Pregnancy has completely taken my much prized brain away!   

I've always prided myself that I'm level-headed, smart, logical, organized, not easily scared, don't usually burn food, and generally have everything together.  I don't usually have blonde moments and its always been something I've been proud about!

Well, I'm not sure what has happened, but it seems like every time I turn around I'm doing something ELSE crazy and stupid!  I blame cooking burns and blunders on "pregnancy cooking" and moan and groan when I burn something else!  Its SO sad! 

Apparently, cooking isn't where it stops.  On my grocery list I attempted to put "floor cleaner" until Stephen asked me, "What is flour cleaner?"  Geeez.  How did I put that?!

Again, I needed to cash a check at the bank and the bank was about to close so I was in a hurry.  Traffic on our road is pretty busy so I quickly pulled over to the drive through of our bank, got my stuff, asked if they were still open (yes), sent the check and ID to them.....  The lady was like "Do you have an account with Compass or Chase?"  I confidently said, "Chase!"  "I'm sorry, Chase is next door."  Good grief!  I knew something was wrong when I drove up, but the banks are next door, it was raining, they look alike, and all that!  So by the time I drove over to Chase they were already closed.  Go figure.

Other than that, I know its all worth it.  Our little buggy bean is growing (3 1/2 inches long), and so far as we know, is doing good!  He (as we call him) is can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another.  Sounds fun, huh! 

Meanwhile for me, I just look fat and I get the feeling that its going to get increasingly harder to tie my shoes!!  Even now, bending over when I'm on the couch I feel like there's some sort of ball inside me squishing everything.  I'm feeling better gradually, I definitely don't have as much heartburn and I'm not as tired, but there are still times when I feel like I got hit with a brick.  Thankfully, I've started cooking again and food smells don't bother me nearly as bad. 

Stephen is doing well!  We're having a great time together and life in our little house is wonderful!  Its been so much fun getting to be with more people (HELLO CRAZY WONDERFUL PEOPLE DOWN THE ROAD!!!!....Wychopens), singing around the piano, playing games, watching fun movies together, verrrrry late night talks, and great fellowship. 

God has been providing for our every need, He's just amazing!  We have so many stories about it so far, its awesome.  Lately I was so depressed because we needed money to make payments for our baby and we really had NOTHING to make a payment.  Now, I hadn't gotten paid for working since July, so I called the company and somehow I had gotten taken off the "sent to" list and so I had 5 checks waiting at their office.  We received them and it was almost exactly one months payment!!!!!  And somehow we turned around and had two payments worth and everything had been paid!!  God is so good!  I know He'll provide every step of the way. 

Today a company Stephen applied for a job for called and offered but because it was too far away we turned it down...on one hand its hard to turn down a better job offer, but we know God has the right one for him and hopefully it will be closer than 40 minutes with no Houston traffic!  I'm blessed with a husband that puts me AND his family to be first before a job.  He wants to be able to be home as much as possible instead of working long days and then driving another several hours a day just to come and go from work!!!

Life is great!

Dear Journal,

Today was fun!  Different than what I’m used to doing…heehee!  Tim came over at 10 and went left for Jonathan’s house to do some shooting with our guns and some of theirs. 

After setting up targets for the glocks, revolver, 22’s, and some other stuff, we set up a big paper target for our shotgun.  I haven’t ever shot anything more than a bb or pellet gun, so it was fun shooting something dangerous!  Heehee   I didn’t do too bad for a first time - most of mine hit the target and fairly ok - I hit the 9 circle a bunch of times and the very middle once or twice.  Most of the time if I was shooting rapidly they were in the same close area - so that’s a good thing!

Then came the shotgun, and boy, you don’t ever want to be on the other side of the gun.  After blowing HUGE holes with bunches of small shots all around we blew up some boards, logs, and pvc piping. Oh, and a snake too.  :D  we used mostly doveshot but I shot some buckshot which gave quite a bit more of a kick and way louder, but boy it was tons of fun shooting!  :D

*grossness next*

We saw a snake and so Stephen shot him with a 22 a couple times but he was still alive so Jonathan grabs the shot gun and blows the snake in two - and after I was looking at him and the top of his head was blown off, but his tongue was sticking out.  So I picked up a stick and poked on it a little further back from his mouth and his tongue kept coming out more and more…then when I poked really close by his tongue it all went back in!  It was amusingly funny - they guys got a kick out of my fascination. 

After shooting Jonathan and Hannah had to leave so we played spades with Mrs. F for 2 hours on ONE GAME!  It was me and Mrs. F against Tim and Stephen.  We totally thought we’d cream the guys, but in the end they won!  We got set a couple times which was our downfall (thanks to me) but on one round we bid, but then basically played hearts so that they guys would go minus 100 for bags and it worked!  It was so awesome!

Later on we met up with Jon W and played tennis until a big beautiful thunderstorm rolled in and started soaking us, so we decided to pick up and drop by the Hulin’s house to say one last goodbye to Sarah and Rebekah before they leave in the morning for Korea for a month.  We ended up staying there 30 minutes chatting.

