to have this time away - especially with those we love and miss dearly. :) My parents own a timeshare and take this trip once a year, but this is the first time we'll be joining them! It will be so much fun to see my family now that I actually look pregnant. The last time I saw them I had a very small bump that you wouldn't really notice as a "baby bump" - so it'll be a blast to have them finally get to feel Parker move and kick around in there! By the way... she is SUPER active in the middle of the day (especially as I type this posting), from around noon until 4:30 or so. She tends to calm down a bit for a few hours and then becomes more active again around 8:00pm. I'm glad to say that she's been very "quiet" when I lie down to sleep and I'm thankful for those uneventful nights. It used to be the other way around where she was SUPER active only at night, but now I think she's getting into more of a routine. Let's hope that continues to be the case after she's born!! ;)

This vacation will be our "last hurrah" before Parker's arrival. Not to say we won't be making any more trips... but we won't have any VACATIONS again until after she's here! I can't believe that in less than 2 months we will be holding our little girl! This pregnancy has gone by so quickly and I've really enjoyed every minute of it. I praise God for His guiding hand throughout these past 7 months and I look forward to seeing where He takes the three of us on this new journey! And here's the latest belly picture taken just a few days ago by my good friend, Kate. :)

29 weeks and still feeling great!

2010-03-24T14:22:00.003-04:00

I know I probably shouldn't say it... but this has been such a smooth pregnancy thus far! :) I have been so blessed during these months and love every moment I feel our baby girl moving around inside my belly. I wish Shane could experience this phenomenon personally... but alas, it can never be. :)

We went in for our follow-up ultrasound and my glucose test yesterday. The outcome? All great news! The ultrasound showed NO sign of a cyst anywhere on her head (which they thought might be the case at my 21-week appointment). We PRAISE GOD for her health and His protection over her. The ultrasound tech was even nice enough to sneak in a couple 3D shots of our girl (which was not supposed to happen this time around), and it's AMAZING to see her little face... I can't believe what this technology can do!! According to measurements, Parker Joy is weighing in at exactly 3 pounds - right where she should be at this stage of the pregnancy. She is such a miracle... I can't begin to describe how in awe we are of God's grace and blessings.

The glucose test was a breeze, thanks to the fact that I was given permission to drink organic grape juice rather than the nasty orange Glucola they try to force down every pregnant woman's throat. My glucose level was 69 one hour after I drank my 13.3 ounces of juice - definitely FAR below the 130 mark they've set. :)

After the appointment was over, we were able to head across the street to take a tour of the BRAND NEW women's facility at Saint Joseph East Hospital (where I'll be delivering). They just opened their doors yesterday morning and our midwife said, "Hey! You should go check it out after you leave here if you have time! I've heard it's beautiful." And is it ever!! Now things are beginning to set in for me... after seeing the rooms and the actual BUILDING where our daughter will be born. I'm so happy that I'll have the chance to experience this new facility. The doctors and nurses were MORE than excited to show us around their new digs.

And here's the latest baby bump shot taken last night. Looking forward to the next 11 weeks!

Glucola?? Hmm...

2010-02-24T17:29:00.003-05:00

At my doctor's appointment today I was given a bottle of orange "Glucola" that contains 50 grams of sugar. I have to consume this entire bottle within 5 minutes on the morning of my next appointment (March 23) so they can stick my finger with a needle and check my blood glucose levels. Awesome. Here's my question - why is it that they don't provide any type of organic alternative to this nasty synthetic garbage?! I'm not in the habit of taking in processed sugars or any other dyes/toxins on a regular basis ON PURPOSE... so why would I want to spike my normal levels with an INorganic sugar and all other sorts of crap? I'm hoping that my midwife will allow me to drink 14 ounces of organic grape juice - which would also equal 50 grams of sugar. I feel this is a valid and reasonable alternative, don't you? And here's another profile shot of my growing belly & baby girl! :)

A brief update

2010-02-16T14:41:00.004-05:00

I am really enjoying being pregnant!!! I feel great and I hope this continues to be the case for the remaining 3-4 months. :) I can feel her moving quite a bit these days and I must say that it is the most amazing sensation in the world... I thank God for EVERY time it happens - even if it's when I want to sleep! I definitely look permanently pregnant now - not just a little round in the mid-section. Some people have told me that they can't tell I'm pregnant if they look at me from behind, which I CERTAINLY appreciate. :) Let's hope they're not just being nice!

I'm having a bit more difficulty sleeping - or rather getting comfortable on my side - and I know this will only increase in the coming months. But I'm sleeping pretty soundly once I can find a relaxing position. I'm trying to walk every day and remember to do my exercises. Some days are better than others, though, I'll admit...

As of right now, our little girl weighs about a pound and so far I've only gained 3.5 - so not too shabby!! :) Here's the latest baby bump picture (taken about a week ago):

My next appointment is on February 24th and I'm SO looking forward to hearing her heartbeat again. I know it may sound crazy, but there are days when I just need to hear that sound to know that she's growing strong and doing well. :) That's all for now...

And here SHE is!!

2010-01-28T11:57:00.003-05:00

That's right... we're having a GIRL! :) I am 21 weeks along at this point and feeling great! Here are some pictures from the ultrasound this past Tuesday morning.

Not quite a modest little lady... but we wanted cooperation - and we got it! :)

Here is a profile shot of our little girl - though she didn't care to uncover her face!

And here's a straight-on shot. It looks like she might be praying in there! :) As Shane likes to say, "Spiritual from the start..."

A new year... a new addition! :)

2010-01-11T15:17:00.003-05:00

[WARNING: Long post to follow!]
While most of you who read this blog already know our exciting news, I figured it would be a good idea to chronicle the journey of our expanding family! We found out on October 8, 2009 that I was expecting our first child!! :) We were (and still are) ECSTATIC, to say the least. The morning of October 8 began as any other day - with work. As I left work for my regularly scheduled annual doctor appointment, I couldn't help but hope that my dream had become a reality. I kept telling myself, "Don't get your hopes up..." But let's be honest - they already were! Without getting into all the details, I'll just say that I had not yet taken a pregnancy test until the day of my doctor's appointment. After arriving at the office and taking care of my end of things for the test, I was waiting patiently in a chair as my blood pressure was taken. The nurse looked at me just seconds later and said very nonchalantly, "Well, you have a positive pregnancy test." I was dumbfounded! I immediately said, "Are you serious?" Not sure why... especially when we had been trying, and since this was what I was hoping for! But I think her tone and manner caused my initial reaction. It was as if she was reading aloud the things on her "to do" list. I suppose she has to be careful with how she delivers this statement, though, as not everyone would be excited for this news. Once it registered in my brain, I immediately began smiling from ear to ear and teared up a bit. At this point, she returned the smile and said, "Congratulations!" Let me share that Shane was attending class as I was being told this life-changing news. Had I thought I really WAS pregnant, I probably would've insisted that he come with me that morning. But I've dealt with disappointment before on this front and didn't want to create something out of what I thought was nothing.

After delivering this wonderful news, the nurse proceeds to ask me some other questions and determines that I am approximately 5 weeks and 2 days along - making my due date June 10, 2010. WHAT?! At this moment (while I am being escorted into an exam room), every possible thought is swirling around in my head. "I HAVE TO CALL SHANE!" "Oh my goodness... I can't believe this is happening!" "I don't feel any different. Is she sure the test was positive? What if she made a mistake?" The reality of this moment finally began to set in when I spoke with Shane just a few minutes later. I had left him a message for him to call me, and he did so as soon as his class was dismissed. I was with my doctor at this point and I told him that I might have to answer my phone should my husband call. Just seconds after uttering that statement, my phone began to vibrate in my pocket. I scrambled to grab it and heard Shane say, "So... what's up?" And I anxiously answered, "Umm... you're going to be a daddy!" His reaction was instant, saying, "Are you kidding??! Oh my goodness..." I could actually HEAR him smiling on the other end of the phone. He got in his car not long after our conversation and met me at work so we could enjoy lunch together as we shared in this awesome moment.

I'm happy to say that we are blessed to have been able tell both of our families in person. It all started off with our trip to Disney World with the DeHavens back at the end of October. Once we found out that I was pregnant, we began plotting how we would let the cat out of the bag. We knew that Shane's family would be the first we saw... and determined at that point that we would tell them as soon as everyone was together. Once we got home from that trip, we hopped on a plane to NY to tell my family. It was a whirlwind couple of weeks, but worth EVERY second. :) Both families were overjoyed at our news and we've been sharing it with friends and extended family ever since.

As of today I am just over 18 weeks along and feeling great! I had my moments of sickness during weeks 10-14, but besides that I really can't complain! I know now that I have to get at least 9 hours (if not 10) of sleep each night to feel fully rested. I'm drinking lots of water and eating well... making sure Baby D (as we fondly refer to him/her) gets all the necessary nutrients. We are looking forward to finding out the baby's gender in just a couple weeks! It is still quite a surreal experience, but I am so blessed and humbled to be carrying this new life inside of me. God is so amazing...

Here is our first ultrasound from week 8 along with a couple "baby bump" pictures (one from early December and one from just last week):

Small Group Surprise

2009-11-18T12:09:00.002-05:00

This past Sunday night we headed to the Dorrell Home for our small group meeting. This is the first time since September that we've had a chance to attend small group due to our travels - not to mention the fact that Shane was a bit apprehensive about re-entering the group that led to his exposure to H1N1... not cool. But in any case, we arrived a bit tired and not sure what to expect - only to find that our group is AWESOME!! I was pretty excited about it from the beginning, but Shane was a bit skeptical (as usual). You know that feeling when you're trying to force a friendship, or a spiritual conversation just to feel like you're making a connection? Well... we've had experiences like that before with small groups and just didn't want to have the same happen this time around. After we sat down, we were very pleasantly surprised to know that the group had decided on reading a VERY profound and interesting book - A.W. Tozer's Pursuit of God. Shane was excited from the moment he found out. We were anxious to hear what people brought to the table, hoping that we could truly be ourselves and feel like we still somehow fit into the group. I'm thankful that ALL OF THIS HAS BEEN THE CASE! We had a blast getting to chat with these people, finding common interests and just joking around. There was no hidden agenda, no need to walk on eggshells for fear of offending - just a group of people having discussion about life and how God is changing each of us on a daily basis. I'm grateful not only for our small group, but First Alliance Church as a whole. We are constantly blessed by the preaching of the Word and the fellowship we continue to find. PRAISE GOD!

