Our Home Birth Story

Before I dive into our birth story, let me rewind a bit and explain why we chose to have an unmedicated home birth with DJ.

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When I was preparing to have Aaron (Aaron's birth story), I was planning to have an unmedicated birth. But I didn’t have the right support system and had no preparation. So I did everything wrong… I was hyper anxious, due date obsessed, wearing out my body walking miles and climbing stairs, and I really didn’t understand how birth works. I remember feeling pressured to do certain interventions and feeling like I couldn’t trust myself or my body—a professional was in charge of my birth. As a result, we went through the chain of interventions and I felt so out of it for the first hours of my son’s life. I’m grateful that Aaron is here and I appreciate the team of people involved, but I knew I wanted something different this time around. I wanted DJ’s and my birth story to be one of strength.

We considered different options including hiring a doula for the hospital or a birth center. The clincher, for Brandon especially, was watching the documentary The Business of Being Born. We chose to interview two midwifery groups in the area and to call a local birth center. When we met with Renee and Fawn from Sacramento Valley Midwifery Care, we loved their confidence and the way they talked about birth. My expressed desire to have my birth be something I DID as opposed to happening to me was met with a resounding YES! So we jumped in with both feet.

To prepare for birth, Brandon and I took Mama Natural's online birth course which gave us a ton of information regarding the natural process of birth, what is being accomplished, how to prepare for each phase, and lots of exercises (Here's a free 40 minute webinar from the Mama Natural Birth Course with 8 keys to a natural birth). With our midwives, I had plenty of appointment time to learn about the physiological process of birth and discuss all my questions and concerns. During labor, if there was any indication that something wasn’t progressing well, there was a plan in place for a non-emergency transport to the hospital. Midwives come with every tool that will be needed for labor, delivery, newborn care, and mommy care except pharmaceutical interventions. If there was any negative indication, they would make the recommendation to move to the hospital. I felt completely safe, if not safer, delivering at home based on my intuition and statistics*.

Well, hopefully I’ve answered some of the questions our family and friends might have had when they found out we were doing this “crazy” thing called home birth and I can dive into our story!

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I had been having some light contractions every night for two weeks and had a false alarm on Saturday, Sept. 12^th (my due date). When the midwives came to check on me, I was only dilated 1 cm. They told me the baby was posterior and tension in my back would restrict labor so Brandon and I were advised to do massage and counter pressure to relieve tension and help baby move into a better position. I could tell labor was coming soon. Sunday night contractions began and stayed consistent through the night. The big difference was that I was having some bloody show. Over the next day (Monday), they grew closer together.

Monday around 5pm, I started texting Brandon, my mom, and the midwives. The contractions were getting stronger and needed more focus. Brandon returned home at 5:30pm and my parents picked up Aaron at 8pm. Brandon continued prepping birth supplies as I told the midwives to come. When the midwives, Fawn and Jamie, arrived they got to work prepping all the supplies while I labored in our bedroom with all the lights off.

They checked DJ’s and my vitals and told us to change laboring positions every 20 minutes. I was still fairly talkative, so around 10pm, the midwives began recommending positions to make contractions stronger. Brandon and I took a walk up and down the block. I began having contractions that were so powerful I tuned everything out, it was just me, the sensation of baby getting pushed down, and my breathing.

The pressure in my back felt awful so I had someone press against my lower back through each contraction. Moving through contractions and changing positions helped me handle the intensity. Around 2am the midwives told Brandon to rest and wanted to check my progress. I was hesitant to find out where I was because it felt like I should be close to transition, close to complete and didn’t want the news of being less far along. When I heard 4 cm and that she was still posterior and would need more powerful contractions to rotate into the correct position, I felt so discouraged! (If I was in the hospital, Pitocin and epidural would probably have been discussed at that point)

I knew I had to make the most out of each contraction to expedite labor! My midwives knew it too so they started turning up the intensity. Fawn gave me a homeopathic tablet to help the baby rotate. After some intense laboring on the bed, they suggested getting in the shower. The labor pressure was so strong! As I got in the shower, Jamie sprayed a terrible mint spray in the air. When I asked her what it was she said it was an aromatherapy that would make the contractions stronger… it worked right away! Thank goodness for a powerful shower and long-lasting hot water tank!