Then on to check out the W’s new house and supper at CiCi’s and now I think we’re going to watch Fast and Furious 2 and probably hit the sack sometime late tonight (the guys are staying the night), but I’m pretty tired.

But it’s been a good day!

Once upon a time there was a Hero and a Sunny. . .

 My first remembrance of Stephen was that he was a boy on a red bicycle who wore a very distinctive cowboy hat.  In 2003 my family camped next to Stephen and Holly Nelson at family camp in Big Sandy Texas.  I remember seeing him around, but we didn’t talk at all.  I posted pictures from Family Camp on Crossingscentral.com and Stephen sent me a message, and well, on October 20, 2004 it all started.

 “Cool! you've got pictures from family camp! How many do you think you took, I didn't take any, forgot the camera. oops :p Anyway, you're probably wondering "who in the world is this nutcase pming me?" Am I right? Well, I might be wrong, whatever. To halfway introduce myself, Stephen Nelson, I was camping right next to you (I think) with the blue tarp and the tent, your brother Jonathan stayed at our house once with my brother, Christopher. I know I should have said "Hi" or something at Family Camp, but I don't really like introducing myself to people in person, in emails though, is another matter, as you could probably tell. Well, this is getting longwinded I know so I guess I'll close, but, ummm..... nevermind.
ttyl
Stephen”

 I remember thinking I’d be nice and chat with him, but he was 17 and I was 21!  The next year we chatted on AIM off and on, but I definitely didn’t think anything of it, and didn’t really try to get to know him.

 Next October Family Camp 2005 came around again and since Stephen had been in California for 2 weeks I didn’t expect him to come, but I thought it would be nice to see him.  He showed up at my campsite to my great surprise and that week we really hit it off.  I remember how nice he was, and my mom commenting that “Here he comes again!” 

 The next year we started talking on the phone often and chatting via Yahoo and AIM.  Our early phone conversations were pretty funny, he would be outside the window watching the world series, and I’d be sitting in my bathroom!

 In January 2007 we knew it was time to become “official” and that we were friends forever and on February 10^th Stephen asked to court me, and to our happiness, my dad said yes and Stephen started coming to visit and getting to know everyone.

 The next two years were very challenging and it was a time of waiting on the Lord and resting only in His strength.  There were many times where it was almost too hard to press on, but we knew God had brought us together for a purpose and that we wouldn’t want to grow old with anyone else except each other.  God was merciful and gracious to us through our long-distance courtship, and the times where all we wanted to do was to smash our phones against the wall, He helped us through each trial.  It was so hard to see each other and then have to only talk on the phone again.

 Toward the end of our courtship we took a sabbatical of talking and didn’t talk from November 14, 2008 - Christmas Day.  We prayed that God would lead us and show us what we were supposed to do.  We were both ready to give up and without any hope to lean on, we were giving up and it seemed hopeless.

 In the last few weeks before our engagement the words from a song kept ringing in my head “everything changed in a moment of time…” and while I tried to hope on it, it still seemed completely hopeless and that there was nothing that could happen that would change it around.  We had so many people praying for us, and their prayers helped us through! 

God truly changed everything around in a moment of time!  That’s all it took!  On Monday, January 12 Stephen called my Dad and asked permission to ask me to marry him, Tuesday the Lord provided a perfect very sparkly ring, and on Wednesday, January 14, 2009 Stephen came to Temple.  The doorbell rang at my office around 1:30Pm and as I opened the door Stephen knelt down on one knee and told me how much he loved me, “Melody Dawn Huber, I love you, will you marry me?”  And I said, YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Of course, Stephen says I wouldn’t stop talking and asking why he was there - he said he could hardly get his words out.  J  We spent the day rejoicing with our friends and family!

We are planning a March 28, 2009 wedding! 

And they lived, happily, ever after. . .

December 15, 2008

“In hope against hope he believed…yet with the respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.” - Romans 4:18a-20

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” - Romans 5:1-5

“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” - 2 Timothy 2:15

If you cannot express yourself on any subject, struggle until you can.  If you do not, someone will be the poorer all the days of his life.  Struggle to re-express some truth of God to yourself, and God will use that expression to someone else.  Go through the winepress of God where the grapes are crushed.  You must struggle to get expression experimentally, then there will come a time when that expression will become the very wine of strengthening someone else; but if you say lazily, “I am not going to struggle to express this thing for myself, I will borrow what I say,” the expression will not only be of no use to you, but of no use to anyone.  Try to state to yourself what you feel implicitly to be God’s truth, and you give God a chance to pass it one to someone else through you.

Always make a practice of provoking your own mind to think out what it accepts easily.  Our position is not ours until we make it ours by suffering.  The author who benefits you must is not the one who tells you something that you did not know before, but the one who gives expression to the truth that has been dumbly struggling in you for utterance.