And on a TOTALLY different note - CONGRATULATIONS to my cousin, Kristen (and her husband, Kevin), on the arrival of their second child, Kate Ann Yaiko! She was born on November 15th around 11:30am in a Hungarian hospital, weighing in at 7 lbs., 11 ounces and measuring 21.25 inches long. Kate is doing VERY well and Kristen is feeling good after the delivery. Unfortunately, as of today the other members of the family are very ill. Their son, Seth, came down with a bad case of the flu and is now in the hospital himself receiving fluids and antibiotics to help his fever come down. Kevin is sick as well, though I don't think he's quite as bad as Seth. Kristen experienced some of the sickness, too - but has been cleared to go home with Kate. PLEASE pray that each member of the family continues to get better as Kate arrives home. The family wants to be together, but this nasty flu is making it awfully hard for that to happen. Here's a picture of Little Miss Yaiko ;)

Anticipation & Other Updates

2009-10-13T12:20:00.005-04:00

We leave on Friday afternoon to make the drive down to Orlando, Florida. Why, you ask? Because we'll be spending ALL of next week in Disney World with the DeHaven Family!!! I am so excited about this trip and wait with anticipation for Friday to arrive! Have you ever noticed that when you look forward to something, it takes that much LONGER to happen? Ugh...

In other update news, I was able to fly to NY (thanks to my mom!) for Houghton College's Homecoming a couple weekends ago! My dad was inducted into their Hall of Honor for his accomplishments as a student athlete as well as his continued contributions to the school since his time as a student. It was a great time for him and my family - I feel so blessed that I could be there for it! And while I was there I got to meet Molly MacDonald for the first time. Molly is my sister's niece on the Luckey side of the family and is absolutely ADORABLE! Here are a couple pictures of her from our little visit. (Check out her "Future Highlander" onesie in the 2nd shot!)

Is she not the cutest child ever??! I was also able to visit with my friend, Cherith, for a bit since they've moved back up to Houghton. They are doing great in their new place, and it was nice to be able to catch up a bit while in our old stomping grounds! The rest of the weekend was spent with my family and we just had a blast together. The weather was great and the fellowship was sweet - I couldn't have asked for a better time!

Here's looking to Friday...

"I have a feeling it's gonna be one of those days..."

2009-09-21T14:14:00.003-04:00

Why is it that every time I find clothing items that fit me perfectly, they're way too expensive?? This weekend I went shopping with my friend, Kate. After a great breakfast shared with our friend, Natalie (who soon after had to go to work), Kate and I embarked on our Mall Adventure. I call it an adventure because we both did more shopping than we expected to! Also... anytime you go to the Fayette Mall it seems like an adventure because you just never know what you're in for. We started off at Old Navy and ended in Banana Republic. Along the way we also stopped at Express, Gap, and Victoria's Secret... just to name a few. Just minutes into our shopping "spree", Kate looked at me and said, "I have a feeling it's gonna be one of those days. One where you find the exact thing you're looking for, and where pretty much everything fits." Thankfully we both found some great sales on things that fit, and had some coupons to redeem. While we found a ton of cute items, my most favorite was at Banana Republic (of course). When Kate first said she wanted to stop at BR, I thought, "oh boy... this isn't going to be good." The only reason for that thought was the fact that I typically love everything I see in there, but can never afford them. The item I'm referring to is a gray short-sleeved dress, perfect for work, church, fall events... anything, really! Why did I even try it on? Not only did I try on the $110 (SALE PRICE) dress, but another sweater dress that looked fantastic. I wasn't planning to try it on, but Kate insisted - NOT allowing me to look at the price tag before going into the dressing room. I think that somehow my body is shaped in just such a way that the only clothes that fit it perfectly are those that I cannot afford. In the words of the elusive "David After Dentist" - why is this happening to me??

The happy ending to this story, though, is that we found white trouser pants at BR for only $14.99!!! Kudos to Kate for finding them! We each bought a pair and that became the grand finish for the day. We had such a blast together, and although Shane might not like to hear this... I think I'll go shopping with her again! :)

Why do I do this to myself?

2009-09-15T10:10:00.002-04:00

So last night we watched the Bills take on the Patriots in the first Monday Night Football game of the regular season. I was pleasantly surprised by the Bills' defense, and pretty happy with Trent Edwards' performance. What I was NOT excited about was McKelvin somehow managing to fumble the ball with only a few short minutes left in the game. How hard is it to get your knee on the ground? Better yet - HOW HARD IS IT TO TAKE A KNEE IN THE ENDZONE? There was no reason for him to take it up the field, especially when he wouldn't have gained any more yards had he actually managed to hold on to the ball! I stayed up to watch the end of the game, hoping beyond all hope that they would FOR ONCE pull it together. I guess I should know better by now... the Bills will always break my heart. Will this stop me from watching them again? Certainly not. Why, oh why do I do this to myself?

Poor girl...

2009-09-14T20:57:00.003-04:00

Apparently Kentucky is ranked as one of the top 10 states for the worst allergies. Ever since we moved here, our dogs (NOT US) have had horrible problems! This year is no different... poor Maggie is having a tougher time than ever before. After we thought she was getting better, her condition became far worse and we had to take her to the vet to be put on prednisone - AGAIN. We went through this at the same time last year (almost to the day!) and the medicine just makes her tired and ridiculously thirsty. Oh - and let's not forget the best part of this... the aforementioned need to quench her thirst = crazy urination. No matter how many times we let her out, we inevitably still have to change her blankets about 3 times a day. Not only do we change her blankets, but she needs baths as well. Can't wait to see our water bill this month...

As much as I hate giving her any kind of drug, thankfully she's starting to get better after about a week on the meds. She's also acting more like her normal, playful self. And just as I think we're coming to a close of another 2-week laundry marathon, Maggie sits drinking her entire bowl of water... at 9:15pm... AWESOME. I didn't think it was possible for this state to give me any more reasons to want to move away. But alas, Kentucky - you've done it again.

Something old, something new, something borrowed... and something blue/blew?

2009-07-14T13:39:00.005-04:00

Typically this phrase brings to mind a fond wedding tradition. And while a wedding is a part of this post, the meaning of the title brings both fond and furious memories for me. I guess I should start back about 2 weeks ago for you to understand the whole story. My family came to visit us over the 4th of July weekend - YAY! This was their first trip to Kentucky since we've lived here, so I was excited to show them around and have them experience life as we know it. The day before their arrival, Shane approached me as I was getting ready for work with the following statement: "Umm... so..." - which, history tells me, means he either has something not-so-good to tell me, or he is hatching a plan. Thankfully it was the latter; the plan was to paint the upstairs half bathroom during his day off prior to my family's arrival. I was ecstatic to hear this plan, as it's something I've wanted to do since we moved in! So we picked through some paint colors on Sherwin Williams' website (awesome, by the way), and we decided on a few different hues from which he could make the final decision. So I headed off to work and soon began receiving picture/text messages with the "progress" being made. And as I watched the blue paint being applied to the walls, all I could wonder was this... "Has Cookie Monster taken up residence in the bathroom?" The color is called "Flyway" and is such a great color - but it was a tad brighter than I (or Shane for that matter) had anticipated. After all was said and done, it looked very nice and we had decided on what kinds of things could help break up the mass of color. :) We opted to toss out the old rug in front of the sink as well as removing the items we had sitting around the sink, since none of them fit with the updated color scheme. When Mom, Dad, Jordan and Tyler arrived the bathroom had been completed, though the walls were still blank. So Mom and I went shopping for some new items to place on the walls - ocean/beach scenes to put in white frames. While we were out we found some other small items to help tie everything together. My parents also bought us a huge new piece of artwork to display above the couch on our open wall - it looks fantastic! Thanks, Mom & Dad!! We had a great weekend together, hanging out, eating Shane's famous ribs, and just enjoying each other.

After their departure we had a week of work before heading off for more summer travels. We had made plans to go to Canada this past weekend for the wedding celebration of our wonderful friends, Kate & Robert. We have come to know them well during our time at Asbury and are so thankful for their friendship. In any case, since the trip was more than 10 hours in total, we opted to stay at Shane's parents' house on the way so we didn't have to spend 2 nights in a hotel room. Before leaving, we chose to take my car up to NY/Canada so that my father-in-law could take a look at a couple things. It had been doing some funny things, but nothing too major.

Once we were in Bemus Point, we took the car up to the garage on Friday afternoon for Dad DeHaven to put it up on the lift and check things out. Rather than wait around through his very busy day, we decided to take his car back to the house and hang out for a bit. But when he got home from work that day he had this news to share with me... MY CAR NEEDS A NEW TRANSMISSION. Are you kidding me?? So not only does this mean we need to fork over some money (which, thankfully isn't as much as it COULD be due to our service contract), but we also can't take the car over the Canadian border for the wedding. My father-in-law was not confident that it would make it the 4 hours up and 4 hours back necessary to get it back to the garage. If we broke down in Canada, he could come get us... but not tow the car back with all the new laws in place. So needless to say, I was quite upset about missing the wedding and not being able to share in our friends' special day. When I think about it, though, I suppose it's better that we knew beforehand and didn't end up stranded in Canada without a way to tow us back! What if we blew the transmission and caused an accident? I'd hate to even entertain that idea any further... And for those of you wondering why we couldn't have borrowed a car from my inlaws or off the car lot, they all have dealer plates. Translation - we are not covered on their insurance to drive any of their cars across the border. AWESOME. So we missed the wedding, have to get a new transmission, and have to leave my car in NY for repairs during the next two weeks. The silver lining around this jet black cloud is the fact that we have borrowed a car off the lot to drive in the meantime.

So there you go... something old, 3 somethings new, something borrowed, and something(s) blue/blew. While they didn't fall quite in that order, I believe it's still fitting. Pictures to come of some new and blue things. That's all I have to say about that.

Just for a minute...

2009-06-01T12:20:00.002-04:00

I have to brag on my husband a little bit. :) He's not going to be pleased when he finds out I wrote this post, but I don't care! He just finished his busiest semester yet at school (4 full load classes, working 3 part-time jobs, not to mention everything he does around the house during his "in between time") - and accomplished the feat of receiving ALL As!!! I am unbelievably proud of him and how hard he has worked. I'm thankful that this semester is over - and I know he would say the same. He deserves a break and will finally get one during his fishing trip with his buddy, Rob, all next week. CONGRATULATIONS, BABY! YOU ARE AMAZING! :)

Ode to my Mini...

2009-02-08T13:38:00.004-05:00

I have a new laptop. It's not just any laptop... it's a Dell Mini. It is possibly the coolest laptop EVER :) Shane and I needed something smaller to take to class (him) and to record minutes at Board meetings (me). This laptop also has a built-in webcam and microphone - which means I can talk to my brother in Africa - or anyone else for that matter - via Skype. (Sidenote: Skype is stinkin amazing!)

The only thing I'm having to get used to is the apostrophe/quotes key being in a different spot. In order to keep this laptop so compact, the keyboard has been scaled down just a bit. I saw an HP laptop (similar to my Mini) that has a keyboard with all the keys in the same spot as a normal board, but it's not as small OR as cute as mine!! :) I can deal with one measly key being in a different location if it means I get to tote around a laptop that fits IN MY PURSE! Yes... that's right - this Mini weighs only 2.25 pounds and is the same size as a day planner. AMAZING.

So, here's to my Mini... the cutest little laptop on the block ;) Here's the Mini in front of our standard size laptop - are you kidding me?!