At this point, I lost any concern over modesty and I was committed to doing whatever I needed to do in order to get baby out before I wore out! Jamie told me to breathe through each contraction from my head down through my toes. The coaching helped me visualize what I needed to do. Moving my hips and making moaning noises seemed to help me cope with the intense pressure. It also woke Brandon up from his short rest. ;)

I got out of the shower and felt so much pressure in my lower back. I told the midwives that I felt like I needed to go to the bathroom to relieve some of the pressure, but I was afraid that if I tried going it would bring on really powerful contractions. They offered me an enema (again, I was going to do whatever necessary to get through labor) and I decided to go for it. Unfortunately, I had to stay still through three powerful contractions with it in… Then, they went to the other room to give me privacy. As I went to the bathroom, I started to feel a huge contraction coming on. I pushed through it because it felt natural to do. All of a sudden, the pressure built and built and gush went my bag of waters then I felt the most intense burning pain. I started yelling, “Help! Help! Help!” The midwives and Brandon rushed in from the living room to check on me. They told me to stand up and Jamie looked and said, “And there’s the head!”

Fawn and Jamie locked eyes with me and directed me to blow. I couldn’t believe it! I was so relieved and listening intently as I blew out puffs of air while I stood, bracing myself against the wall. Then it was time to push. Brandon watched and encouraged me, telling me with his voice full of emotion how beautiful our daughter was! DJ was born with her hand resting on her head and in less than 2 minutes! She arrived at 4:29am, surprising us all when her arrival seemed so far away only a few hours earlier!!

She came so fast that I felt almost in shock but also overwhelmed with joy and relief! I had done it! I loved that she went from the catch in the hands of my midwife immediately into my arms. I admired her beautiful head of hair and cradled her sweet little body. They asked me if I felt like I could walk to the bed. I got up and walked with the cord still intact into our bedroom—only after a completely unmedicated birth would I have been able to do that! I laid down cuddling my baby in my own bed with my husband sitting next to me. Every procedure was done with such care and attention, even down to noticing the beauty of the perfect telephone cord-like spiral umbilical cord. DJ received all the blood from her cord and spent the first hour of her life being held by her parents instead of being washed, scrubbed, and poked.

My mom and sister arrived about 45 minutes after she was born. After plenty of time to bond, a very content baby was measured and weighed. She was 20 inches long and 8 lbs. 13 oz. I loved the quiet relaxed nature of recovering in my own bed and being able to be in charge of my labor, delivery, and the care my baby received. The house felt dark and cozy in the early morning hours. My mom brought me a hot breakfast she cooked in our kitchen while I watched Brandon hold and bond with our sweet daughter.

It was an incredible experience! I would definitely do it again this way and recommend it to any pregnant mama who is low-risk. If you are considering a home birth, the two most important things to be successful are an involved birth partner and a supportive, knowledgeable birth team. Brandon was incredible with helping me prepare, coaching and supporting me during labor, and his care afterward. I am so thankful for the midwives and student midwives at Sacramento Valley Midwifery Care. I felt so safe and at ease, the biggest fear I had during labor was fear of going to the hospital if things didn’t progress well**. I feel proud that I did it!

 

I should also add that the recovery has been much better than my previous experience in the hospital. I’m thankful for the support of my midwives during pregnancy, labor and birth, and post-partum. When I was having some trouble with nursing, they came over to offer assistance. At every step, they did everything they could to help make me successful.

Thanks for stopping by to read our story! Here's a link to get $50 off the Mama Natural Birth course. :)

*While over 99% of births in the U.S. take place in hospitals with some of the best technology in the world, according to the WHO, the maternal mortality rate is 28 out of 100,000 births—ranking the U.S. 55^th in the world, even worse than Chile, Ukraine, Iran, Russia, Thailand, and others.

**According to a 2014 of midwife attended homebirths in the U.S. in the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health, the cesarean rate for midwife led homebirths is 5.2% in comparison to 31%  for the national average in the U.S. The study reports better outcomes for babies as well, 97% of babies were carried to full-term and weighed an average of eight pounds, 98% were being breast fed at the 6 week visit, and only 1% of babies were transferred to the hospital after birth.

{almost} 5 years of marriage strategies

With weddings to attend this summer and our upcoming five year anniversary, I have wondered what  strategies or traits have we developed that helped us grow a thriving marriage? It certainly wasn't luck or lack of problems...

