Hansen Family Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Here is how we spent our Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning. We set up the air mattress in the living room so we could all be together in the glow of the tree lights. Jeremy took these photos while Westin and I were sleeping. As I write this, our home is filled with the smell of coffee, french toast, sausage, and eggs. My sweet husband is the chef this morning. Christmas music is playing in the background. I don't think I could possibly feel more grateful at this moment for the blessings in my life: loving husband, precious son, and a Savior that came into this world just like my two-and-a-half week old son, that ultimately sacrificed himself and paid the price for my sins so I could live in freedom and have eternal life.

Merry, merry Christmas!

Letter from Westin

Here is an update that Westin sent to my family yesterday:

dear family,

westin here... i thought you might want to know that i had my 2-week appointment yesterday, and i am a very healthy boy. i have gained 1 lb and 1 oz since i was born, and that made the doctor and mommy and daddy proud. i have a small head like my mommy but very long fingers and toes like my daddy. i don't like going to the doctor because i have to strip down to my diaper and i get very cold and it makes me pee through my diaper right on the table in the doctor's office.

i'm thankful for all the gifts under our christmas tree, although i think i'll need some help opening them on christmas morning. i don't seem to have a lot of control over my arms yet. mommy and daddy keep saying that i'm the best christmas present ever... i don't know yet what that means, but maybe they'll explain it to me when i'm older.

luv,
westin hansen

And here are some replies he got back:

My dear little Westin,

You can't know how very much I love you and miss you. You are the sweetest gift anyone could ask for. You'll be the gift that keeps giving and giving.

I'm so glad you're gaining weight and growing as you should. That shows that Mommy and Daddy are taking very good care of you and that you are a very healthy little boy. But sweet thing you'll just have to quit peeing on the doctor's table. Gramma already experienced that once and it's not so much fun. Nasty little mess!

Enjoy all your Christmas presents. I'm sure some will be fun and some will leave you a little puzzled. Those would be clothes that Mommy and Daddy will like more than you.

You won't be the same little boy when I see you next, so make sure Mommy and Daddy take lots of pictures. By the way, where are the Christmas pics? I want to see you in your stocking.

Love you so much little buddy.

Your Gramma Linda

Darling Westin:

Well, your e-mail made Grandma Kathy cry. We are so happy that you have arrived and are doing so well. You are going to have so much family that is going to love, encourage, and pray for you your entire life. We are so excited to meet you in January. It is hard to wait that long. Get prepared for lots of hugs and kisses from us.

We love you,

Papa Rick and Grandma Kathy

Dear Westin,
Landry, Uncle John and I can't wait to meet you in person. I'm so glad Mommy and Daddy have worked so hard to figure out what was giving you tummy aches. You were doing a great job of trying to tell them what was wrong! They love you very much and will take such good care of you your whole life. You are so blessed that God chose them as your parents. There are none better for you!!!
I hope you enjoy your Christmas and we'll see you in January.
I love you!
Aunt Nennie

He is Here

Wow, what a difference a few days make!

I feel very fortunate that I went into labor on my exact due date. That probably doesn't happen all that often, and I was honestly expecting to still be sitting here waiting for Westin to arrive. But instead, he was born just one day past my due date, on December 7th at 4:52pm.

I woke up on Saturday, the 6th around 7:45am and thought my water had broken. I spent a few hours debating on whether or not to call my doctor. I wasn't certain that it had broken, but if it had, I knew that the clock had started ticking, and that you're supposed to deliver within the next 24 hours. I had almost convinced myself that it wasn't my water breaking, but Jeremy strongly encouraged me to call my doctor. So I did, and the doc said he agreed that it had probably broken and to come on in to the hospital. That was at 10:30am. So, by 11am we were in the hospital, and long story short, my water had NOT broken, much to the surprise of my doctor. So, we went home.

And about an hour later, the contractions picked up and started to get painful. Over the next 7 or 8 hours we just hung around at home, except for a run over to Kohls so my dad could buy a gift for my mom for their anniversary. It was at Kohls that the contractions started coming sooner and sooner. I tried to hide it so that I would not double over in pain in public. I think I did a pretty good job. After we got home, I began timing the contractions in earnest, and finally, around 9:30pm we called the doctor, and he said to head to the hospital (again).