Family Photo Shoot

2009-01-03T16:53:00.004-05:00

One of the Christmas presents we gave to Mom & Dad DeHaven was a family picture. They've wanted an updated one for some time now, and in September Kristen joined the family - so we thought it only appropriate to have some pictures done while we were all together! Here are a couple shots that my dear friend, Rachel, took of the family:

That's what she said...

2009-01-02T12:50:00.002-05:00

Okay - so I know this is old and fairly ridiculous... but the "that's what she said" phrase is one of Shane's favorites. (I can't lie - I still enjoy a good zinger every now and then as well!) While we were in Jamestown for Christmas there were so many good phrases that were soon followed up by "that's what she said" by either myself, my darling husband, my brother-in-law, or my new sister-in-law. Like I said before, I know we're retarded... but it's still pretty funny. Here are some of the things that were heard over our Christmas vacation:

"Squeeze from the back to the front... it comes right out."
"I'm on top of the wood!"
"I gotta put the snake all the way down the hole."
"Can you feel my suction on it? Yeah, I can feel it!"
"Release it and see what happens..."
"I just want to put something in my mouth."
"What's wrong with this weiner?"
"Here... you take the weiner and roll it tight."

Context is everything for these statements. If you want to know, just ask! There's really no other purpose for this post than to make you laugh... so if you're reading this and find any of it funny- let me know! :)

Reindeer Ramble

2008-12-14T20:09:00.003-05:00

Yesterday morning we ran the Reindeer Ramble - and by "we" I mean me, Shane, Natalie, & Tab. The Ramble is a 5K Run/Walk event that supports YMCA Campaign for Kids, our annual fundraiser. It was pretty cold out when we woke up... though thankfully most of us were prepared for the bitter temperatures. When we left the house it was 19 degrees and was probably about 30 degrees by the end of the race. I had on what seemed to be 15 layers of clothes to keep my body from breaking out in hives (ugh!) and was actually successful! Shane has run in these temperatures many times before so it wasn't any huge deal for him. Natalie & Tab had to borrow gloves because they don't own any... are you kidding?! How does someone not own a pair of gloves? Though I guess living in Georgia doesn't really require them. I live in a very different world coming from upstate New York! :) In any case, I was able to run just about the entire race - with the exception of one HUGE hill - and I'm pretty proud of myself! I wasn't sure how my lungs would hold up in the cold, but once we got going it wasn't too bad. After the race, the four of us got back into the car to head home and we all began coughing. You would've thought we smoked 3 packs a day the way we sounded!! It was quite an adventure - but a pretty fun one! I'm glad I ran the race this year... it was certainly more fun than sitting by and watching. You should've seen some of the costumes people had on. There are always awards given out for the most creative individual and the most creative "Santapede" team. This is a team of 3-10 people who tie themselves together and must remain connected throughout the entire race. They also must be dressed either to match, or to stay within a certain theme. There was one group dressed like the cast of "A Christmas Story" - so classic! I wish I had my camera so I could share the hilarious sights of the morning. :) But for now you'll just have to take my word for it! There was also a team of Christmas ornaments - they had large decorated discs covering their fronts & backs, as well as these silver hats that looked EXACTLY like ornament tops. I must say, whoever put those costumes together spent a lot of time and money! These people go all out :) All in all, it was an exciting morning and a great way to kick-start the day. Hope we raised lots of money this year!!

'Tis the season...

2008-12-12T22:54:00.003-05:00

... to be missing family. Okay, so here's a serious blog for once. It's tough being this far away from our families - though I know I'm certainly not as far away as I could be. My cousin is living overseas so I really shouldn't complain, but it's still a struggle for me. I always thought I was such an independent kind of girl - not worried about leaving one place and moving on to the next. Not afraid of a big change. But as each year passes I wish we could be closer to family. The more I consider starting a family, the greater my desire is to be near mine. Don't get me wrong - I'm so thankful for this time in Kentucky. It has stretched me in ways I didn't know it could. God has given us a beautiful home, wonderful friends, and great jobs. He has taken care of us in more ways than I can count. But being here has also helped me to appreciate my family so much more. I think I took it for granted - the fact that we were an hour and a half away from both families when we lived in Orchard Park. And now that we're far away, I find myself longing to be back where everybody knows my name... oh wait, that's Cheers... but I digress. I think what's keeping me from calling Kentucky "home" is the fact that I know we'll be leaving here once Shane is done with school. At least that's the plan at this point in time. We want to move close to our family - and only time will tell where that place may be. My family is a treasure... and I hope that they will always know that. I need to be more deliberate about telling them how much I love and appreciate them. How blessed I am to be a part of the best family I can imagine. How amazing it is that God has given me parents & siblings who "get me" and can laugh at my randomness. How thankful I am to not only have been raised in a home where Christ is at the center of everything... but how I came to marry a man whose family believes just the same! And now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, and the Christmas season is upon us, we find ourselves wishing we could be closer to home - because for us "home" is wherever family is.

My husband

2008-11-01T13:58:00.013-04:00

My good friend, Cherith, tagged me to answer the following questions about my hubby...

1. Where did you meet? We met at Houghton College a few days before classes began. We were in the same FYI small group!

2. How long did you date? We dated for 1 year & 5 months before we got engaged.

3. How long have you been married? almost 5 1/2 years

4. What does he say that surprises you? "I want a baby." (just today!) This picture is of him and our friends' daughter, Harmony. She really does love him - but she was upset that he was making her go back in her highchair :)

5. What is your favorite feature of his? his awesome blue eyes... or his rockin' booty - I really can't keep my hands off!
6. What is your favorite quality of his? his selflessness, his ability to say it like it is, his sense of humor, his love for his family, I could go on all day...
7. Does he have a nickname for you? "mama" (but only to the dogs), "gorgeous", "fun buns", "pleasure pod" (though I usually punch him when he calls me that), "Aimer"
8. What is his favorite color? blue
9. What is his favorite food? either pizza & wings (from NY) or Rob Engler's ribs
10. What is his favorite sport? tough one... he likes so many that I'm not sure I can say any ONE is his favorite. He loves golf, football, baseball, fishing, lacrosse, and triathlons.

11. When and where did you first kiss? we first kissed on the bridge connecting the South Hall walkway to the Randall townhouses. It happened on the night that we decided to "officially" date. It was a long time coming :)
12. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? again - not just one thing; watch movies, travel, go out to eat

13. Do you have any children? not yet, but we have 2 dogs that we love (Tugger & Maggie)

14. Does he have a hidden talent? he writes music :)
15. How old is he? 27
16. Who said, “I love you” first? well... I had to hold off until he said it first, because I swore that I would never say it to anyone without being sure that I would hear it in return. We first said it on the front porch of a Bed & Breakfast in Wilmore, KY - kind of ironic!
17. What is his favorite type of music? no favorite, his tastes are very ecclectic!
18. What do you most admire about him? his determination - he decided one day that he wanted to run a marathon... so he did it! And now he's determined to do a full triathlon - so he's working towards it! I love his discipline and wish it would rub off on me :)

19. Do you think he will read this? absolutely - he's sitting next to me as I write this post!

YOU'RE MY FAVORITE, SHANER! Totally irresistable :)

And now I'm tagging Kristen!

6 Random Things

2008-10-09T14:29:00.002-04:00

So, my cousin Kristen tagged me to tell 6 random things about myself. Here we go!

1. I cannot enter a room at night without first turning on the light and looking at all 4 walls. I watched this movie "When A Stranger Calls Back" when I was in high school, and the villain in the movie paints himself to blend into the walls so you can't see him. He can also throw his voice, so he'll call out your name to get you to look in the other direction and then attacks. YIKES! Why did I ever watch that movie?!

2. I refer to Shane as "Daddy" whenever I'm speaking to the dogs. I know it's lame, but we got into the habit after getting Maggie - not real sure how! If they're upstairs and it's time for bed I say, "Go find Daddy!" and they scurry away. :) I'm pretty sure that our kids will have some severe issues with this fact.

3. I will not eat anything with mushrooms or broccoli in it. I can't stand the smell or taste of either food. Honestly, why would I put fungus into my mouth? And broccoli... that's just about the worst tasting vegetable EVER. My mom used to force me to eat chicken & broccoli casserole - and let me say that I had to hold down the vomit during each bite. GROSS.

4. I love the smell of the air right before it snows. YES - there is a distinct smell in the air before the snow flakes fly... it isn't something I can really explain, you just have to trust me. And even though I'm allergic to cold temperatures, I will always go outside right when the snow starts to fall. Bundling up for those few quiet moments is definitely worth it!

5. I am the only child in my family who didn't have braces or glasses. My sister had both, and Jordan & Tyler had braces. Both of my parents wear glasses/contacts, but somehow I avoided these 2 obstacles. Why, you ask? Probably because God knew my middle school years were painful enough ;) Kidding...

6. Whenever I sing along with the radio (or cd) I always sing the harmony part. I'm not sure when I started to do that, but now it's tough for me to sing the actual MELODY! My sister and I will sometimes sing duets in church and before we decide parts we typically sing a few lines - and every time, without fail, we both go for the same vocal part. Not sure why we do this, but we laugh every time! :)

Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on the blog.
3. Write six random facts about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post. (Sorry - I'm only tagging 3!)
5. Let each person know they have been tagged.
6. Let the taggers know when your entry is up.

I am tagging:
Cherith
Rachel
Becca

A Beautiful Wedding Weekend!

2008-09-29T22:07:00.004-04:00

This past weekend we drove up to Michigan for Dorian & Kristen's wedding. It was absolutely beautiful and Shane & I were so honored to take part in their special day. The weather was perfect, the ceremony went off without a hitch, and everyone had a blast!! Here are a few shots their photographer took... simply breathtaking!

CONGRATULATIONS, MR. & MRS. DEHAVEN!!! WE LOVE YOU GUYS :)

Answers to Prayer!

2008-09-02T15:33:00.003-04:00

Shane & I flew to NY for the long weekend to be with my family, especially Tyler, while we waited to hear the results from his doctors. And although we're still not 100% sure what's going on with his elbow, the results that we received on Friday evening all pointed to something other than lymphoma. PRAISE GOD!!! He had some fluid extracted from where his elbow is swollen and typically with lymphoma the levels would be around 10. Tyler's fluid level was 1.5 - definitely good news! The fluid was also clear, which means that there is no infection in the area. The doctors said it was possible for him to have an infection where the bone had been damaged from previous chemo treatments - but with clear fluid, that's clearly not the case. Tyler also had a PET scan Friday afternoon and the only uptake they saw was in his elbow - so even IF the lymphoma is back... it's only back in his elbow and nowhere else. He's also had blood work done on a couple different occasions and those have come back normal, too! At this point we're still waiting to hear the results from his bone biopsy which was done this afternoon, and at that time we will know with all certainty if the lymphoma has returned or not. So far it's all good news and we're trusting God to bring even greater news with the results of today's biopsy. GOD IS SO GOOD!! When Shane & I got in the car to leave work on Friday afternoon for the airport, I looked at him and said, "It feels different somehow this time... I feel like even though things are scary right now that we'll receive good results and that this weekend will be one big party." And God certainly gave us that gift for the weekend. We had a blast with everyone - and even Jordan was able to get away from school responsibilities on Sunday afternoon to join us for lunch at PF Chang's. Here is a picture of all the kids right after we stuffed our bellies full :)

We can't thank everyone enough for all the prayers and well wishes sent our way over this past week - and throughout this past year as Tyler has walked through cancer treatment. We serve a God that is greater than all of this and we THANK HIM for what He's done and what He continues to do not only in Tyler's life, but in the life of our entire family. I'll leave you with one of my favorite benedictions, coming from the book of Jude: "To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen."