Sure, there are couples with amazing marriages more seasoned than our own, but there is something unique to each season of marriage and the challenges of this time are still very fresh in our memories. After the butterflies and "all we need is love" mentality ended, we had to get to work. Here are a few marriage strategies we've learned in the first 5 years:

• Forgiveness is final. Once you have forgiven your spouse, the act is in the past and cannot be used as ammunition in future arguments.
• Hit the pause button. We learned after far too many long, frustrating nights, that the verse "don't let the sun go down on your anger" should not be used to drive each other to delirium in the wee hours of the morning in a circular argument. Try to resolve disagreements quickly. Endlessly listing every aspect of your spouse's actions and why you were hurt is not helpful. If the disagreement isn't going anywhere, find a place to peacefully stop the conversation, agree on a time to finish the discussion, and say goodnight.
• Don't say the "d" word. Using words like "divorce" in the midst of a heated argument is corrosive and inflammatory.
• Seek wise counsel. Find marriage mentors, a trusted couple unrelated to either of you, and/or married peers who will actively support and encourage your marriage. And listen to their advice!
• Let go of toxic relationships. If there are people in your life who belittle or undermine your spouse or marriage, in the interest of growing a healthy marriage, it may be time to move on from those friendships. *note added* make sure you are not that toxic person... We committed to never tear each other down with others. When we are apart, we still speak kindly and respectfully about each other, even if we've had a disagreement.  Gossiping about your own spouse creates an attitude of  resentment and disrespect toward your spouse in you and in those listening. 
• Do things together. Find activities that you can enjoy together (things that aren't passive like TV). For us, we have enjoyed working out, cooking, playing games, completing projects together, going to dinner. Making this time to do things together, takes more effort after having kids!
• Do things separately. Give each other space to have time alone or to pursue your passions. Each person in the relationship needs this time, even if they haven't mentioned it. We've gotten to the point where I will directly ask Brandon, "Do you need 'cave time'"? And he will do the same for me.
• Invest in same-sex friendships. Every husband needs other male friends, every wife needs other female friends. You CANNOT be everything for each other. We already have a savior, and he is not you or your spouse.
• Take time out to dream/plan. Whether it's weekly, monthly, or quarterly, make a point of talking about how things are going, what you envision happening in the future, and what you would like to happen. This may involve making lists or action steps.

• You are a new and unique family. While you both remain a part of your original families and under the "umbrella" of that family, the two of you have your own family or "umbrella" that your parents are not a part of. (The umbrella metaphor is originally from my Grandpa.)
• Be out with the in-laws. When it comes to navigating each other's families, understand that you come from different backgrounds so the spouse related to the family should take the lead on communication and decision-making since they speak the same language in a sense. Give space and respect to the way your in-laws do/see things even if you disagree.
• Get involved. Don't just attend church, participate. Serving in ministry will deepen your faith, introduce you to new people, and bond you closer to your spouse.
• Pray. No, really. I'm not talking about a passive "bless our marriage" prayer. Pray together, pray separately, pray for each other. If there's an issue going on, pray as soon as you can. Before and/or after a heavy conversation, pray. Before making a decision, pray. Intently seeking God for specific requests has deepened our faith and our marriage.

Hopefully this encourages you in your marriage! What are strategies that have worked for you?

Roadtripping & Camping with a Baby Part 2

We survived a major camping trip that included 1700 miles of travel, 3 camping locations, 3 states, and 5 nights away. This trip took a lot more organization than our previous camping excursion, but it went much more smoothly! Hopefully, our experiences encourage you to be adventurous with your family. It's ok if things don't go perfectly. Both of our trips had plenty of hiccups, even with lots of planning. But we came away with memories that will be foundational to our family.

Tips for long drives and camping with a baby: 

• Take breaks. Our goal was to try to drive in 3-hour increments before stopping, but being flexible to follow baby's lead in case he needed a stop sooner than that.
• Pack lunches and snacks for the drive. I made sandwiches for every driving day and portioned ziplocks of chips, fruit, and drinks for us. We also had snacks and meals ready to go for Aaron.

 

• Take advantage of community parks on the drive. We used our map app during our drive to find parks along our route. You can find yelp reviews and photos for most parks which can help to ensure that you are finding the correct kind of park (not a business park and in a safe area) and that it has the correct equipment (i.e. slide, bucket swings). It's also a fun adventure! We discovered some really special communities on our drive, like Dunsmuir, CA.