We got settled in around 11pm, and the next 18 hours or so were very, very long. Contractions are.... in a word or two.... damn painful. (Sorry for cussing but there really wasn't a better descriptive word to use.) I am so grateful that I decided to get an epidural. I can't begin to imagine trying to tough it out, considering I had already endured 13 hours of pain before I got the medicine.

Jeremy was very supportive and sweet throughout the whole process. He saw everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) start to finish, and was such a trooper. He was pretty fascinated by it all and handled me very well. I'm so thankful for him.

And now - we're home, and tired beyond all get-out. My mother has been here for about a week and a half, and she truly is our angel. She has done countless dishes and general cleaning, but more than that, she has loved on our son and relieved the burden from us a lot. She has done some night duty so I could catch a couple hours of sleep. I know we are absolutely wearing her out, but she does not complain. She loves holding Westin (and in fact is doing so as I type this) and I'm just so glad to have her around. I must say it makes me wish I lived closer to my family.

Westin is wonderful. His sweet smell, the way he loves to snuggle, the little chirps he makes... we just can't get enough. And the boy can EAT!!! Oh my goodness I had no idea. The pediatrician said because he's such a big boy (8lbs 9oz) it will seem like he is eating constantly, and that is exactly how I feel. Eating, sleeping, eating, peeing, eating, and pooping. That's our boy!

Westin is a week old today, and already so much more alert and expressive. We look forward to introducing him to our friends and family.

And now... perhaps a nap. But probably not. Who am I kidding?

This and That

Over Thanksgiving weekend, we decided to do all of our Christmas decorating. It didn't take too long, because we don't have that many decorations. We figured we'd better get it done as soon as possible, otherwise it might not happen at all (something about a baby coming... go figure). This will be our first Christmas EVER in our marriage to stay home (again, blame it on the baby)! As much as we'd love to be with our families, we're also excited to have a rather quiet holiday with our new family. I want to find some kind of cutsie Christmas outfit for Westin to wear on Christmas morning...

I learned something while we were putting up our tree. My husband is quite crafty, and apparently he learned this little trick from his father. After we put the tree in the stand, Jeremy noticed that there were some spaces that weren't filled in very well. His solution? See for yourself:

He drilled a hole in the tree trunk, found a suitable branch from the trimmings he took off of the bottom, and inserted the branch into his drilled hole. The end result? No empty spaces on our tree. Brilliant!

We also officially completed the decorating for Westin's room. This is the last little bit that we had been putting off. We bought the letters from Walmart, Jeremy painted them, and then I helped him put them on the wall.


And now.... we wait. Tomorrow is my official due date, but I have a feeling there ain't nothing exciting going to happen tomorrow. He just seems a little too comfortable inside me. My parents flew in a couple of nights ago and will stay for a while. It is great to have them here - I've really enjoyed our time together. I just hope this little one can make his entrance relatively soon so that his Pop and Gramma can say hello! I had a doctor's appointment today, and I'm not dilated at all. The doctor wants to see me again on Tuesday, and he had me tentatively schedule an induction for next Thursday. I have some serious mixed emotions about that. I really want to wait and see if the baby will come on his own, because I know that's ultimately the healthiest way to deliver. But I also really trust my doctor, and if there are compelling reasons to be induced, I don't want to be stubborn and prideful. So... Jeremy and I will be talking and praying about that.

If any of you are inclined to pray for us, please pray that Westin will come on his own, preferably in the next few days!

Thanksgiving

We had a really nice Thanksgiving with our friends, the Shareks. The weather was absolutely perfect: sunny, calm and almost warm! We started the afternoon playing some "extreme croquet". If you've never played, well.... you're missing out. It's similar to regular croquet, except you set the metal wickets in really random and difficult places, such as in the middle of a garden (see picture below). I don't know how he does it, but Jeremy almost always wins, and this day was no exception. Here's David and Jeremy playing. I didn't get any pictures of the actual croquet game. I'd like to note, however, that I did come in second place. :-)

I really don't love looking at myself in pictures these days, but oh well.