A Pitter-Patter in Pittsburgh!

2008-08-25T20:42:00.003-04:00

We spent the weekend in Pittsburgh with our friends, Mike & Rachel. Their daughter, Harmony, is just about the cutest child on EARTH! :) We had a blast with them, and with my parents, Mis & Rob. They were all involved in a wedding this past weekend (which was also in Pittsburgh!) so we were able to spend time with everyone - it was amazing! Here are a few shots of Harmony and one with Shane wrestling with her so she could get dressed for the day. This girl has quite the iron will! :)

Here's our girl... could she be any sweeter?!

Just before she got into her pajamas... and yes, she was dancing with the pole!

She was such a flirt with him :) She wasn't quite ready to get dressed after breakfast!

A Midsummer Night's Run

2008-08-10T14:28:00.003-04:00

I ran my first official race last night!!! Lexington has a 5K race each year called "A Midsummer Night's Run" which begins at 8:30pm. The city shuts down the major roads in the downtown area and runners take to the road - it's such a blast to run at night through the city! :) Mom & Dad DeHaven, Dorian, Kristen, Shane, and I all ran the race along with our friends Richard, Katie, and Natalie. Everyone ran well, though Shane's time killed the rest of ours ;) Here are a few shots Natalie took last night:

Me, Natalie, & Katie before the race (not real sure what we're doing!)

Me running hard!

Katie, me, & Natalie after the race (and that's water on my shirt!)

The whole running DeHaven Family :)

Summer Blockbusters

2008-07-26T21:18:00.003-04:00

This has been a pretty decent summer for movies! It began early with the release of "Sex and the City" - my personal favorite :) - and more recently continued with "The Dark Knight" (AMAZING!!!) and "Mamma Mia!" (pretty impressive!). Some predictable cinematic moments, others... not so much. But all in all I've loved every one so far! We've also added a bunch of movies to our home collection - both new releases, old favorites, and a few necessary sequels. Here are just a couple of the additions:

"Oceans Twelve" and "Oceans Thirteen"
"27 Dresses"
"Juno"
"National Treasure 2"
"300"

Last night we also watched "21" - a movie about a team of students from MIT who have been coached by their college professor to beat casinos through counting cards. Pretty decent flick! As you can tell, we like our movies! We welcome any and all suggestions for other films worth seeing - any ideas?

Back-to-back weekends in NY

2008-07-15T09:55:00.003-04:00

Yes... it's true. We drove to NY 2 weekends in a row - the first weekend for Tyler's graduation, and the second for Kristen's bridal shower. We also had the opportunity to spend 4th of July with Shane's extended family at his grandma's cottage on the lake. Gotta love reunion time! Kristen & Dorian are getting married on September 27th and my mother-in-law hosted a shower for Kristen at the church. Mom D., Danielle, and myself all took part in planning the event and it turned out really nice! Everyone said they had such a fun time and it was certainly a treat for them to learn more about Kristen. We are more than happy to welcome her to the family and initiate her into the "DeHaven Way." :) While we're still trying to catch up on sleep from these busy weekends, it was all completely worth it to spend time with family!! These are just a few shots of the shower set-up, though more pictures will be coming.

The table set-up (can you tell our girl likes pink?!)

The cake table

Close-up of the cake
And who can resist Princess Hannah?! I LOVE this baby!!

Tyler's Graduation!

2008-07-15T09:44:00.005-04:00

This post is LONG overdue... especially considering this happened 3 weekends ago! But it's taken a while for me to get pictures to post - and what's a blog posting without pictures?! Tyler, my youngest brother, graduated from Webster Christian High School on July 27th and was the class Salutatorian! Needless to say, I couldn't have been more proud of him. He's had quite a year with his diagnosis, treatments, sports, college applications, and many more things. I am thankful every day that God has healed Tyler and has blessed our family in such amazing ways. He deserves all the glory!! Here are a few of Jordan's shots from the big weekend:

Here's Tyler making his way to the stage
Tyler giving the Salutatorian Address
And here we are... all 4 Smith kids!

AFI's 10 Top 10

2008-06-23T14:20:00.006-04:00

So my friend, Katie, and I have decided that we're going to watch every movie on this year's AFI 10 Top 10 list - this means the 10 best (voted on by AFI) movies in 10 different genres... and for all you math majors, that's 100 movies total. I know we're a bit pathetic, but let's be honest folks - I live in Kentucky. :) I used to think that I had seen more movies than most since Shane & I are both huge cinema fans. When reviewing the list, however, it became clear that although I have seen a CRAP-load of movies, most of them wouldn't even come close to making this list. While I'm not terribly surprised by this fact, we received shocked responses from Shane and some other friends when listing off the movies I/we have yet to see. Here's just a snapshot of our list:

It's a Wonderful Life (I know... I'm terrible)
Finding Nemo
Snow White
Bambi
Caddyshack (which we actually checked off last night!)
Scarface
Good Fellas (which Katie has not seen)
Pulp Fiction
Shane (probably worth a look considering...)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Roman Holiday
The Ten Commandments

Goodbyes...

2008-06-11T10:17:00.003-04:00

So this past Friday was my boss' last day of work for the YMCA of Central Kentucky. Jan has accepted a position with YMCA of the USA - which is a huge opportunity for her! While I'm more than excited for this new phase in her life, it makes me sad to think that she won't be right next door, or stopping in to do her "happy dance" because of an email/phone call she just received, or simply getting hugs from her for no reason at all. Jan has certainly been more of a friend to me than a boss, though she's done a phenomenal job here at our Y. We had a farewell celebration for her last week and to hear everything that people had to say about Jan made me so thankful to have had this opportunity to work with her... even if only for a short while. Jan - I miss you already! The plus side to this story is that she doesn't have to relocate, so we'll still get to see her around Lexington. I'm grateful for all she's taught me and hope to maintain our friendship for many years to come.

On a much more difficult note, a friend of my cousin's passed away last Friday morning. Ryan Sweeney has battled Cystic Fibrosis for 27 years. He has struggled greatly over the past 2 months and on June 6 around 5:30 am, Ryan asked to be taken off the ventilators. He said he was tired of fighting and was ready to go home to the Lord. I can't imagine what it must be like to hold that decision in your hands, knowing what you're leaving behind. And yet... he knew exactly what he was entering into! His wife, Kristin, and twins, Lily & Wyatt, said goodbye to Ryan in a Celebration of Life service yesterday morning. He was truly an inspiration to all of us for how to live life to its fullest, how to be thankful in all circumstances, and how to love God and others unconditionally. While I only interacted with him a few times throughout his life, he has left a lasting legacy. If you have some time, read some of these stories from a family who has walked through the fire and have been upheld by the hand of God each step of the way. Kristin writes so eloquently and displays a strength that can only come from our Heavenly Father. She, Lily & Wyatt will certainly appreciate your prayers for the days and weeks to come. I can't imagine the loss that they are experiencing, but what hope they have in knowing that they will see him again!! Praise God for His gift of salvation and eternal life! He is worthy of ALL the glory!

The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa

2008-05-29T21:30:00.003-04:00

This place is AMAZING!!! We went there for a long Memorial Day weekend (Saturday through Wednesday) and met up with Corey & Danielle. It was a great few days and I have lots of pictures from Danielle (thank you!) since our camera is dumb and runs through batteries like there's no tomorrow. If you want to check out the Grove Park Inn website, click here. I highly suggest you go there if you ever have the opportunity. The resort is beautiful, there's a lot to do, and you're close to downtown Asheville and the Biltmore Mansion - all places we visited during our trip. On Tuesday we spent our time at the Spa... unbelievable. Check out those pictures if you get a chance! I'll leave you with just a couple to give you a preview of the albums. Enjoy :)

A Weekend to Remember

2008-05-19T14:46:00.004-04:00

This past weekend we had the privilege of attending the wedding of Kurt Perkins & Lindsay McCoid - 2 friends whose lives (now joined) bring together so many different "worlds" if you will. We first met Lindsay at Houghton where she was living down the hall from my sister. Mis & Lin have been very close friends ever since - over 10 years! Kurt was introduced to us by our friends, Mike & Rachel, when he was living/working in Buffalo during his last year of chiropractic school. He also knew my brother-in-law from that time at school. Missy introduced Kurt & Lindsay during an annual New Year's weekend in Philly with a large group of friends. That entire crew was gathered again this past weekend for the celebration of their wedding - and what a party it was! :) The wedding was beautiful (despite the weather) and if you click here, you can view more pictures. Here's just one that I took from Rachel's website. Beautiful job, Rach!!

After the wedding we spent the rest of the weekend in New Jersey & Philly with the group of friends I mentioned before. It was great catching up with all of them - and meeting their beautiful kids! Shane also celebrated his 27th birthday on Saturday, May 17th so we had real Philly Cheesesteaks for lunch and then went out for dinner with everyone that evening. We had a blast during our visit, and even though the drive was long... it was worth every minute!

What a big girl!

2008-04-28T23:01:00.002-04:00

Our niece is getting so big!! I can't get over how quickly she's grown in less than 2 months. She's just shy of 8 months old and I wish we could live closer to Corey, Danielle, & Hannah so we could be there to watch her grow... but I guess that will have to wait until a later time. For now, here are some pictures of Miss Hannah, our big girl:

I've been tagged...

2008-04-27T14:07:00.004-04:00

A few people have sent this to me to do, so here we go!

I am: a child of God, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a dog-lover, and a friend
I think: about what I want to do when I "grow up"
I know: every line from "The Sound of Music"
I want: to sing for a living :)
I wish: that we could live closer to our families
I hate: mushrooms
I miss: New York
I fear: having ugly babies - seriously... it's a problem
I feel: tired, but happy
I hear: a lawnmower next door
I smell: fresh-cut grass, which means Spring is officially here!
I crave: sweets
I search: for a solid Bible-preaching church with a great music ministry team
I regret: wasting time worrying
I love: being a part of God's family
I ache: for people who don't know the love of Christ
I care: about serving others
I always: straighten the things on my bulletin board at work
I am not: a big fan of leisure reading
I believe: in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth... And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord... I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. AMEN
I sing: all the time - even when I don't realize I'm doing it!
I cry: everytime I sing the last verse of "Victory in Jesus"
I fight: for things worth fighting for
I write: emails all day long
I win: every puzzle on "Wheel of Fortune" - I own that game
I lose: myself in music
I never: go to sleep without telling Shane I love him
I confuse: people with my randomness
I listen: to Christmas music WAY before the season actually begins
I can usually be found: on the computer or watching tv... kind of pathetic, I know
I am scared: of spiders and bees
I need: to pull up our carpet!
I am happy about: having such wonderful friends
I hope: to record a demo sometime this year... we'll see how it goes!

