The Last 3 Months...

I'm fairly certain that the people who read this blog (or read it as a note on Facebook) already know exactly what has happened in my life over the past 3 months, but since I have lots of free time on my hands and since it's probably healthy for me to get these thoughts out of my head/heart and written/typed out, here goes...


At the end of September/beginning of October, my working-from-home job turned into the job from hell - trust me, working from home sounds great and does have a few perks, but it is not for me. Thankfully, God blessed me with the most incredible opportunity at the most perfect time, and by the second week of October, I was working in an office with a gorgeous lake view!! The job could not be more perfect for me, but more than that, my boss could not be more amazing! This is the 3rd time I have worked for him and going to work is more like going to an old friend's house for 9 hours a day. As an added bonus, John was super-excited to get his alone time back when he is home and has been relieved to not have to carry so much of the financial burden on his own anymore.


In November, John and I took our first BIG vacation and went away for about 2 weeks. We spent Thanksgiving in Atlanta and the following week, we traveled to Asheville, NC and spent 4 full days at the Biltmore Estate. We stayed at the Inn, I went to the spa, John spent a morning shooting clay pigeons, we toured the house (twice!), the Winery (3x!), plus toured the farm, did a lot of shopping and eating, and even braved the gorgeous hiking trails. It was the most amazing vacation ever! We were worried that after 2 weeks we would be sick of each other, but actually, we came back and were closer than ever! We realized that we have never spent that much time together before - crazy, huh????


On our way back from NC, we received a phone call that my grandmother was not doing very well and that we should get down to see her as soon as possible. We drove down to see her on my birthday and by then, she was in hospice. I am very close to my grandmother and she had not been sick for very long, so it was very difficult. The next morning, she went home to Heaven. Selfishly, I wanted her to stay around for a longer time, but for her sake, I am thankful that she did not have to suffer for very long and is now healed and whole.


After 4 straight week of traveling (for vacation and then for the memorial service), John and I finally started getting ready for Christmas. On December 21st, we received an early Christmas present - a positive home pregnancy test!! We have been wanting to start our family since June, and we could not have been happier! We told our families and friends and couldn't seem to talk about anything else except for "the baby." Unfortunately, our excitement was short-lived. The day after Christmas, I woke up in excruciating pain and after dealing with it off and on all day, I ended up in the ER that night and was told that I needed to have emergency surgery. I was bleeding internally due to an ectopic (tubal) pregnancy and without surgery, I could lose my life. John was in Orlando on a trip (thankfully he was close) and ended up renting a car (all they had was a red Camaro - Thank You, Lord) and made it to Memorial Miramar in 2 hours. He was the first face I remember seeing when I woke up in the recovery room. After a day in the hospital and (going on) my second week of bedrest, I'm feeling better (physically). The doctor said there was no permanent damage to anything and we should be able to try again in 3-4 months. There are still a lot of tears and still an enormous sense of loss, but God has been so gracious to us. Our families have surrounded us with love and support, as well as groceries, meals, Starbucks, treats, and even a clean house! Our friends have been amazing - our small group has fed us just about every day and we have been encouraged and prayed for by so many people. And I have to say that my sweet husband has been phenomenal. No one will really know just how heartbroken he is, and that's mainly because he has been so focused on taking care of me and not worrying about himself. He's done things that I know he didn't think he'd be doing until I was 88 - and never complained once! I'm so thankful that he is the one that God chose to walk through this life with me.

So what now? Well, our new church plant launches on Sunday, January 17th at Fox Trail Elementary (on Nob Hill and 595). There's a preview service this Sunday - can't wait to start!! And there's also at least 6 baby showers in my future - yes, 6 of my friends/family members are expecting - so exciting to watch God breathe life into our new church and into the lives of 6 families that we love dearly.

As far as 2010 goes, I'm looking forward to meeting 6 little boys/girls - one all the way from Taiwan!! I'm also hoping for a trip to Disney with my hubby, improving my Wii skills and my cooking skills, watching my weight go back down, and spending more time reading my Bible instead of books about it. What are you looking forward to in 2010???