 “Trust in Him.” - Psalm 37:5

The word “trust” is the heart of faith and is the Old Testament word given to the infant, or early, stages of faith.  The word “faith” conveys more an act of the will, while the word “belief” conveys an act of the mind or intellect, but trust is the language of the heart.  The words “faith” and “belief” refer more to a truth believed or to something expected to happen.

Trust implies more than this, for it sees and feels and it leans on those who have a great, living, and genuine heart of love.  Therefore let us “trust also in him” (Psalm 37:5), through all the delays, in spite of all the difficulties, and in the face of all the rejection we encounter in life.  And in spite of our feelings and evidence to the contrary, and even when we cannot understand our way or our situation, may we still “trust also in him; for he shall bring it to pass.”  The way will open, our situation will be changed, and the end result will be peace.  The cloud will finally be lifted, and the light eternal noonday will shine at last.

Trust and rest when all around you puts your faith to stringent test;

Let no fear or foe confound you, wait for God and trust and rest.

Trust and rest with heart abiding, like a birdling in its nest,

Underneath His feathers hiding, fold your wings and trust and rest.

December 4, 2008

My life sure is different than it used to be.  Nothing is the same.  My friends are different, my work is different, my studies are different, my life is different.  I think maybe I’m starting to know why, or that there is a purpose, but it is so bittersweet.

I miss the days gone by.  I desire to never be separate from my best friend, but even that seems impossible at times.  I’m in a different place.  I used to be completely musically wrapped up with music, playing, practicing, and more practicing.  I’d play and practice with friends - and then bake brownies afterwards.  I haven’t forgotten.

Now I’m studying Microsoft, I’m completely computer oriented and weirdly love it.  I guess it’s a way I find a sense of accomplishment and if I can make money at it too, all the better.  I play music more these days, but its not my driving force anymore.  It’s a good feeling to know I’m still wanted and if that if they didn’t already know what I would say they would be begging me to come back…ok, they are anyway.  So that’s a nice feeling.  I love doing well at things. 

So instead of classical I’m down-hoe and country.  I used to attend all the Temple Symphony but now there’s no friends to go with me, and its not the same.  Instead of playing classical in the orchestra, I’m playing bluegrass, blues, irish reels, and country fiddling like Old Joe Clark, Blackberry Blossom, Rose of Sharon… I’m working on my double-stops, slides, and bowing, fast and accurate and a whole new style of playing. 

I work full-time plus another job, and possible 2 extra jobs.  I don’t get paid enough for my work, but am happy to live with it.  I get up early, don’t stay out at night much, but study, attend computer workshops, teach people how to be better computer/secretary’s in churches.  I’m Microsoft office certified in Word, Excel, Shepherd’s Staff certified in Finance, Membership, Contributions, & Reports.

I know what kind of work I like to do.  I thrive on doing stuff with other people’s work, but hate developing from the ground up.  Give me ideas and info that you want - shoot, I’ll ask you want you want and make you think, but you tell me what you want, and I’ll get it done for you.

I don’t lead like I wish I could, but I suppose that can change.  I want to put together a time for the church office secretaries to get together and exchange ideas and tips.  I’m working with someone tomorrow showing them how to work with programs to develop their bulletin, and there’s more people who could benefit.  I’ve learned a lot and enjoy showing people how to do their work faster, make it look better and in the end making everybody happier.  Its hard for me to slow down enough to keep it on their level.  Hopefully I’ll do better tomorrow. 

I don’t do puzzles anymore.  I haven’t put one together in a long time, but did take one class on hand quilting and have made two quilts.  My first one was hand pieced and computer machine pieced and then hand quilted - it was funky looking, but really cool, I still want o make another one like it. It was for a single bed.  The second is a large queen quilt, beautiful and sewed with tears.  Machine pieced and hand quilted. 

I value my friends even more, and I haven’t forgotten the others.  Actually I think of them often.  My friends are now entering the marriage time and I, who had a guy first, will probably be the last to actually get married.  Such is life.  Hopefully I won’t have 27 dresses before I actually get married.  Heck, I don’t have that many friends!  LOL

I forget stuff - which makes it nice for movies, so I can watch the Incredibles over and over and not get tired of it because I don’t remember the little lines or what’s coming next.  People are convinced that I have alzheimers.  I say its because I’m an office manager. 

I care about strangers more.  I realize that I’m not better than the other person on the street, and just as I might think they don’t deserve food/gas/money and why haven’t they been more responsible, I’m not any better than them and don’t deserve any better!  I’m only saved through Jesus’ love and blood.  And it doesn’t matter what I think, I’m called to serve them.  I have a blast buying food for local pantries, and giving money to people.  I found that even though giving to God first He has increased and I’ve never been in want.  I can practice self-control in order to bless someone else.  To be a finger of God.

I don’t have a perfect family life.  In fact, its like most everybody elses’.   

I am my worse critic.  Its pretty bad sometime.

I have discovered the awesomeness of waxing.  Will never return to other methods.

It makes me super happy to help other people. 

I miss my baby.