Goodbye, Jeep!

2008-04-24T21:39:00.005-04:00

Yes... it's sad, but true. We are no longer Jeep owners - it's a tough reality to swallow. But with the rising gas prices and the engine only giving us 17 miles per gallon, Jeep just had to go. Here are a few pictures of it before it was driven away to New York. So long, old friend!! :(

Good Samaritan Law...?

2008-04-18T20:31:00.004-04:00

If you saw the final episode of "Seinfeld" you know the meaning behind this blog title. On my way home from work today my car ran out of gas. Mind you, last night after Shane took it out for a Krispy Kreme run (about 35 minutes away), he said, "You can definitely get to work and back on the gas in your tank right now. I promise." Well... so much for that! As I attempted to get to the side of the road, I realized I wouldn't be able to completely pull into the driveway off to my right. I'm fairly close to being out of the road and am extremely visible from both directions - a blessing on these back roads of Kentucky! I immediately turned on my 4-way flashers and picked up the phone to have Shane bring me some gas. About a minute after I hang up the phone a woman slows down to help me, and she decides to pull over. What she DOESN'T see is the massive ditch that she's about to go into. So I'm waving my arms trying to get her to stop... but does she see me?? Of course not. She realizes what's happening about 3 seconds too late. And as she attempts to stop, the ground beneath her car starts to sink in. Before you know it, her car is teetering on the edge of this ditch and all I can think is, "Dear God - PLEASE don't let this woman get hurt for trying to help me! PLEASE don't let her car tip over!!!" I immediately dialed 911 for help. Thankfully some guys in a pick-up truck pulled up as this was happening and jumped out to help steady the vehicle. They were able to get it up far enough where it wasn't going to tip over anymore, and the woman was able to get out. I'm apologizing left & right as she comes towards me and all she can say is, "Are you okay?!!" I was stunned to think that her first thoughts were about ME!! Are you kidding? Am I okay... are YOU okay??!!

About a minute and a half later the cops arrived on the scene - not a shabby response time, I might add! They asked the woman (whose name I now know is Kelly) if she wanted to file a report, and she simply says, "There's nothing to report. I pulled over to help her because I saw her flashers on. As I went to pull to the side of the road, the ground sunk in from underneath me. We didn't have an accident, no one is hurt. Everything is fine." At this moment I am so grateful for God's gift in sending THIS woman... as opposed to others that could've acted entirely opposite in this type of situation.

After quite a long time passes - and both of our husbands are on the scene - the 2nd round of tow trucks is able to pull her out without ANY damage!! PRAISE GOD!!! As the Chevy Tahoe was being lifted out of the ditch I was saying the same prayer over and over - "Thank you, Jesus; thank you, Jesus!! Needless to say, I'm still trying to process this entire thing. Below are some pictures of Kelly's Tahoe in the ditch:

Spring has sprung!

2008-04-10T17:16:00.003-04:00

It really doesn't get much better than the weather we've had this week. Low to mid 70s, partly cloudy and a slight breeze... spring is definitely here! I hope everyone has a chance to get outside and enjoy it :)

On another bright note, my youngest brother turned 18 at the beginning of this week (April 7) and I still can't believe he's that old! Our family couldn't have been more excited for this celebration. The past year has been a rollercoaster for him - and us - and we're MORE THAN thankful for what God has done in Tyler's life and body. For those of you who don't know, he was diagnosed with Lymphoblastic Lymphoma last May, and today... just about 11 months later... we are ecstatic to say that he's CANCER-FREE!!!! PRAISE GOD FOR HIS GRACE & MERCY!! It's so amazing to be able to physically watch Him move in our lives, and this is simply one of those instances. I am constantly humbled by the things He has taught me through Tyler. And if you're reading this - Happy Belated Birthday, buddy! I love you!!

A Great Weekend!

2008-04-06T22:52:00.004-04:00

I had a blast with my cousins in Illinois this weekend. We had such a wonderful time!!! I wish I could've stayed longer, but am so happy we were all able to be together. Here are some shots from Saturday and Sunday...

Daniel & Seth enjoying some brownies :)

(from the left) Me, Stef, Daniel, & Kristen... Seth was still napping

Daniel & I (isn't he such a cutie?!)

And here he is... Mr. Seth Norman Yaiko!!! This child is such a joy :)

Thank you ALL (Kristen, Stefanie, Daniel, Seth, Uncle Doug, Aunt Patti, & Josh) for a truly unforgettable weekend!

What did you eat?!!

2008-04-01T22:21:00.002-04:00

Ok... don't get me wrong. I absolutely LOVE my dogs, but sometimes the smells that come out of them cannot even be put into words - they're just plain wrong. Sometimes I wonder if there's been a change of formula with their dog food, considering they've eaten the same exact food their entire lives. We hardly give them "people" food for fear of what it would do to their stomachs - they can't handle anything too rich.

So while our friends, Katie & Richard, were over watching "American Idol" with us tonight the dogs decided it was time to bust out the big guns. Seriously... I have never smelled anything more horrible in my entire life. What makes that??! I feel bad since they can't really help it, but come on - don't get too comfortable, puppies! The moment they relax is the moment the horror begins. Ah, the joys of being a pet owner :)

Only 4 more days!!!!

2008-03-31T13:53:00.003-04:00

Yep... that's right! Only 4 more days until I fly to Chicago to visit my cousins Kristen & Stefanie - along with their beautiful sons, Seth & Daniel. I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE EVERYONE!!!! It's been quite a long time since I saw Stefanie last, and I've never had the opportunity to meet Daniel in person. I went to Stef's baby shower before he was born and have enjoyed all the great picture updates of him... but I finally get to meet this little character! And I saw Kristen just before she & Kevin left for Hungary - before we even knew if Seth was going to be a boy or a girl! It was such a blessing to see her before she left, but it was tough to not be close by after Seth was born so we could celebrate with them. This weekend has been a long time coming and while I know it's going to fly by... it will be unforgettable. LOOKING FORWARD TO A WONDERFUL TIME!!!

Big Girl!!

2008-03-10T21:14:00.006-04:00

We had the opportunity to visit my brother-in-law and his wife this past weekend in North Carolina. But probably the best part of the weekend was seeing our niece, Hannah!! :) She is getting so big and actually turned 6 months old yesterday - I can't believe how quickly time has flown by! Here are some pictures that they had taken of her at Sears...

Sears was definitely NOT the best experience. Corey & Danielle had made an appointment for 11:00am, but when we showed up there were 2 other groups in front of us. Apparently an appointment doesn't mean anything in that place!! So finally at 12:00pm - exactly 1 hour after the original appointment time - Hannah was finally able to get her picture taken. Danielle was really afraid that our window of "smile time" had closed... but thankfully she had a few more in her! :)

Nuevo Vallarta (Part 2)

2008-02-29T20:23:00.006-05:00

Here they are, folks!! These are just a couple shots from our vacation in Mexico with my family. We had an amazing time and it was tough to come back to the cold weather. Enjoy!

Here is the lobby - these statues are probably 60 ft. tall!

The lazy river... my favorite place!

To see the rest of our pictures, click here to view my facebook page.

Nuevo Vallarta (Part 1)

2008-02-12T19:23:00.001-05:00

We're leaving for Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico this Saturday morning!!!!!! I cannot WAIT to go on this trip. Every February my family takes a vacation somewhere outside the US, and they are more than generous for inviting us along :) Here's a couple pictures of The Grand Mayan, the resort where we'll be staying. This will be our 2nd visit to this hotel and we're pumped to be returning. Here's why...

Where we'll be eating breakfast each morning... by the pool!

One of the many areas in the lobby

And here are a few shots of the rooms we'll be staying in...

18 wins... but 1 GIANT loss :)

2008-02-04T19:23:00.000-05:00

The Giants did it - they are Superbowl champions!!! Last night's game was one of the best Superbowls in a long time. Good friends, good food, GREAT football :) Even Tom Petty didn't disappoint during the halftime show. After an entire season of enduring the arrogant Patriots and their "perfect" record, someone has finally shut them up! The Giants' defense was unstoppable and Eli Manning was great under pressure. What an awesome start to the week and a happy ending to this history-making football season! :)

Goodbye, Taylor...

2008-01-28T22:09:00.000-05:00

So Shane has decided to sell his beloved Taylor... and for those of you who don't know, that's his guitar. He bought it a few years ago right around Valentine's Day, but ever since we moved to Kentucky, he really hasn't had an opportunity to play it. One of his friends back in Buffalo was inquiring about Taylors, and it got him thinking. And if any of you know Shane, you'll know what his next thought was: "Anything's for sale for the right price." So he made a deal (and it's a pretty good one at that!). But in all reality, poor Taylor has been collecting dust in its case, so it's much better off being used by someone who has the time & opportunity to play it. Plus it never hurts to have some extra money in the bank :) And keep in mind that Shane still has his Takamine, so it's not a complete loss. This Wednesday when our friend, Rob, comes to visit he'll be taking the guitar back to New York with him. So long, old friend!

More Disney Shots

2008-01-26T10:18:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of our 2008 Disney experience. The villa we stayed in was at the Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa... AMAZING!! Those shots were taken by my cell phone - not too shabby :) This time since there were 8 of us (plus Hannah) we stayed in a 3-bedroom grand villa - which is, by the way, bigger than our current townhouse. Hope you enjoy! We've got a couple shots of Hannah experiencing Disney for the first time as well - she's SO cute :)

Our ride to the airport (thanks, Corey!)

Her first plane ride!

Checking in at Saratoga Springs

Close-up of Hannah in her "Baby Bjorn"

Our view from the balcony

The family room in the villa (Kristen is taking shots of her own in the corner)

The Kitchen

The Dining Room

Master Bathroom (1 of 4!!)

The upstairs hallway

Our Bedroom

Upstairs banister - looking over into the family room (below)

MARATHON!!!!

2008-01-20T21:09:00.000-05:00

Here are some much awaited pictures from the marathon... sorry for the delay, folks! We just got home from Florida and now have access to the internet again. These are some shots taken by the Disney photographers. I'll add more once we get the other pictures off our camera(s). For those of you who don't know, Shane ran in the 2008 Walt Disney World Marathon in Orlando, Florida on January 13th. I am MORE than proud of Shane - in fact, "proud" doesn't even begin to describe what I feel!! As he came around the last corner before crossing the finish line I just broke down. It's been a long training period and such a great accomplishment. I don't know how to put into words what I felt to see him complete 26.2 miles. After crossing the finish and finding his way through the mazes of people & race required stops, I finally spotted him. I ran to him, grabbed him, and hugged him so tight - and believe me, that was a big step for this girl who isn't fond of sweat :) In that moment I didn't care one bit. All I wanted to do was make sure he knew how proud I was of him and how much I love him!! CONGRATULATIONS, SHANER! YOU DID IT!!! Without any further ado... here are some of my favorite shots!