After croquet, we enjoyed a lovely dinner with the Shareks, along with David's mom Catherine, and some of their friends who are from Germany, Tom and Anya. Here is some of the gang enjoying a German beer that Tom raved about (not the pregnant lady, of course).

David and Jeremy helped assemble the Waldorf Salad. David had a unique way of chopping the walnuts.....

















I should have taken a picture of the massive quantity of food that we all made and consumed, but I didn't. I guess I was too busy eating.

And then, as a perfect ending to the evening, my Longhorns stomped the Aggies in football, 49-9. It was beautiful. Overall, just a lovely Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving factoids

A local grocery store that I frequent sends me periodic newsletters. I got these little tidbits from them yesterday, which was kind of interesting:

• In a survey conducted by the National Turkey Federation, nearly 88 percent of Americans said they eat turkey at Thanksgiving. The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 15 pounds, which means some 690 million pounds of turkey were consumed in the U.S. during Thanksgiving in 2007.
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• The cranberry is one of only three fruits-the others are the blueberry and the Concord grape-that are entirely native to North American soil, according to the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association.
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• According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest pumpkin pie ever baked weighed 2,020 pounds and measured just over 12 feet long. It was baked on October 8, 2005 by the New Bremen Giant Pumpkin Growers in Ohio, and included 900 pounds of pumpkin, 62 gallons of evaporated milk, 155 dozen eggs, 300 pounds of sugar, 3.5 pounds of salt, 7 pounds of cinnamon, 2 pounds of pumpkin spice and 250 pounds of crust.

Jeremy and I are certainly keeping it close to home this Thanksgiving. Westin's arrival could be any day now, so we're being as low key as possible. We look forward to sharing a yummy meal with some church friends and playing games. And then we plan to watch the Texas Longhorns hopefully crush Texas A&M.

We're already so thankful for the little life inside of me, and we can't wait to meet him. If I eat massive quantities of turkey, will that help induce labor? If so, bring it on!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Lightening?

I've got about 2 and a half weeks until my due date, and I must say I'm feeling surprisingly good. For whatever reason, I am sleeping better than I have in months (except for the previously mentioned snoring, which affects my husband, not me!). Although I have to shift positions every few hours and get up to go to the bathroom 1-3 times a night, I am getting pretty solid sleep - a major blessing to me!

The other day, out of the blue Jeremy said to me "You know, you really are doing so much better than I thought you'd be doing at this stage". I think I laughed out loud, because although he meant it as a compliment, I immediately asked him if he thought I'd be a monster or something. But really, he's right. I've had a pretty easy pregnancy, and I am extremely grateful. And yet.... I look forward to not having a huge belly and all of the discomfort that goes along with it. I'm ready to have my body back (and my son in my arms!).

I've read of a term called "lightening" that is used to describe the baby engaging in the pelvis before birth. It is thus named because as the baby moves down from under the rib cage, the mother may feel a sense of relief in that her rib cage expands more easily allowing her to draw deeper breaths and eat without feeling full so quickly.

One expert says "In essence, lightening can be the calm before the storm. It cannot be directly linked to indicating that labor will start within a certain window but it usually occurs up to two weeks before labor in 65% of first-time moms. Although it can't pinpoint the beginning of labor, it is a sign that things are headed in the right direction."

Hmmm... could this be what I'm experiencing? At my last appointment, the doctor said that the baby is definitely settling head-down into my pelvis, which is a good sign.

And... we officially decided on a middle name - Charles. This was Jeremy's grandfather's name, and it is his dad's middle name. So - we'll be introducing the world to Westin Charles Hansen any day now!

Another Blog?

I'm thinking of starting another blog in addition to this one... it would be a personal finance blog. Oftentimes I find myself wanting to write finance-related things here on this blog, but then I think of my audience (small as it is) and I think that I'd turn off at least three-quarters of you if I constantly had posts about my money musings.

It's not that I'm a brilliant money manager, or that I have lots of finance knowledge. I don't. Heck, my bachelor's degree is in Speech Communication. But I do have a big interest in learning, and possibly sharing what I'm learning along the way.