• Know your baby's limits. Aaron's daily driving limit is about 7 hours  (not including stops). It was painful for all of us when we pushed it to 8 hours. Plan accordingly.
• Be flexible!!! We booked a stay in a yurt in beautiful Harris Beach State Park on the Oregon coast. However, when we took our playground break in Medford, OR, it was abundantly clear that the 2.5 more hours of driving to get there was going to be a nightmare for all of us. Not to mention the extra 2.5 hours we would have to spend returning to the I-5 to resume our travels to WA. So we forfeited the $50 for that stay and drove to another campsite that had yurts 30 minutes away. When baby's happiness and comfort come first, the whole family is happier!

• Yurts/Cabins are an easy alternative to tent camping. We just brought some sheets and settled in for the night. It felt so relaxing! Oregon State Parks have the most amazing website to find campgrounds that have yurts, cabins, and even teepees.

• Storage drawers for kitchen supplies. This was an idea we found on Pinterest. It was so much better than digging through a deep tub of supplies.

• Make a detailed menu plan that includes all meals and snacks for baby. We also wrote all the ingredients for every meal so that we forget anything before we left home.

 

 Meals for babies included: pureed chicken soup, yogurt, mashed banana, applesauce, cheese, pear pieces

• Storage containers for baby food. The OXO containers for baby food that I had prepped ahead of time were perfect!
• Baby fence for a safe play area. This was helpful for making sure our crawler didn't go too far. I will say that it works best with a baby who can play alone or with 2 or more little ones.

• Foam tiles for a play area in the tent and for a cushioned walkway. We had a lot of roots and rocks in our campsite, so the extra cushioning was helpful.
• Tent big enough for a pack n play and our air mattress. This made camping so much more comfortable! We were able to put Aaron to bed at his usual bedtime then enjoy some adult time by the fire.

• Dressing baby warmly for sleeping through 50* nights. We put Aaron in fleece pajamas and a beanie to sleep, laid him on top of his lambskin, and covered him with 2 light baby blankets. Even when we were cold under our 2 heavy blankets and sleeping bag, he slept like a rock all night long!
• Toys, toys, toys. We brought lots of toys to provide some distraction during the drive and some entertainment at the campsite. New toys also help provide more interest. I can't believe how many toys we crammed in the car, but I was glad we took them all!
• Baths for baby in a storage tub.

• Put the phone away. Getting pictures is great, but sometimes the camera gets in the way of the moment. I wish I had left mine in the tent more often.
• Adapt and go with the flow. It seems self-explanatory, but when it starts raining or equipment isn't working, it gets really tough to stay focused on the big picture. If everyone can still be fed, sleep, and enjoy themselves, it's going to be fine. For example, we rented a cargo box to go on top of our car, but after our time tent camping with family, it wouldn't open at our next stop. Our tent, camp chairs, pack n play, sleeping bag, extra warm blankets, and astro turf were trapped. Fortunately, our next camping stay was in a yurt so we were done with the tent. We were really bummed to be without the sleeping bag and blankets, but especially anxious about missing the pack n play. While I happened to have a spare blanket in my bag, we had to get more creative to put together Aaron's sleeping arrangement. We took the twin mattress provided in the yurt, put it on the floor, put down blankets, then created a rectangle around the mattress with the baby fence. Ingenuity at its finest!

 

It was such a special weekend of good conversations with Brandon on the long drives and memories of experiences the 3 of us shared over the weekend. On the last night I was putting Aaron to bed and I took a few extra minutes to hold him as I realized how quickly time has passed. Our family will have more adventures, but we will never have that same experience again.

 

Camping with a Baby: Things We Did Well & Lessons Learned

After our first camping trip as a family of 3 we are tired, sore, wizened, and already thinking about our next camping trip.

While we had a great time making memories as a new family, we learned a lot. Hopefully our experiences will encourage you to have fun in
the great outdoors with your little ones too!

First, here are some of the things that we did well:

• We just went for it. It's easy to be intimidated by camping with kids, especially babies. But we loved camping before kids, and want to raise our kids enjoying one of our favorite past times.

• We kept baby warm. Between long sleeves, hats, double layered pants, and jackets, baby stayed very warm. At night we wrapped him in a blanket by the campfire. Then, he slept between us which was good for him... but not for us.