Guess what?!

2008-01-01T14:35:00.000-05:00

So... Shane stayed up with me last night!!! We were at Katie & Richard's place having dinner with them and their family (thanks, guys!) and watched the Clemson-Auburn game. Sorry about that loss, Richard... I know that put a damper on your evening, but we had a blast :) After the game ended we watched the motocross stunt special - which, by the way, took FOREVER to happen. We ended up leaving before the stupid guy ever made the jump. But the most exciting news... Shane ACTUALLY STAYED UP UNTIL MIDNIGHT :) I got to kiss my husband at the stroke of midnight as we toasted in the new year with friends. This is going to be a great year!

FYI - the Sabres are playing on NBC, so we're actually able to watch this history-making game. Winter Classic 2008 - outdoor hockey being played at Ralph Wilson Stadium... it doesn't get much better than this! HAPPY NEW YEAR TO US!! :)

Another New Year

2007-12-31T15:26:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that tomorrow is January 1, 2008. This year has flown by! Many changes have happened in 2007 - some good and others not as great, but God's hand has been evident through it all. I'm so thankful for a loving Father who knows us better than we know ourselves. He has promised to walk with us in (and through) every circumstance and I praise Him each day for that fact. What a privilege it is to be His child!!!

On a more humorous note... tonight will probably be like every other night. For those of you who know Shane, he's not big on staying up late, or really staying up at all ;) I'll probably be upstairs watching the ball drop as he's fast asleep in our bed. And if I wake him up to wish him a "Happy New Year!" he'll roll over and say, "Don't touch me, it's sleeping time" OR, "What the heck? You woke me up for that??" Shaner definitely loves his sleep, and I'm afraid that I'm turning into him! Maybe I'll just kiss Tugger instead of my hubby this year :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

Christmastime is here

2007-12-24T14:57:00.001-05:00

As I write this post I'm watching the snow fall outside my brother's bedroom window. Can I just say this? I MISS snow - I never thought those words would come out of my mouth after getting clobbered with snow all the time in Buffalo. But it's hard to be in a place that rarely gets more than a dusting. We are in Rochester, NY to spend Christmas with my family - the Smiths! It's been such a great trip already, though far too short. Everyone is here... my parents, my sister & brother-in-law, my grandma & her friend, my 2 younger brothers, and (of course) many puppies running around! This is the first time that we've all been together in a while, and since Tyler's diagnosis. He is feeling strong, though most of his hair is now gone. We continue to ask God's healing in his body and know that He is faithful to answer those prayers. Tyler is the same kid, though, no matter what his health may be. He is spouting one-liners and quoting movies with the best of them :) It's wonderful to see that he has not lost his sense of humor through all of it. We've basically had one long party ever since we all gathered here at the Smith house. We even went to get pictures taken of "just the kids" as my mom likes to say. She wanted one of all of us since we're hardly ever in one place at the same time :) The photographer laughed at us pretty much the entire session. It's a comedy show when we're all in the same room - and I'm so thankful for the joy that God continues to bring to our family. Laughter is wonderful! Here's a couple shots from yesterday - one posed, and one of the boys "not-so-posed" :)

The goofball brothers strike again! If you can't tell... we love being together. There is quite a story behind this picture so if you'd like to hear it, just let me know!

My sister & I are singing a duet at the Christmas Eve service tonight - I can't wait!! It's been a while since we've done that. Tomorrow will be another great day, and another Christmas for us to reflect on what God gave to us so many years ago. Christ has given everything and I pray that I will always live my life in honor of His sacrifice. Thank you, Jesus, for coming to live among us! Merry Christmas :)

MORE BABY NEWS!!

2007-11-26T16:03:00.000-05:00

My cousin, Kristen, just had her first baby today in Hungary!!! She and her husband, Kevin, moved there this past August to teach at the International Christian School of Budapest. Just months before they moved, Kristen found out she was pregnant - quite a piece of news to receive as you're preparing to leave the country!! But God has provided in such amazing ways for them. She has had a very smooth pregnancy and the people at their school (both American & Hungarian) have given of themselves to help both Kevin & Kristen during this time of transition. Seth Norman Yaiko (Norman, named for our late grandfather) came into the world at 6:17 pm Hungarian time, weighing in at approximately 3.2 kilos (7lbs., 1oz.). He is 51 cm. long (20 inches) and has dark hair!! He was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, but is doing just fine. Stefanie, Kristen's younger sister said that she is feeling well. I wish I was able to talk with her myself... but that's a little hard to do when you're overseas! It's tough being so far away from the people you love! Stefanie is keeping me updated with all the exciting news. I will post a picture or 2 as soon as I get some :) It seems that babies are everywhere these days! I'm sure my family will say that it's time for us to start thinking about kids. Sorry, folks... not just yet. THANK YOU, GOD, FOR BRINGING KRISTEN & SETH SAFELY THROUGH THIS EXPERIENCE!! Welcome to the family, little buddy - and congratulations, Kevin & Kristen :)

Something to sing about!

2007-11-21T10:51:00.000-05:00

I'm an aunt for the second time! Well - not technically an aunt, but I've been told that I hold that title even though we're not blood relatives :) One of my best friends, Rachel, gave birth yesterday to her first baby - a girl!!! :) I had just spoken with Rachel on the phone the night before and she was definitely NOT expecting her to come just yet. The doctors told Rachel that she had not progressed too much and she would probably go past her due date. It's been a tough pregnancy, so this was not good news. BUT - God had something different in mind!! Yesterday afternoon, Harmony Joy Shipman came into the world, weighing in at 7lbs., 2oz. If you know Mike & Rachel at all, the name "Harmony" is very fitting. Lots of history behind that name... much more than just, "oh - they're both musical!" I can't wait to hear the songs that her mommy & daddy write for her. Rachel had quite a time during delivery and ended up having an emergency C-section due to Harmony's decreasing heart rate. But both mom & baby are doing well now, and I can't wait to see them!! God has blessed our circle of friends with a beautiful child to dote on and we can't thank Him enough for His hand of protection over both Rachel & Harmony during the entire pregnancy. CONGRATULATIONS, MIKE & RACHEL! Harmony... welcome to the "family." We love you! For more updates & pictures, click here.

Thank You...

2007-11-13T22:03:00.000-05:00

Well, today marked the second day of my new job with the YMCA of Central Kentucky. My official title is "Executive Assistant to the CEO" - not too shabby, eh?! I'm loving it already. The people I work with are so encouraging and helpful. I have the most incredible boss... driven, yet full of compassion. You don't get a much better combination than that. She runs the office efficiently and gracefully, and did I mention she's JACKED?? This woman is in far better shape than me and is more than twice my age. I hope that some of her exercise habits rub off!

I've had the privilege of training with the girl for who I am taking over. She is now a mother of three and is in a position where she can stay home with her kids. She's been in this position for about 6 years now and has done an amazing job! I've been told that I have "big shoes to fill." Whenever I hear that comment I think to myself, "Well... I've got pretty big feet!" Not trying to be prideful, but I think I'll do a great job for them, and hopefully I'll exceed all their expectations. I really enjoy the administrative side of work. I can leave the office at the end of the day with a tangible amount of work completed. I am a list-maker, an organizer, and somewhat of a perfectionist... so clerical work tends to be right up my alley!

All I can say is, "THANK YOU, LORD, FOR SUCH A GREAT OPPORTUNITY!" He is so gracious to have given me this chance with the YMCA. I knew my time with HH was coming to a close and I just keep looking back on all the things that happened to bring about this job. He definitely led me to this position... whether I knew it or not! I had prayed for something new - something that would bring me joy and fulfillment. And after one very frustrating day, I decided to begin the search for something different. The first place that popped up after my "Google" search was Career Builder. Can I just say that I LOVE that website?? This position with the YMCA was posted there and I kept coming back to read the job description. I thought, "Well, I just barely meet the experience requirement... but it's worth a shot." I didn't really think I'd get the job, but was hoping to at least be considered. Needless to say, I was wrong! I'm so thankful that He's allowed this doorway to open. I'm surrounded by a great team of people who have been doing this work for quite some time. The guidance being offered is such a welcomed difference. Not many people can say that they love their job... but I'm pretty sure I'll get to be one of those blessed few!!

Sunday Service

2007-11-05T12:54:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon Shane & I attended an Anglican church for the first time - Saint Patrick's. I must admit that I was a bit nervous to attend this service, only because I wasn't sure what to expect. We walked into the building to find some of the warmest greetings we've ever received. The senior pastor, Peter, is probably one of the most genuine guys I've met in a long time. He truly loves the Church as a whole and longs to see the community of believers come together. I noticed that they had "scripts" for the service which would come in handy! Much of the prayers and Scriptures were shared readings, done so in unison by the entire congregation. I've never heard such JOY from a body of believers when participating in responsive readings. It brought tears to my eyes to hear the voices of children, reading along with enthusiasm and true praise to God! When Pete said, "Lift up your hearts!" The entire congregation responded with resounding praise, "WE LIFT THEM UP TO THE LORD!"

The congregation also spent time in prayer over one of the members who is reaffirming his faith. He will officially reaffirm next Sunday and (from what we gathered), this has been a huge process for him. As he kneeled on the ground, we all held our hands out to him in agreement with what Pastor Pete was praying over him. I couldn't help but be overcome by the grace that this man must have been feeling in that very moment. It brought me back to the time when I felt God's calling on my life to full-time ministry. I'm thankful for that moment and the power it still holds in my life.

At another point in the service we took time to recognize the saints that have gone before us, who are now with the Lord. I boldy called out my Grandfather, Norm Dunham, and my Grandmother, Abbie Smith. These 2 people have been huge influences in my life and my walk with the Lord. Their faithfulness as Christ-followers has always encouraged me to live a life that is set apart, though I fail many times.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at St. Patrick's and will be attending again next week. I appreciate the prodding of our friends, Chuck & Cherith, to attend this church. The liturgy and traditions present in each service remind me that when we gather to worship our God, it is a sacred time. It's easy to forget that in many of the modern churches today. I was reading in the book of Jude and came upon a wonderful benediction. I'd like to leave you with this prayer: "To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! AMEN."

Congratulations!

2007-11-04T09:45:00.000-05:00

My brother-in-law, Dorian, just got engaged last night!!!! He asked his girlfriend, Kristen, to marry him at Rosy Mound Natural Area last night and she (of course) said, "YES!" Shane & I were privileged to see the ring when we met up with all of them in Toledo a couple weekends ago. Unfortunately, we weren't able to make the trip out to Michigan to celebrate with them, but we're rejoicing just the same! We knew it was coming this weekend, so we waited by the phone last night. We got the call right after it happened and Kristen was just out of her mind with joy :) I asked her if she was surprised and she answered (in these exact words), "OH MY GOSH... I don't even know what to do with myself. I feel like one of those dogs chasing its tail - just running in circles!" I love that girl :) She just makes me laugh everytime I talk with her. Kristen has brought Dorian more happiness than we ever knew was in him! They are a great match and I'm thankful that God has put them in each other's paths. D & Kristen were friends LONG before they dated, and it's been so awesome to watch that relationship grow into a love relationship. We couldn't be more excited for you, brother & sister!!! Congratulations - and, Kristen... welcome to the family! :)

Trick or Treat...