My relationship with money is tricky as a Christian. What is the balance between being a very good steward of what you've been given and yet not putting any faith in money? My hope lies in Christ, not in my net worth. Yet I'm fascinated by economics and finance issues, and I believe those are God-given interests. He has uniquely wired me, just as He has uniquely wired every one of you. So there has got to be a way to tap into these interests without being consumed by them.

1 Timothy 6:10-11 (NIV): "For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."

Hebrews 13:5 (NIV): "Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, because God has said 'never will I leave you; never will I forsake you'."

I Peter 5:2 (NIV): "Be shepherds of God's flock.... not greedy for money, but eager to serve."

So... I'm not ready to be held accountable to this, but I at least wanted to announce that I'm thinking about it. I'd probably even accept ads on my site and try to make a few dollars from it. Who knows. I also realize that I'm about to have a baby, plus I'm going to keep working in mortgages, so maybe this is a pipe dream. We'll see.

You know it's bad when....

...your late-term pregnancy snoring is so loud that your husband sleeps with earplugs.

Sorry honey!

The Daly Sisters

My sisters, Jennie and Julie, came to visit me last weekend from Texas. Their assignment, other than spending time with me, was to help me get organized and ready for Westin to come. They were very helpful and I'm so grateful to have the sisters that I do. Other than my husband, they are the people that I trust the most in this world, and anytime they're around me, it's a good thing.

Before they got here, I broke out a lot of our baby gifts that we hadn't put together yet, such as car seats, exersaucer, high chair, pack-n-play, etc. In the past I've had to have to borrow all of these things when anyone with kids came to visit, but now I own them all! Still so weird! Here is how we spent the night before they got here getting ready:

Cooper enjoyed the fruits of our labor:

Our time together started out great, after a nice Chili dinner. We all 3 went to the University of Texas at Austin, so we geared up to watch the Texas Longhorns play Texas Tech in football. (The Longhorns were #1 in the country, in case you didn't know). Here's a pre-game picture of us (left to right: Julie, Joey, Jennie, and Cooper and Landry on laps):


Unfortunately, watching the game together proved to be a mistake, as the Longhorns lost for the first time this season and lost their #1 ranking. We were quite stunned and sad. We concluded that maybe we shouldn't watch games together anymore.

This picture was too cute not to post. 15 month old Landry is on the left, and 10 month old Cooper is on the right. Makes me eager to see Jeremy with our son!

On Sunday we went to church, and then took a nice walk on the greenways by my house. On Sunday evening, I made dinner and Stephanie came over to eat with us and played with my nephews. On Monday, the work began in earnest. We spent time in Westin's room going through all of my clothes and baby supplies, and we made a list of things I still need. Since they are both moms, they were very helpful in taking inventory and making suggestions. For lunch on Monday, my friend Julie Thompson came over with her 2 kids and we all went to Chick-Fil-A. This is where things started to get interesting. Little Landry, my 15 month old nephew, wasn't feeling good this day, and threw up at the restaurant. He was very clingy and unhappy most of the day, poor little guy. In spite of that, we had a nice time with Julie and I'm glad she came over.

On Monday evening, after a little fretting and decision making (because of Landry's sickness), we went ahead with our plans to leave the kids with babysitters so the 3 of us could go out to dinner together. Jeremy was deep into paperwork for clinicals, so he couldn't join us. We had a nice time at Yoho Asian Bistro in Apex (I would not recommend it... just an average restaurant). We talked and laughed and enjoyed just being sisters. Shortly after dinner, however, I started to feel a little "funny". Later that evening, I really felt bad, and that was all she wrote. Apparently I got whatever Landry had, and Jeremy got it too. I woke up in the middle of the night on Tuesday morning with stomach problems (I'll spare you the details) and a 101 degree fever and aches. Jeremy and I both had to basically stay in bed for the next 2 and a half days. It put an unfortunate damper on my sisters' visit, but there's nothing I could do about it. They were so sweet to carry on the mission of going shopping for the things I needed for Westin. In fact, Jeremy and I were so sick that my sister Julie left a day early to give us some rest. I was so sad to have the trip end that way.

Overall, we had a great time and I am so thankful they came. They'll be back after Westin is born - let's hope I stay well next time!

Thank you, sisters. I love you!