• Screened-in awning to keep bugs away from baby and meal time. Brandon found a huge 11'x9' screened-in awning with magnetic closing doors at Costco for $90. That thing was amazing! Looking forward to using this in the summertime when there are lots of mosquitoes. (This one is a similar magnetic door screened cover)

•  Pack n Play area. We put our Pack n Play in the screened-in area to create a safe, clean play space for Aaron. We would put a few select toys in with him and he played independently 10-30 minutes at a time.

• We brought lots of toys and favorite things. Even though space was tight, we brought a full bag of his toys and the familiar lambskin he sleeps on in his crib at home. Those items made independent play time and sleeping go smoothly.
• Clip on seat. This clip on seat hooked right onto the picnic table for our meal times. Bonus: it is compact for travel.

• We planned some low maintenance meals. Cooking meals that are as good or better than meals we make at home is one of our favorite parts of camping. We love Dutch oven cooking, but it is fairly time intensive and better for groups than it is for only 2 adults. So foil packet meals were great for the short prep and almost no clean up. Now, I understand why those boxes of Costco ready to eat cereal bowls were so popular with my family when we were little. (Remember those?!)
  
  
• Astroturf! We got a large piece of Astroturf for free recently and I'm so glad we picked it up! The turf was wonderful as a mat outside the tent to cut down on tracked in dirt and it was a great place to allow Aaron to do some supervised scooting. On our next trip, I don't think he'll stay on the turf as easily though unless we put up some temporary fencing; which, isn't a bad idea!
  
• Prepped meals at home. We spent about 2 hours at home prepping ingredients for meals so they were ready to go. We chopped onions, cooked bacon, fajita chicken, rice, and prepped an apple crisp topping and base. This prep made it so easy to reach into the cooler for the appropriate Ziplock and throw a meal together.
• Ready to go meals for baby. We love those Plum organic squeezeable meal packets! (He loves them too!)
  
  
• We planned a short stay. For our first trip, 2 nights was just right! Since we weren't sure how things would go, it was nice that we found a first come, first served site so we could pay one night at a time. 
• We did research. Campgrounds vary quite a bit. Some are wonderful for families, while some are more for crowds of college kids. Read Yelp, Tripadvisor, reservation details, and look for campground photos. We camped at Butano State Park which was perfect for families!

Ok, so before it sounds like I'm bragging about how great we are, here are some of the lessons we learned from our first campout:

• Everything takes longer. Everyone tells you how much longer things take with a baby, but sometimes you don't believe it until you experience it. Before baby, it would take us 1-1.5 hours to pack up the car and the same to break camp. With baby, it took us 3 hours to do both tasks. Knowing that it would take us that long would have saved me some anxiety.
• More easy meals!!!! We had a few meals that were a bit ambitious. The stuffed fajita peppers and paleo apple crisp were delicious, but could have been skipped or modified to be foil packet meals. This is one I want to focus on and start making a special family camp recipe binder.
• More blankets and warm clothes for mom and dad. Self-explanatory one. Baby was warm, but we were a bit chilly. We were so focused on keeping him warm that we didn't think about ourselves for every situation.
• Bathtime bucket. This time we were able to keep Aaron relatively clean since he is not very mobile yet, but next time we will definitely need to have a bath bucket and supplies under the screened awning for nightly scrub-downs.
• Bigger tent with a designated sleeping space for baby. We took our 4-person tent with a queen size mattress and it was very tight. Brandon and I were almost falling off the mattress with our son sleeping starfish style between us. It was also a bummer that Brandon and I couldn't cuddle in the cold, but rather had to sleep in odd contorted positions to make sure Aaron had enough space. At least he slept amazing! (Sidenote: we had a large tent given to us that we were planning to bring, but we discovered last minute that it was missing all the tent poles!)
  
• Try to keep your baby's nap schedule. Aaron's main nap of the day happens after lunch time from about 1-3, which is pretty typical. We made the mistake of taking an excursion into town during that time hoping that he would be flexible... this was a recipe that led to no afternoon nap and an overtired baby that evening. In my opinion, I think the optimal times for an outing would be in the morning after breakfast or late afternoon (post-nap).

 These last two lessons are the most important things you can take away from this post, and were big ones we debriefed about after some frustrated conversations.