2007-10-31T22:29:00.001-04:00

Our neighbors have the CUTEST toddler in the entire world. Her name is Madison and I don't think I've ever encountered a more precious child. She dressed up like a black kitten and we were able to catch her before she went inside for bed. I had a huge bowl of candy left and proceeded to fill her bag with ALL of it (note: I only bought the candy to hand out to her... I didn't really care about the rest of the kids!) But she was a welcomed ending to an otherwise obnoxious evening. Read on...

Seriously, if you're over 10 years old you should NOT be trick-or-treating. We had a fair number come to our house tonight, though the majority of them were at least 14. COME ON, PARENTS!! When your kids are that old, they can buy their own candy with allowance money - or for that matter... JOB money since that's the minimum working age in the state of Kentucky. Don't let them beg for candy at people's doorsteps, especially when they haven't actually dressed up. FYI - a painted face does NOT equal a costume. My other favorite part about the age-inappropriate trick-or-treaters is the fact that they walk up to your door and don't even say, "Trick or treat!" They just stand there waiting for you to drop candy into their buckets. I should've refused them candy for not saying it... but the smarter side of me said, "Give it to them or they might be back later with eggs & toilet paper." Next year I'm thinking of posting a warning sign: "If you're not 10 years old or younger, DON'T BOTHER KNOCKING!" Our dogs certainly made an impression on most of the older ones. They love to bark when the doorbell rings, and while they're completely harmless, their sheer volume implies otherwise. Maybe that'll teach 'em :)

Well...

2007-10-29T00:11:00.000-04:00

Not much can be said about this year's World Series. I guess the Rockies just couldn't compete with this Red Sox roster. But did it have to be a SWEEP???!! Oh well... another year of baseball now over. I do have to hand it to Boston's pitching line-up, you don't get much better than that. I feel the need to make a comment to all my friends who love to talk about the Yankees stacking their team... THEY'RE NOT THE ONLY ONES! I listened to the commentators talk this entire 4th game about how Boston has obtained their team, and what players they may sign for next season. I think I might puke if A-Rod goes to the Red Sox. That's all I have to say about that. I'm going to bed!

Rockies vs. Red Sox

2007-10-24T13:42:00.000-04:00

Let me just say that the title of this blog was put in that order for a very GOOD reason! I cannot STAND the freakin Boston Red Sox. I'm thankful that I can still cheer for a team that I actually like in this series! The Colorado Rockies have waited a long time to get to this point, and they've worked hard to be here. I was sad when my Yankees lost, but they just weren't coming out to play. They didn't deserve to go to the World Series this year... though I'm sure my husband would argue that same point about EVERY year. Contrary to his agreement with my father, Shane is not a Yankee fan. It's really too bad, because he could finally begin to cheer for a winning team, rather than wishing for a ray of hope to come from Buffalo! ;) I was living in Colorado during their inaugural baseball season (as well as a few more seasons) and have always held a spot in my heart for the Rockies. It was cool to see them play at Mile High Stadium before Coors' Field was built. I attended many games with my church youth group and my family, so this is certainly a team I can stand behind. I hope they kick the crap out of Boston... stupid scrubs! Somone needs to tell the Red Sox that multi-million dollar paychecks should require them tucking in their uniforms properly and getting freakin haircuts. GO ROCKIES!!!

Toledo 10K

2007-10-24T09:37:00.000-04:00

This past weekend we made a trip up to Toledo to meet Shane's parents, Dorian (brother), and Kristen (his brother's girlfriend). We all decided to meet in Toledo because there was a 10K race being held in the city of Sylvania - just miles outside Toledo. I can't begin to tell you how excited I was for this weekend! It's been a big adjustment for us to be living far away from our families, as we've been a little more than an hour away from each of them since leaving home for college and then, eventually, to get married. While being in Buffalo brought many challenges, we also loved being right in the middle in terms of travel to both hometowns. We were blessed to have had that time, especially after also being located in the middle during our 4 years of college. Our families mean the world to us and we're so thankful to be as close as we are.

The anticipation of seeing Shane's family had been building for a few weeks. Dorian & Kristen live out in Michigan and they don't always have the chance to get away, so for them to be able to meet us as well just made things that much better! On a sidenote: I just LOVE Kristen! She is perfect for Dorian and I don't think we could've imagined anyone making him happier than she does. I truly hope she will become a part of this family permanently (though I already think of her in those terms!). Kristen & I have become very close over the past few months and not only do I see her as a friend, but as a sister. She fits in so well with the DeHavens and I look forward to the time that we can all celebrate that. Dorian & Shane have always been pretty close, so it's neat to see "the brothers" reunite :) If you were walking behind D & Shane... chances are you wouldn't be able to tell the difference - unless you were me or their mother!! And on top of getting to see D & Kristen, we were also meeting up with Mom & Dad DeHaven :) I absolutely love being their daugher-in-law. I've never felt more accepted for who I am or loved so unconditionally, except (of course!) in my own family. God has truly blessed both Shane & I with wonderful godly families and we're thankful to be a part of them!

So we made the trip on Saturday morning, arriving in Toledo around 2pm. As we pulled up to the hotel, we could see Mom & Dad D waiting outside for us - "The DeHaven Welcome Wagon" as I now call it :) Everytime we're all together it's just such a great time of sharing, laughing, and talking about the future. Again... I can't say it enough - I LOVE MY FAMILY! So after some long hugs we took our stuff up to the room and decided to come back down to wait for D & Kristen. They came rolling into the hotel about an hour later, completing our weekend crew :) We went out to the mall first so we could help Mom D pick out a dress for the Hunter's Hope Candlelight Ball and then went out for a steak dinner. Nothing like some extra protein before a race! We got back to the hotel after dinner and D & Kristen decided they wanted to go swimming. So we all sat around the pool as they swam... and I must say that I felt a bit like a hovering mother :) After a few minutes of them romping around in the pool I said, "Okay, kids - a few more minutes and then it's bedtime!" We all had a good laugh about that one.

The next morning we all got up to watch the boys run in the 10K (Racing for Recovery). It was a beautiful day to run... the sun was out, but it wasn't hot just yet. The boys were looking strong and we were standing by with cameras in hand :) Shane finished first among our 3 guys and I've never been more proud. I love watching him accomplishing his goals! He ran at a great pace and kept saying that he didn't feel too tired, which is good since he's training for a full marathon this coming January :) Dad D and Dorian followed a few minutes later and we all celebrated their hard work. Shane & Dorian actually received medals for their placement! :) NICE WORK, BOYS!

After the race was done we had to say goodbye to Mom & Dad D as they had to get back to Jamestown for some church events. It's always the hardest time for us, as we know it'll be a while before we see each other again. D, Kristen, Shane, & I went out to lunch together at Don Pablos and just had a great time of fellowship. We then decided to get some Tim Horton's (since we knew we couldn't get any back in Lexington!) and went our separate ways. While it was hard to watch everyone drive away, we knew it would only be a few weeks before we saw them all again for Thanksgiving. Thank you, Lord, for the amazing privilege to be a part of this family!

Praise & Thanks

2007-10-06T13:47:00.001-04:00

Well... we have seen LOTS of answers to prayer over these past couple days. Tyler's PET scan came back showing NO ACTIVE CANCER!!!! GOD IS SO GOOD! We are more than ecstatic about this news and are so grateful that the Lord has healed him! He will continue to have chemo, as the doctors want to be sure that everything has been "zapped" (as my mom likes to say). He took his SATs this morning and is now on his way to the hospital for another weekend stay. This round of chemo requires that he go in for 2 to 3-day treatments every other weekend. He never looks forward to these stays as boredom sets in rather quickly. He's also one of the oldest kids on the floor so there's really no one for him to talk to once my family has to leave. But, he only has 1 more hospital stay after this weekend which he's VERY excited about :) I got a phone call from Tyler during his last hospital stay and it was quite amusing. He was saying things that were slightly out of character, though he was extremely lucid and understandable. A few days later, I received a note from him asking if I had called him, or if he had called me that night. I told him all that had happened and he had almost NO recollection of the entire phone call - mind you... this conversation lasted for almost 2 hours! The doctors had him on some sort of medicine that made him a bit loopy, though you would never have known by talking with him! :) We had a good laugh over that, though.

The other praise involves our new niece, Hannah. A few days ago we received a phone call from Shane's mom telling us that Hannah was admitted into the hospital for seizures. She had 2 in one day and (needless to say) Corey & Danielle were scared and uncertain of what was wrong. After multiple tests and check-ups, the doctors determined that Hannah's "episodes" were not seizures at all, but a reaction her body had to acid reflux. She had been diagnosed with that about a week and a half ago and since she's still so young, her body didn't know how to respond to that kind of pain. The episodes resembled seizures, but there was no proof of that in the brain scans the doctors performed. So we're VERY thankful that Hannah is back at home and doing extremely well. She's now up to 6lbs., 3oz. - much bigger than when she was born. We'll be visiting the whole family in Raliegh at the end of this month and cannot WAIT to finally meet her, hold her, spoil her... all the perks of being Aunt & Uncle! Shane & I are also excited to have some time with Corey, Danielle, AND Mom & Dad DeHaven! It'll be one big family reunion :)

Please continue to pray for both Tyler & Hannah. We want to thank everyone who has been steadily praying & providing words of encouragement for these situations. We love you!! I'll leave you with a link to a newspaper article that was written about Tyler a few weeks ago. Pretty cool :)

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070914/SPORTS0102/709140344/1007/SPORTS

New Floor...

2007-09-19T22:26:00.000-04:00

So, Shane & I have decided to enter into some fairly major home improvements. The first thing to change is the upstairs flooring - from carpet to laminate hardwood. The second thing is the addition of 2 windows in the family room. Note: this second project is considerably bigger and would require outside help. The floor seemed like an easy enough job, especially with my handy-man of a husband ;) The goal is to give the upstairs a facelift without dumping a TON of money into it... thus the laminate. Our sad carpet has become hideous due to the lack of care given by the previous owners (lots of comments I'd like to add here, but will refrain for the sake of time). What's sad is that it would look so nice had it been kept clean, though I guess that's wishful thinking at this point. We also have 2 dogs & I'd rather not have my carpet - or the rest of the upstairs - smelling like them. Sorry puppies... I love you, but I don't want your scent everywhere!