More Triple Coupon Days

Here's a heads up for the locals: My sources (savvydollar.org) tell me that Harris Teeter will have Triple Coupon Days November 6-9. That's next Thursday - Sunday.

Harris Teeter triples coupons that are up to .99 in value. So you could save up to $2.97 with just one coupon.

I'm excited!!

My very own Spider-Man

Yet another example that I married a very interesting man:

This our backyard. Prior to moving to North Carolina, Jeremy was a pretty avid rock climber. Now, he just does this. You can't really see them very well in the picture, but he has drilled rocks of various sizes and shapes onto our back fence, so that he can practice his rock climbing moves. He will go out there every few days and do "passes" along the fence, where he plans out a sequence of moves and them carries them out. It is a great stress reliever for him, and apparently a great workout too.

I couldn't help but sneak a picture the other day. I wonder how soon he'll have little Westin out there with him....

Tithing woes

Today's post might be a bit unusual, but it's on my mind.

As I have mentioned before, I'm an avid reader of financial blogs. I just love hearing what other people have to say about money, whether I agree with them or not. A blog I read today quoted an article from MSN Money, called "6 financial milestones before 30". Here are their suggestions of things to accomplish before the age of 30:

1. Scale back the credit cards.
2. Own a home -- or have a plan.
3. Develop a set of marketable skills.
4. Establish a regular charitable giving plan.
5. Get a firm grasp on your priorities.
6. Have strong advisers in your life.

After reading the post and all of the commentary surrounding each item, I proceeded to read the comments. Dozens of readers commented on this. Most people gave a "report" on where they stood with each item, along with their age. One thing that really stood out to me was Item #4, regarding charitable giving. Not ONE person mentioned consistently giving a percentage of their income to charity. Most people said that they give here and there, but nothing consistent and nothing significant. It led me to ponder my own charitable giving...

For the first time in my entire life, our charitable giving in 2007 was in the 5-figure range. It won't be that high this year, but that's because I'll only make about 65% of what I made last year, due to the terrible economy and mortgage meltdown. We give 10% to our church, plus an additional amount each month for a capital campaign, and then we support several other individuals who are in ministry. Total giving equates to probably about 16% of our take-home income, give or take.

I don't say that to toot my own horn... I say that because I have realized very recently that it has become downright painful each month to write that tithe check. I am so tempted to cut back on what we give, because my paychecks have been so paltry the past few months due to a major slowdown in my business. I find it interesting that 16% of a tiny paycheck is SO much more difficult to write than 16% of a huge paycheck, even though the amounts are so vastly different. (I realize I'm using some fuzzy math... the capital campaign and support of our friends are fixed amounts, so the actual percentage varies depending on my paycheck, but you get the point.) Which affirms my belief that giving is truly a heart issue. I don't think it's the percentage that's important, but the attitude and heart behind it. Why have I suddenly felt so stingy with my money now that I don't have as much, as if it's mine to begin with and not entirely God's? On some levels, I do think it's good to "give until it hurts", but I've had to really give myself a gut check on why I'm tempted to cut back on my giving. (I haven't cut back, but the temptation is great as I've dipped into savings the past few months to cover our monthly expenses.) It is the LORD who provides for us... every penny belongs to Him anyway... why do I worry about money at all? It has revealed a heart issue that God and I need to have a conversation about, to confess my worries and mistrust.

By the way... I'm half a decade past 30 now, but I'm doing pretty good on all 6 items. My report card would get me straight A's, but report cards don't reveal the heart. Hmmm.....

Shopping Results

At the demand of my readers (okay, one request from my sister Julie), I'll share how my shopping trip went yesterday.

I had predicted I'd save about 70% off of regular prices. I didn't. Instead, I saved 77%! Woo-hoo!!!

My bill before any sales prices or coupons were factored in: $73.45
My total out-of-pocket cost after coupons and sales: $16.81

I think that's the best I've ever done! And I know it sounds weird, but it was FUN!

The trick is to do the "matchups", which means to find the items that have gone on sale, and match those with coupons you have that are going to double (or triple, in this case). You have to be clipping coupons every Sunday so that you have a good stock and you've got them handy when needed.