• Make the choice between utility/resourcefulness and quality time. I can get pretty ambitious about trying to reduce waste, using non-disposable items, and maximizing baby-free moments to clean, prep, etc. All those things are well and good but if you try to do all those things 100%, you are choosing that over quality time together. I'm not saying use only Styrofoam and a new cup for every drink. Next time, I'll bring some paper or compostable dishes and create a soapy bowl or bucket to toss utensils and dishware into to create one dishwashing time. I'll also put quality time or relaxing first!
• Quality family time ≠ Quality couple time. We made wonderful memories as a family, but between all the work camping takes and wrangling a 7 month old, Brandon and I barely interacted as a couple, let alone had any physical contact! 3 things that we will do differently next time:
1. When (or if) baby takes a nap, take those first 15-30 minutes to connect in some way or relax together enjoying your surroundings.
2. If there's a time that baby is content with some independent playtime, again, take those first few minutes to connect even if it's just to hug and share a laugh over something that happened that morning before you start tackling clean-up duties.
3. Separate sleeping space for baby. So many reasons for that one! 

Camping with a baby and seeing their wonder as they look at the trees and touch the dirt is really amazing. It is also a rare time of being completely unplugged together. It takes work, but it is so worth it!

For more tips, check out Roadtripping & Camping with a Baby Part 2!

Thank you for allowing me to include some affiliate links in this post.

home.

There's no place like home.

dearphotograph.com

When we were kids, home was a very concrete place. It was that house where we spent our formative years... learning to ride bikes, getting sent to our room, decorating for Christmas, building forts... That house had a smell, sounds, textures, voices that have been ingrained into our memories.

I {Jenny} remember the winding road lined with trees that led to "the little blue house." The swing on the big oak tree, the fort in the backyard, the playhouse that my mom built, smells of playdough, making english muffin pizzas, sharing a queen size bed with Ashton, my dad's corndog and chili dinners, riding bikes to the Ciraulo's...

I {Brandon} can recall building fences, decks, and playhouses with dad, the way a crisp fall Saturday morning feels as you head out to play soccer, and the smell of mom's spaghetti filling the house as we completed homework. Summer brought us endless games of baseball and street hockey until we couldn't see the ball any longer.

It's interesting that in your 20's, home is such a fluid concept. Brandon and I have talked about how home is where we live together in a particular stage. We've yet to establish a home as in a physical address. That will come in time and probably with kids...

But for now we're saying goodbye to a place that we have known as a couple for 2 years and Brandon has called home for almost 30 years. Things will be different from this point on, but we said yes to life changing when we said "I do".

The morning of our wedding day, I {Brandon} woke up in a hotel room shared by my three brothers. I had shared rooms with brothers for the better part of 20 years. As I got dressed, it struck me that I would never start my day from that point of view again. Now I wake up to my wife greeting me with a kiss.

It reminds me {Jenny} of how quickly life changed that week. One night I was sitting as an unmarried daughter watching Father of the Bride with my parents around me, a few nights later I was driving away from our reception as a wife knowing that life would never look the same.

Past places and phases of life hold special memories, but each transition leads us closer to who we are becoming and where God wants us to be.

It's still hard, it's still painful. But we always hope.

The News

The past two weeks feel like a whirlwind! It was mostly good things though. But I feel so exhausted. I came home today, put my pj's on, heated up leftovers, and watched some Bachelorette. What is with that show anyway? You really signed up for a national TV show and competed with 24 other guys to find a wife? What?!

Anyway...

I took my Master's in Special Education Comprehensive Exam today. 15 pages and 4 hours later, it was all done. The capstone on my grad work. I'm pretty sure I passed. An 18 out of 30 is passing and I remembered all the sources I needed to remember and probably had more cohesive essays than what I had written for practice.

Rewind to that morning... I was rushing around the house repeating research study authors and publication dates to myself. Brandon was tossing coffee into travel mugs and juggling little Buhner as we were pushing ourselves out the door. I was anxious and a bit snippy about getting out the door, but stopped myself and asked Brandon to pray with me.--That happens more and more often these days, stopping in the middle of something and sometimes not in our best moments to pray--We prayed for my exam then I prayed "God I pray that I DO get that job and that I would find out today"... That felt pretty bold and pretty crazy to basically say to God, "Yeah, I want that job. Can I have it?"

So as I turned in my classroom key and finish filing some last minute paperwork, my phone rings. It was the high school principal I interviewed with offering me the position. So incredible.

I told the office staff and the principal said something to the effect of "Wow, you just turn in your key and you get a job? You're moving near your family, your husband has a job... Everything's falling in place, something must be right."

