Blogging at Ruminate

I've long been a Poetry Reader for the literary magazine, Ruminate. I LOVE the magazine and am honored to read the submissions each round and help decide who will be published.

Today I blogged for their blog what's been on my heart lately. :)

Click here to Check it out!!

Loving Difficult People

Have you ever had someone wound you by being "ugly" (as my mamma would say)??

Have you ever had someone completely drive you crazy and annoy you half to death?

Have you ever had someone accuse you of something you legitimately did not do?

Have you ever wondered if someone's mamma didn't spank them enough?

Have you ever become a hermit during certain events because you wanted to avoid a certain person?

Have you ever wondered if people think that about you?

I haven't.

Just kidding. It happens often to me, and I don't handle it well. Sometimes I bottle it up. Sometimes I practice to the mirror what I'd say back if he/she said that again to me. Sometimes I fall apart and cry. And almost always I mentally defend myself because I feel like what God says about me is not enough.

I've been struggling with my response to people who hurt me over the last 6 months or so. So a couple of days ago I found Beth Moore's "Loving Difficult People" study on youtube. Some of you just read Beth Moore and are really excited, but others of you (possibly my Presbo friends) are thinking that she's not what the pastor recommends. I was in the same boat a few weeks ago--but now I say that when you give me the name of another FEMALE who has recorded Bible Studies that are Biblically sound and speak to me like this, I'll listen to her too. :)

Anyway, check the first part out Here:

Loving Difficult People

And once you listen to it, on the right side you can choose part 2,3,4,5, and 6 as well. Part 6 kicked my butt. I listened to the whole thing during my workout this morning. It. was. awesome.

Also, does anyone follow someone's sermons or Bible Studies that really speak to you? I'll listen to men but am particularly even more interested in women speakers. :) Comment much if you have ideas for me!

First Trimester

First Trimester....CHECK.

I'm 13 weeks yesterday, and the child is the size of a medium shrimp. Unfathomable that my medium shrimp already has veins, organs, fingernails, and more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries if she's a girl. Hopefully. Not hopefully she's a girl. Hopefully he developed all that other stuff. If not, I'm still pretty sure we'll love himher the same.

Rejoice!

Let's just say I can't wait until Sunday morning. :)

3 Cheers for Exercise!

I have been coping with feelings of insecurity, self-esteem, and anxiety during the first trimester of this pregnancy. The nausea and lethargy have been a real challenge for me. I can handle the sickness itself, but the results have welcomed some dark moments for me. I am a do-er. I like to get things done, check things off my list, have the house clean, have people over for dinner, work, read, volunteer, get out and be active with my family, and spend time with Jed. And I really like to exercise. Exercise is my way of gathering endorphins and energy, my inspiration for eating well, my sense of accomplishment, and it just plain old makes me feel good. But during the first trimester, chasing a one year old around and pushing through the bare necessities (grocery trips, work, etc.) has been all I can handle.

Last week I began feeling better, and this week I began my exercise regime again. Right now my calves feel like someone is stabbing them, my butt is hardly sittable, my quads are screaming, and my back is difficult to turn. But I feel good. I feel tough again like the warriors that we women are. I feel strong, like I can “do,” and playing with Braden is a joy once again. I also don’t feel quite as insecure or ugly. This has nothing to do with looking better just the feeling better part.

So I went and spent a bit of money on badly needed maternity clothes. Jed was just ecstatic (Sarcasm, people.)

Anyway, my point is that I need exercise in my life. Evidently I am quite a miserable being without it and I feel terrible about myself. Dr. Tinker told me that some things are chemical and cannot be controlled by reading the Bible or praying more. I now believe him even more. I believe God gave me exercise to rejuvenate me…He designed me like this, and I am going to take advantage of it. Even if I am too pitifully out of shape to run my 3 mile route in the miserable heat. I like my Tony Horton, and I will let him kick my butt indoors.

So today I am raising my glass to exercise!

I have no good connection, but here is some of the fun Braden had this week.

Wyatt is moving and so he came over to get a break from his parents and all the ugly boxes. And Eli and Jude stopped by to say hello for a bit in the afternoon.



Our washing machine box turned house (although this confused Eli because technically there is no door). I love these boys, and Braden thought he was so big playing with them.

Summa Time!

Introduction: I was never sick while pregnant with Braden. With this pregnancy, I have hardly made it through a day without feeling like I was going to vomit at any given moment and oftentimes doing so.

Yesterday's conversation between Jed and me:
Whitney: I think I'm feeling better.
Jed: I can tell!
Whitney: How?
Jed: The den is picked up and you planned dinner.

Wow. And he's right. By picked up he meant not in shambles with to do piles all over the kitchen table. And by dinner he meant that I actually went to the store and bought food for meals and even set out some of the ingredients for him to make dinner because I had a meeting to attend.
And by the way. Homeboy can make some mean turkey wraps although cooking is most definitely not a pleasure for him.

And on to the pictures from May since I haven't felt like posting hardly anything. We threw a small party for the little man last Sunday for his first birthday.

I ordered this AMAZING cake from Bit Bakes. Adonia makes incredible cakes and is raising money for she and her husband to adopt a baby. She also works at Bethany Christian Services. So she's a winner in my book!! Also, the cake tasted amazing.Last weekend, Jed took off Friday-Tuesday and we had a staycation. Let's just say we did not stop and we filled our time with insane amounts of fun things. We went to the Sunset Symphony with some people from church, visited the zoo with 2 couples from church and my family, played frisbee golf, visited the park, bought a new car to replace the one that was totaled in the wreck, went to a birthday party for sweet Sawyer Ray, and had good, solid time together. It. Was. Awesome. And here are just a few pics to prove it.

And then there were FOUR!

A few months ago, Jed declared that we should begin the dash for the next baby. He said it was because I seemed so happy being with Braden and working from home writing/editing.

But I know the truth.

If you read my blogs about the long road we walked down to add Braden to our family, you understand his inclination. I am quite certain that Jed recognized that the longer it took, the more emotion and drama he would have to deal with--long nights of my why-doesn't-my-womb-work crying and days of tears watching siblings play together hoping and praying that God would bless Braden in that sweet way.

Or maybe he was telling the truth. Or maybe it was a bit of both. Who knows?

I will tell a short story now:

Two months later I found out I was 5 weeks pregnant (10 weeks now).

I told you it was a short story!

I looked up giggling and told God, "You are hilarious. Really?? This easy this time??"

His grace and mercy washes over even the weakest of sinners!

So ladies and gentlemen, here is the newest addition to our family, 19 months younger than Braden, due December 20! We are humbled and ecstatic that God has given new life to our family.
I am overjoyed at the thought of giving Braden a sibling. Maybe that's because we went to the park last night and I watched as he made comical little faces and noises at the older kids. It's time somebody taught that kid some social skills. Jed says he's just one. I think he's a nerd. Agree to disagree.

Also, I cannot even explain how much I adore my sisters and absolutely think they're the best gift my parents ever gave me. Jed feels the same way about his brothers. But of course in a manly, I-eat-red-meat kind of way. Obviously. Now Braden gets that too!

I will update more on the day to day happenings soon. But Jed is taking a long weekend, and we are staycationing. Yesterday we watched Harry Potter, played disc golf, and visited the park playground and today we are off to the Sunset Symphony.....love spending time with my little fam.