Here's an example: Crest Toothpaste. Normal price was $4.29. I had a Lowes in-store coupon (meaning, it was created by Lowes and can only be used at Lowes) for 2 for $5. So now they're only $2.50 each. But then I had two 75 cent coupons for Crest, so when those triple, the final price for BOTH tubes of Crest was only 50 cents! You can't beat a tube of toothpaste for 25 cents (unless it's free, which was the case with a tube of Colgate last month).

That, my friends, is how you win at the Grocery Game. (I just went all John McCain on you with that "my friends" comment!)

Triple Coupon Days

For those of you that are local and are avid "couponers" like I am (I know you're out there!), Lowes Foods is having a Triple Coupon deal for 3 days, Oct. 8 - 10. They will triple manufacturers coupons up to .99 in value, and you can use up to 20 coupons in one visit.

The other cool thing is that Lowes has just come out with their 4-week store coupons. I just recently learned that you can use BOTH a store coupon AND a manufacturers coupon at the same time for even more savings. Glory!!

My new favorite coupon website is www.savvydollar.org. It has seriously changed the way I grocery shop. It's local to NC, and other couponers share the deals they hear about and give great tips.

I am going shopping this afternoon, and I'm pretty certain I'll save about 70% off my grocery bill. Sweet!

Random Pregnancy Thoughts

So, I'm about 9 weeks away from giving birth. The time really has flown by. I've been thinking recently about all the interesting things about being pregnant, and thought I'd jot them down. There is no particular order, and the thoughts are quite random.

1. Pregnant women get looked at. A lot. But not in the eyes - right at the belly. Both men and women do it, but especially women. I'll be walking down the aisles of Target or wherever, and I see people just staring at my belly. It doesn't bother me at all... it's just an observation. It makes me wonder if I've done it to pregnant women all these years without even realizing it.

2. My odd cravings have included Oreos and chomping on ice. Before getting pregnant, I probably hadn't had an Oreo in almost 10 years. Suddenly, I want them every day. But ONLY if they're dunked in milk for a minimum of 10 seconds, where they get nice and soggy. And I DON'T like the Double Stuff Oreos... they take about 40 seconds to get soggy - way too long. But, sadly, I am trying to now resist this craving, because at my last doctor's appointment on Monday, the scales said I've gained 30 lbs. Yikes! That's all I was hoping to gain the entire pregnancy! So... no more Oreos. I'll just stick to chomping ice. Yes, I know it's bad for my teeth. I can't explain why it's so appealing, but there's something very satisfying about it.

3. Body pillows ROCK (thanks Becky Ashley!). I have one that can snake around in any position, and I honestly don't know what I'd do without it. It keeps me (relatively) comfortable, and I think it's my saving grace for sleeping. The only thing that stinks is trying to change positions in the middle of the night, which happens rather often, since I start to get sore if I'm in one position too long. Thank goodness Jeremy is not a light sleeper... he'd probably get sick of me flopping around like a fish all through the night.

4. My customers have had varying reactions to me being pregnant. I don't really mention it to them on the phone, so if they come in my office, they're generally surprised to see me. But here's the interesting observation: ALL women comment and ask me questions, but only SOME men. In particular, men with young kids - 3 years old or younger - will ask me about being pregnant, and will kind of act like women (how far along, boy or girl, how are you feeling, etc.). But - men with either older kids, or men with no kids at all, completely ignore my pregnancy. And they don't look at my belly either. It's like I'm not even pregnant. Interesting.

5. My body is now going through more odd things than ever. For instance, I constantly look like I have two sprained ankles. They just stay swollen. I notice that I waddle when I walk - I just can't help it. My chest is bigger than ever (sorry if that's TMI, guys) and it's freaky to look down and catch a glimpse of them (I keep thinking, whose are these??). Also, I can no longer see my feet if I'm standing straight up. Painting my toenails is practically an impossibility now. I have major huge veins all over my belly and chest. Jeremy, my personal nurse, says this is a very good thing because of blood flow. And I've had several nosebleeds, my most recent one last weekend (rather common, apparently, again because of the increased blood flow). Crazy stuff.

There are plenty more observations, but I'll pace myself and add more later.