So true, but not a complete picture. It's not just dumb luck that I found a teaching job in a horrible job market for teachers or that Brandon gets to start doing what he has wanted to do for several years... God is totally in on it. And the beautiful orchestration of timing? God is just such a wonderfully creative writer.

I was talking with my lovely friend yesterday. She called to tell me about amazing things God did in her life. Complete healing and transformation. Then God told her to share what he had done.

So, in light of that conversation, I share all this not to boast, but because God wants us to share the stories of how he's blessed us! They're not just our stories to hold onto. They're part of his larger love story.

What an adventure we're on!

Closing out year 3

If you are a student, a teacher, or have kids in school, you understand the cyclical nature of education.

I feel like a gypsy teacher. For the past 3 years I have roamed and taught where God led. Each year, I invested all I could into the students and brought my wares into a bare canvas... the classroom. That classroom became my classroom.

The beginning of the year always starts the same. There's a rush to get ready. You're not quite sure what you're doing (even if you've done it before). The students are nervous and you're anxious to build a rapport with them. You focus a lot of energy on decorating the classroom and trying to get organized. (Note: photos are from my first year)

By the middle of the year, you've hit a stride. You have a system that works. The honeymoon period is over, you know which students need some extra positive support and which ones you can trust with their work (and your desk supplies). Making sure the classroom is decorated is an afterthought, if you think of it at all. Your initial organization techniques have fallen by a wayside for whatever works. For me: if it's piled on my desk and not filed away, it's on the to-do list.

At the end of the year, you're beginning to close things out with assessments and evaluations. Student and staff emotions run high. You see the fruit of all your work and care as you reflect on how the year started. He used to... Now he... At the beginning of the year, she... Now she... You say goodbye to the students, some are sad and some are just anxious for summer!

Then in a few months, it repeats itself.

Teachers don't do this to become financial moguls, we do it because we love it. We love teaching, learning, impacting students, seeing progress, thinking creatively, and seeing students become more of who they are.

Yesterday, I completed another year. I said goodbye to my students and coworkers, packed up everything, and felt a strong sense of deja vu as I saw the room return to its original state. I was thankful that my husband came to help me pack up.

I don't feel like I have words to describe what it all felt like... Those final moments when everything had been loaded into my car and I looked at the darkened classroom. My desk that had previously been covered with papers was bare. Everything was quiet and Brandon held my hand. Change is so hard, but having worked in 5 different schools and moving 7 times in the past 5 years, it feels refreshing and almost comfortable.

This post feels mostly incoherent, but that's where I'm at right now.

Last week of school quotes

Heard in the classroom this week:

"I found you on google!"

"WHAT?!?! You won't be here next year?"

"You don't love us!!!"

"I'm going to come down to California and burn it down!"

"You know what they say... Curiosity killed the... notebook."

"I'm going to stalk you with your email and look up your geotags on facebook."

And my favorite: "Mrs. Prior, I'll remember you forever."

The move has brought out a lot of emotions. Especially with my students... from threats of violence and terrorism to desperate emotional pleas. One of my students who tends to be inattentive and oblivious started crying when I told the class. If you knew the student, you'd understand why it's noteworthy. One more day with the kids. I can't believe it.

After absorbing numerous responses to our move and feeling more of the reality of it, I have started to feel it. We are starting to feel it. This week has been holding onto a rock in the middle of a hurricane.

It's passing, the sun is coming out, and there is so much hope ahead. Teaching interview next week, Master's comprehensive exam this Wednesday, Europe coming up, then, the move.

Moving alone is completely different from moving together. It's an incredibly bonding experience. On a hard day this week, Brandon and I were commiserating and he wrote the following in an email:

Home will always be together now.

Note: The photos are from our engagement photo session.

faith

"For we live by faith, not by sight." 2 Cor. 5:7

"Genuine moral fiber is developed by enduring the discipline of faith. When you have made your request to God, and the answer still has not come, what are you to do? Keep on believing His Word! Never be swayed from it by what you see or feel. Then as you stand firm, your power and experience is being developed, strengthened, and deepened." Streams in the Desert, L.B. Cowman

I used to completely underestimate faith and prayer. When someone told me to pray about something, I would feel so discouraged and wonder if they were just writing me off.