To start the project, we figured we'd start where we always start... good old Lowe's!! We've been to Lowe's about a billion times since moving here, though I think within the last week the Lowe's employees have begun to wonder about us. Our most recent visits have looked like this: we come in, go directly to the flooring department, linger for at least 40 minutes, yet never come away with ANY purchases. Tonight we were fully prepared to make our decision and BUY the flooring - but the guy Shane wanted to deal with was helping another customer. Rather than just standing around, we checked to make sure our top 2 choices were still available. And guess what?? 1 of our 2 options was not even on the shelves anymore!! So, Shane looked at me and said, "Welp... I guess that decision's been made!" We then proceeded to wait for about 40 minutes (yet again) and "our guy" was still tied up. I gave Shane the look... the one all husbands have come to despise... and he knew it was time to go. We walked out the door for the THIRD time in a row with empty hands. I guess I'll have to endure this carpet for at least another week :(

Hannah Elizabeth DeHaven

2007-09-11T13:28:00.000-04:00

I'm finally an aunt!! Shane's sister-in-law, Danielle, gave birth to Hannah on September 9th at 7:20am. She weighed 4lbs., 8oz. and was 18 inches long - just a little thing :) She came about 3 1/2 weeks early since Danielle was experiencing preeclampsia. The doctors wanted to be sure that both Mom & Baby would be okay, so they decided to induce on Saturday afternoon. After a LONG night and a scare with the epidural, Hannah came into the world!! Corey & Danielle are now the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl. She's the first grandchild on the DeHaven side of the family so it's an exciting addition for all of us. Danielle & Hannah are both doing well and were able to go home today. Praise God for keeping them both safe through everything!

Updates

2007-09-05T22:31:00.000-04:00

Shane started classes this past Tuesday!! He's officially a graduate student and couldn't be more excited. We went to new student orientation last week on Thursday & Friday and it was great to be a part of the activities. I just have to say that I think Asbury is a minority when it comes to spouse ministries as a major part of the school - and I am more than thankful for it! I'm able to audit classes for free (though I highly doubt I'll be attending any Greek classes!) and get involved with tons of ministries. Thursday night we went to a dinner for all the new Wesleyan seminary students and met up with a Houghton couple!! It's always fun to chat with people from your alma mater and find out what's been going on in their lives. We have found over this past week how many people are in our shoes... needing healing from the places we've come from. Someone made that statement during a couples' orientation and all I could think was, "AMEN!!" I don't think I even realized how angry and hurt I was until after we got here... and that even took a couple months of processing things. God has brought many people into my life here that have been so supportive and understanding of what I'm working through. I believe He's given me these friends quite specifically and I'm becoming more grateful each day for those He's allowed me to come in contact with. The first chapter of James has given me a ton of encouragement, as I have learned that it's necessary to go through the tough times so that God can make me more complete in Him. I ask that He will continue to shape me into the person that He wants me to become... not the person that I'd like to be.

And on another note - my brother, Tyler, had some GREAT news today!! I got a phone call this afternoon from my mom telling me that his most recent CAT scan came back showing hardly any cancer left in his body! God is certainly answering our prayers of healing... and much more quickly that I anticipated! Not to say that I didn't believe He could do it, but it's been amazing to watch the church as a whole come around my family during this time and really petition on Tyler's behalf. And to see that God is choosing to heal him is such a gift, I can't even begin to tell you. This time has brought such strength and faith to our family, greater than anything we might've had before. While God has always proven Himself faithful to us, we just didn't know if it was in His will to take this from Tyler. And we knew that no matter the outcome, He would give us the peace to walk through it. "Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds." ~Psalm 72:18

Townhouse Pictures

2007-08-25T12:16:00.000-04:00

Rather than posting all 31 pictures, you can click on the link below to see some shots of our townhouse here in Kentucky. There is much decorating that still needs to be done... so keep that in mind as you view! :) I've attempted to put them in a "walk through" order to give you a feel for the layout.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=9456&l=c8b1f&id=795752515

Dairy Queen Debacle

2007-08-23T13:41:00.000-04:00

So our friend, Rob, came to visit us last weekend with 2 of his daughters, Bri & Madi. We hung out at the house, took them around town, went to a movie, and ate a LOT. Somehow we always tend to do that with Rob :) Saturday evening we decided to run to Dairy Queen for a bedtime snack. The girls were so excited and to be honest, I wasn't too disappointed either! So we hop in the car to make the 6 minute drive and once we're on the road we encounter one of my least favorite things about living in Kentucky - the horrible drivers. Let me just point out that in the state of Kentucky, only 1 safety inspection is required... EVER!! So we have this idiot in front of us driving a car that I can only imagine is held together merely by rust. He is not going the speed limit, nor is he paying attention since he's talking on his cell phone. Unfortunately, Kentucky does not have any laws against cell phone use while operating a vehicle. Needless to say, we experience this garbage quite often, and being from NY I have very little patience for it.

We FINALLY arrive at Dairy Queen, just minutes before they close. And I approach the counter to order and am met by a cashier who appeared to be falling asleep. She asked me if the order was for "here" or "to go" though the words have never sounded more foreign to me. I could barely understand her, so I figured I should probably proceed slowly. I gave her the first order in my slowest speech possible, waited a couple seconds, then did the same with the other 3 things we were buying. When I finished she looked at me and said, "ok... so I have a PB cup blizzard made with chocolate ice cream, and... what was the rest??" I looked at Rob and he gave me this look like, "you gotta be kidding me!" I repeated the other things even SLOWER than before... though my lack of Kentucky accent might have thrown her off as well. It's hard to say.

After repeating it again, she still only added 1 item. So we gave her the order a THIRD time - and at this point I really figured we wouldn't be getting our ice cream at all since it had taken her almost 10 minutes JUST TO TAKE THE ORDER. We finally paid her for the order after she read it back to us... also painful... and stood at the end of the counter waiting for everything. My blizzard came out first, though it was being made by someone else. So I can only assume that our cashier was not allowed to operate any machinery, since the mere mention of it probably hurts her brain. Blizzard - done. Madi ordered a small dish of vanilla ice cream dipped in cherry. But rather than the dip, the girl put actual maraschino cherries on top. I was VERY clear when I said, "we'd like that dipped." So Rob was going to just eat it and give Madi his milkshake, but I wasn't about to have that. I looked at the girl and immediately she knew she had done it wrong. She said, "oh wait... was that supposed to be dipped??" I just smiled and nodded because any comments at that point might've cost us the rest of the order! So she threw out the original one, fixed the new one, and then started making another person's order. Another girl was making Rob's milkshake - everything was fine. We were still waiting on a Dilly Bar for Bri when we watched this same cashier throw out 3 more items... simply because she wasn't paying attention when making them. HOW HARD IS IT TO WORK AT DAIRY QUEEN?!?!?! After trying to get another person's attention to get the Dilly Bar, at last we had everything we ordered. An excruciating 23 minutes in DQ for something that should've taken 5. We left with our heads hung low... yes, folks, I live in Kentucky. :)

Cornish Game Hen

2007-08-22T19:04:00.000-04:00

So I got a little ambitious this week with dinners... Shane & I were at the grocery store getting food for the week when I spotted a twin pack of cornish game hen. And to answer your question, no - I have never cooked one before. I figured it couldn't be all that difficult. Shane looked at me with a questioning glance and said, "You sure about this??" To which I obviously answered, "We can figure it out!" I admit, I cheated a bit by looking on the internet for a definition of "truss" since I had never heard of it before. Apparently to "truss" any type of poultry means to tie it up. Well, I didn't really think it was that important since I wasn't stuffing the birds. Turns out I was right in this instance! It wasn't that necessary in this case since we had only seasoned the birds rather than stuffing them.

While I was preparing the hen for roasting all I could think was, "Holy crap - this is gonna be so bad and then Shane will be right... AGAIN!" But I continued to season and followed the directions given on the package. And on a sidenote, always know how hot your oven actually is! Ours is apparently off by a long shot. How could one be calibrated so poorly??! I ended up having to cook the freakin birds almost 30 minutes longer than what I was supposed to. I'm a little nervous to eat them, so I'll give my hubby the privilege of the first taste! :) I'll let you know how it goes...

Crazy July

2007-08-20T19:10:00.000-04:00

I spent almost the entire month of July in New York for work. The first weekend was Danielle's baby shower. She's giving birth to the first grandchild on the DeHaven side... so it's been pretty exciting! The following week was spent in Ellicottville for the Hunter's Hope Annual Family & Medical Symposium at Holiday Valley. What an unbelievable time! I had a chance to meet some of the strongest people I'll ever know- children (and families) living with leukodystrophies. I am continually amazed at how God has used these kids to work in the lives of the parents and siblings... and me! I feel privileged to know them, and even more blessed to have the opportunity to serve them through the Foundation. I can't help but wonder who will be back next year, and those who may not. Meeting the families of children who have passed away has shown me how short this life really can be, and how important it is to do something that MATTERS. The Lord has spoken to me about His plan and how I need to trust Him to take me wherever He would have me go... not where I would feel most comfortable.

After the Symposium we came back to Orchard Park to prepare for the 5th annual Rochester Candlelight Ball. This fundraiser has grown each year and the people who support the Foundation are extremely generous. I was also given the opportunity to sing again and it was such a blast. I'm always thankful for any chance to sing, but getting to share a song about the love of God in a place that's usually devoid of that topic is SO cool! The night was crazy and we were exhausted afterward, but it was worth it... we exceeded our fundraising goal :) I look forward to returning to Buffalo for the anniversary gala in November. In the meantime, I continue to seek out grant opportunities. Know anyone who'd like to donate $10,000+ to a good cause??

After more than 3 1/2 weeks of being away, I was definitely glad to be back home. It's been strange to be away... but in my hometown. Lots of emotions surfaced during that trip so, needless to say, I was wiped. The flight back began at 6:40am and delays in the air and on the ground left me in Cincinnati waiting for Shane to drive from Lexington (about an hour and a half away) to pick me up. Gotta love Delta airlines.

New Blog!

2007-08-20T18:26:00.000-04:00

I've finally decided to join the world of blogging! A number of my friends have these and I figured... why not?! So here are the latest highlights from the DeHaven household:

-We moved to Nicholasville, KY in May
-We bought a townhouse
-I continue to work for the Hunter's Hope Foundation (sidenote: working from home is EXCELLENT!)
-Shane starts grad school in a couple weeks, but in the meantime he's working at Toyota of Nicholasville
-The dogs already act as if they own the place :)

We continue to search for a church that fits both our tastes, though having so many large churches around makes things a bit difficult. I'm just not too convinced of them yet :) God has brought some great people into our lives since the move. Our neighbors are awesome and we've already had lots of opportunities to get to know them. We recently had Shane's family down for a long weekend. It was such a blast! Mom & Dad D. came from Jamestown and Dorian & Kristen came from Michigan. We truly miss both of our families... it's been the first time in 4 years that we've been more than a short drive away. I think it's a bit tougher for Shane since he's never had to really move far away - though I must admit, even after 5 moves growing up, it doesn't get any easier.

I'm thankful for this time of change. It is stretching me in ways that I couldn't imagine and has brought many new adventures. It'll be interesting to see what comes of it all...