Seventeen Weeks

I saw this cute pregnancy survey on another blog and I thought it would be a fun way to keep track of this little baby bump. So here goes!

How far along? 17 weeks today! (I can't believe it's going so fast!)

How big is baby? Well according to my new favorite website Baby Center, the little one is about the size of a turnip this week and already 5 inches long. I know I'll look back on this and laugh, but that seems huge to me right now!

Total weight gain: Up 7 lbs at my appointment last week. I was expecting a lot more, considering I've been pounding donuts, so I'm pretty happy!

Christmas time!

Our town had a Christmas festival the other night so we bundled up and went down to check it out. The mayor gave a speech, the local choir sang Christmas carols, and the local dance studio performed The Nutcracker. There was hot chocolate, eggnog, coffee and cupcakes. And it was all FREE!!

The coolest part of the night happened when the entire crowd joined together to sing Silent Night. We all held these pretty little candles.

It was magical.

Grad School Disappointment

My first semester of graduate school is winding down and I can't help but feel disappointed in my experience so far.

It started out with a bang in August. I was so excited to actually start something I had been tossing and turning over for a long time. I wanted to jump in head first, so I quit my job and decided to dedicate myself to school full time. I felt like I was finally on the right track...But things went down hill pretty fast after the first few weeks.

The class I was most excited about turned out to be a complete joke. The professor for this course is unlike any I have ever met. While things started out on a positive note, it didn't take long for me to realize that this guy is absolutely crazy. He literally came to class one night furious because he was sick, but had to come anyway to teach us. I've never been lectured by a professor, but I seriously felt like I was getting scolded by my Grandpa, only this one is foreign and has a very strong accent.

That was only the beginning and things got worse from that point on. Since then, every class has been full of his personal opinions and anti-USA rants and raves. I can honestly say I have not learned one thing, other than what I'm getting out of my reading, which is pretty dismal. He spends every three hour class going over why he hates the US government, our military, and our traditions. Last week he spent a good half hour telling us why he hates Thanksgiving and that it's a silly little American holiday...

I'm completely disappointed and let down. I was so excited about this class and all the wonderful things I would learn. And now, as the semester draws to a close, I can't help but feel cheated. I'm not excited about graduate school anymore and I'm wondering if I made the right choice by leaving my old job for this...I know I shouldn't let this guy and this class throw me completely off track, but right now my heart just isn't in it...

Oh vey.

Live Life. I Dare Ya.

I have a confession to make: I'm addicted to thinking, but in a way that may be borderline unhealthy.

I'm an Over-Thinker, which means I have to weigh out the pros and cons of just about any decision-big or small-and I never stop thinking. I'm always thinking up some new and exciting career, or dreaming about what area of the world I'd like to see next. (And when I say next, I mean get on a plane tomorrow and go. I spend way too much time thinking about this one.) But the problem is being bold enough to act.

I've always admired those who can simply make a spontaneous decision and roll with it. I love the idea of 'living in the moment', but isn't always so easy. And when I say 'live in the moment' I mean live without hesitation, fear, or regret.

Going to Africa last year was me 'living in the moment'. It was a dream come true and an experience that taught me what it really means to seize the day. It means pushing aside fear and uncertainty in order to reach your dreams. It's an exhilarating rush and one that I've come to crave.


So why don't more people do this? Why is it so hard? I think society wants us to feel trapped by rules that we impose on ourselves and follow without question. We're taught the right thing to do is play it safe and float through life without creating too many ripples. We need that 9 to 5 to feel 'normal'. Don't take risks, color outside the lines, or break tradition. Listen to what others tell you to do and don't ask questions. Sure, you may have dreams but that's all they'll ever be.

That kind of life is my #1 fear. And it should be yours too. I don't want to be someone who constantly lives in stress and anxiety over the unknown. I want to take life by the tail, drag it behind me and show it who's boss. I want to take risks, pursue my dreams and break free from notions of impracticality. I want to live life on my own terms.

So tonight, as I ponder my own dreams and goals, I'd ask that you do the same thing. What is it that YOU want to do with your life? What dreams have you not yet accomplished? Are you happy? I'd encourage you to think about your reaction to these questions and squash any negative thoughts that creep in behind. Don't let yourself even go there. You'll probably start to stress out right away, because your conscious is telling you Nope, It Can't Happen, Move On. But here is your opportunity to give that guy a stiff slap across the face and Start Living Life.

Do it, I dare you.

P.S. If you need more motivation to get moving check out the lovely Ashley over at the Middle Finger Project.

Baking is Love.

I've been doing a lot of baking lately. While I am addicted to eating the little treats I create, I'm more in love with the whole process of it all.

Finding an old recipe my Grandma used years ago.

Gathering the ingredients.

Putting on a super cute apron.

Warming the oven and essentially the entire house.

Measuring (and obviously spilling) ingredients.

Mixing.

Taste testing. Many times over.

Scooping out perfectly sized treats.

Watching it take shape as it bakes in the oven.

Smelling the goodness that only baking can create.

Proudly displaying my creation.

It's a process I've come to adore. It's therapeutic, relaxing and rewarding. And I can't quite relate to someone who doesn't agree.