In recent years, I have learned that through prayer, I am participating in something so much bigger. I have been surprised at how often Brandon and I feel led to pray and then see God move. The faithfulness of God is a response to his love for us (everyone not just Brandon and I) and a response to the legacy of faith into which we are woven.

It was by faith that my parents, when they learned of J.P.'s disability, continued to walk and live with hope. By their faith, J.P. has grown into a remarkable young man who has exceeded expectations.

It was by faith that Brandon and I prayed for our spouses, despite discouraging prospects. And then at the right time, life situations and eharmony settings were open so that we could begin to pursue a relationship, unlike any other we had previously experienced. Even from 1,200 miles away.

It was by faith that J.P. prayed for my job, when I had been discouraged by spending a full year subbing and 5 fruitless interviews. By his faith, I received a job offer the next day.

It is by faith that Brandon and I are moving. Even though we have stable jobs and a stable future where we are, we have faith that God is calling us out of our safety into a daunting situation where there is little certainty but no limit to where he will take us.

Brandon is doing something completely new and unfamiliar. I have no job lined up. We don't have anywhere to live yet. We don't know what our income will be. There are things that we want that we will put off for a while.

Yet! I still hope. I still have faith that God will keep his promises.

"There may be a great work occurring in your life when things seem their darkest. You may see no evidence yet, but God is at work. " Streams in the Desert, L.B. Cowman

It has been in the dark nights when I have heard God's voice the clearest.

God has done it before and he will do it again. Just watch and see.

Europe Countdown

Our upcoming itinerary:

We are so excited for our trip to Europe!!! I can't believe it's finally going to be here after all this talking and planning. I've been to Europe four times before. Yeah, I know... pretty crazy. Each trip was unique and amazing. I am so grateful for those opportunities. The only thing I was missing was the love of my life. One definitely feels the gravity of singleness when you walk around Paris by yourself. The hardest was a candlelit stroll that I took solo around the grounds of the Vaux le Vicomte castle. So this trip will be unique and amazing because my husband is coming with me!!!

It is his first trip and he is so excited! He can't wait to see the Austrian Alps, the historical sights, the city of London, and the beaches of Normandy.

It will be such a great adventure for us... and a test of our ability to work together to solve problems that inevitably come up during vacations.

Here's an overview of our itinerary:

• Arrive in Frankfurt, rent a car
• Night in Heidelberg
• Stop at Rothenberg ob der Tauber
• Night in Salzburg
• Stop at Neuschwanstein
• Night in Florence
• 2 Nights in Rome
• Fly to London
• 3 Nights in London
• Night in Normandy region
• 3 Nights in Paris
• Fly home

Forgive my misspellings... I didn't feel like looking them up. :)

40 Day Fitness Challenge and RESULTS!!!

Before: December 2010

After: May 2011

We just completed a 40 Day Challenge with our awesome trainer Willie Woods of Iron Core Fit. It was nothing drastic. There were a few basic rules:

1. Workout, Rest, or Attend Class
Isn't he cute? !
2. Eat 6 meals (include protein and good fats) per day including pre/post workout meals
3. Take Supplements
4. Drink half your body weight in ounces of water

We did strength training 5 times per week and really focused on increasing our protein intake, severely decreasing our consumption of sugar and excess carbohydrates.

Here's an example of one of our workouts:

Warm-up/Activation exercises

Core

• wall ball crunches 2 x20
• low plank 2 x30 seconds
• yoga abs x30 each side
• superman x15

Joint

• Peeing Dog: side up/down x15, kick back x20, karate kicks x20

Strength: 3 sets 45 seconds on/15 seconds rest

1a. KB swing

1b. KB pullover

1c. plank circles x5 each direction on ball

2a. clean/squat/press x3 each side

2b. KB floor chest press

2c. wall sit

3a. pulldown

3b. crabwalk

3c. side-lying tricep extension

4a. hi pull + drop squat

4b. figure 8

4c. renegade row

Finisher (to keep the metabolism revving!): 2x500 meter row

But we definitely saw some incredible results! In just 40 days we lost 18 lbs. (Brandon-11 lbs., Jenny-7 lbs.) and over 16 inches (Brandon-6", Jenny-10.25")!!!

Not only that, we improved our hand-eye coordination and overall strength in our pre and post testing. We're going to keep going though!

Want more fitness inspiration? Here's a post from one of my favorite blogs: Rage Against the Minivan