Ezra's Story

This precious little guy is Ezra. He is currently in the fight for his life.

Ezra and his family have been battling an agressive form of cancer, neuroblastoma, for the past year and his story is compelling. I just wanted to share their website, The Matthews Story, and encourage you to pray for this family.

He hasn't been doing well the past few weeks and is struggling to survive at this moment. His story makes me realize more than ever what is and isn't important in this life.

Please pray for this little one and his family, they need it now more than ever.

Don't Ask. Don't Tell...Let's Get Over It

The recent GOP landslide that took place Tuesday night most likely means bad news for opponents of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy that has reared its ugly head for the past seventeen years.

Just a few months ago Senate Republicans blocked an effort by Obama and Democrats to lift the ban on gays from serving openly in the military. With the recent Republican gains in both the Senate and House, repealing this ban may be incredibly difficult.

This debate has a long history that dates back to 1778, when Lieutenant Gotthold Frederick Enslin was the first soldier discharged from the the Continental Army for sodomy.

I'll give you the short version:

Just before World War II the US added psychiatric screening to its induction process and homosexuals were snuffed out. This was followed by years of ugly debate and 'undesirable discharges' for homosexuals in the military. So in 1982 the Department of Defense enacted a policy stating that "homosexuality was clearly incompatible with military service" and anyone engaging in it would be discharged. So along comes President Bill Clinton in 1993, who issued the "Don't Ask. Don't Tell" policy, which was intended to be a compromise and meant that any male or female entering the military could not be asked about sexual orientation. So if you are homosexual, by all means keep your mouth shut or you may be discharged.

And that pretty much brings us to 2010.

I simply don't get it. Why shouldn't gays be allowed to serve openly in the military? And how is it that an openly gay man may be discharged from the military if his sexual orientation is revealed? It isn't right.

I admire those that are brave enough to sacrifice everything in their life to serve the USA in war. I believe who you love isn't any of my business and it certainly shouldn't prevent you from serving our country. I'm not picky and I don't think any of us should be when it comes to who can or cannot protect our freedoms.

Lots of people argue that homosexuals disrupt military life. Here's a thought: maybe it isn't the homosexuals causing the problem, but those who choose to harass and torment these individuals. I believe a cohesive military unit begins with respect.

I'm not in the military and I probably don't have much room to talk about this. But I simply believe that gays should be allowed to serve openly, just like anyone else. It's amazing to me that these men and women would even want to serve a country that doesn't allow them 100% of the rights given to a straight man. Pretty incredible.

So I wonder if the US will ever join Germany, Australia, France, England, Spain and all the other countries that allow openly gay individuals to serve in the military? Doesn't look to be on the horizon any time soon.

Democratic "shellacking" & The Future

Last night's mid-term elections proved to not only send a clear message to our dear Mr. President, but will also go down in the record books with a big red bang. It has been over seventy years since the House had such a dramatic party turnover. No one can deny the message that follows a night like this: Americans are fed up.

The GOP gained the majority in the House by picking up over 60 seats, therefore snatching the monopoly of power away from the Dems, who narrowly maintained the Senate. We're going to see a balance of power in the Congress over the next two years and I believe it will be a good thing for Obama, who now has his first real opportunity to live up to his bipartisanship promises.

Despite what some critics say, this election was a landslide and symbolizes how the American people feel about Obama, his policies, and how Congress has acted over the past two years. This GOP victory is largely due to the fire and spunk behind tea party activists across the nation, who I think have gotten a bad rap over the past several months. The media loves to showcase the crazies of any party and stations like CNN have made it their mission to report on any and every tea party supporter who acts like a fool. While there are some who are in fact crazy, the vast majority of these tea party members are hard working middle class Americans who believe banks should not be bailed out, government should have a limited role in our lives, and wasteful federal spending should be squashed. I think the whole tea party label should be done away with, simply because too many people associate this with the crazy bearded man holding a pitch fork in one hand and a rifle in the other. Let's replace that image with the small town woman who started a little cupcake business and is fighting to keep her head above water.

The question now is how will this affect you and me? The first thing that comes to mind is healthcare. Many of the Republicans elected last night promised to work towards repealing Obama's healthcare bill. I don't think that's possible, as some Republicans support aspects of the bill, (such as not being dropped for pre-existing illness) but I do believe we will see some serious cuts in spending here and major changes to this newly founded policy.

Secondly, I think Obama will have to adapt his policies to reflect a more conservative base, much like Clinton did after the so-called Republican Revolution of the 1994 election. Ultra conservative Rush Limbaugh predicts that "Obama's not going to slow down. Obama's not going to moderate, he's not gonna go incremental." I have to disagree with him here, because I believe Obama has no choice but to scale back his plans and work with the Republicans. Likewise, Republicans will have to meet Obama in the middle and find some common ground. Their first opportunity will come when Congress decides whether or not to extend the Bush tax cuts that will soon expire.

Needless to say, it should be an interesting two years and hopefully we can squeeze some jobs out of it.

I think it's exactly what the doctor ordered for the good ol US of A.