Shower #1

I've had 3 wonderful baby showers now. All 3 have been quite different from each other, and they've been equally as fantastic. It really is nice to be honored in this way, even though the attention is a little odd. I'm not used to everyone looking at me and waiting to see what I'll say, etc.

Here is the 1st shower. I'm in a Life Group through my church, and a couple of weeks ago they surprised me and Jeremy with a baby shower. One of our members, Jenna, made that beautiful cake herself. That last one with Jeremy looking so stoic is from a game we played where the men had to stuff their shirts with balloons and then bend over to tie their shoes without popping the balloons. Quite a hoot! (Sidenote, in case my mother reads this: this was a surprise shower, so I wasn't exactly dressed for success. I wouldn't normally wear a white t-shirt and a pony tail to a baby shower!) :-)














I'll pace myself and post pictures from the other showers later.













This past Monday night I noticed for the very first time that my feet and ankles are swelling! Yuck! I was hoping to avoid that unattractive part of being pregnant, but alas, no. I was walking home from Life Group (it's just a few blocks from our house) and I kept thinking that my legs were really tired and achy, as if I'd just run a marathon or something. When I got home, about 30 minutes later I happened to look at my bare feet, and Holy Cow! They were all puffy. Today's Wednesday and they're not back to normal, so I'm guessing I'll have 10 more weeks of this. Lovely.

A new season

Much to catch up on.... but details will have to wait. I've entered the Baby Shower season. First, the Monday before last our incredible Life Group threw us a surprise shower! We really had no idea they would do that, but it was a lot of fun. Pictures to follow. Then, last Saturday I had a shower with 25 friends - it was such a blessing. Pictures to follow on that too.

But now... I'm headed to Houston for yet another baby shower this weekend (and my last). I'm glad Hurricane Ike is not hampering my trip.

It's really humbling to be on "this side" of a baby shower. I've been to so many through the years, but it's just cool to be on the receiving end. And it's humbling that people care enough to show up and buy us a gift. Jeremy and I are blessed by wonderful friends and family.

I'm officially in my last trimester of pregnancy. It really has gone by so quickly. I'm still feeling pretty good, fortunately!

Gotta go catch a plane to Houston... more later.

Irish at last!

It's official... I am a legal citizen of Ireland. It has taken years and years to get this accomplished. My grandfather (Dad's dad) was born and raised in Ireland and came to the U.S. when he was in his late 20s. Ireland allows anyone that has a parent or grandparent that was born in Ireland to become a citizen too. They make you jump through many hoops and practically promise your firstborn child to them, but they allow it. So after much hoop-jumping (but no giving of my firstborn), I am official! My quest started after our family visited Ireland in 1998. We got to meet cousins and other relatives for the very first time, and I really fell in love with the culture and scenery there. Upon my return, a friend informed me that I was qualified to become a citizen because of my grandfather. So my research began, and through the years, I've slowly gathered all the documentation they required. I must admit that I wish I could celebrate by going to a local Irish pub and having a pint or two, but I don't think that would be so good for little Westin. So I'll postpone the celebration until after he's born. One of the cool benefits of being an Irish citizen is that they're a member of the European Union, which means I could live and work in any EU country. We'd still have to get Jeremy a visa, but it would be a lot easier than both of us having to get one. So maybe down the road we'll go live somewhere "over there" for a year or so... it would be an amazing experience, I'm sure.

I'm famous! Well, not exactly.

This might be the closest I ever come to national fame... (except for the time my sisters and I were featured in the FCA magazine "Sharing the Victory" way back in the early 90s, but that's another story).

I got quoted in an MSNBC online news article today. First, some background:

I recently joined a real estate networking site called Active Rain. It's a way for real estate agents and mortgage lenders to network and share information about what's going on in the industry. You can write articles and post them to a blog that they provide for you, as well as lots of other stuff. Well - after the really big news about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac being taken over by the government, I decided to write an article about it and put it on my blog (my business blog, not this blog). So I did.

And then.... today I get a phone call from Jane Hodges, who is a reporter for MSNBC. She's a contributor to lots of online content on MSNBC's website, and she came across my blog entry and decided to call me for my input on how the Fannie/Freddie bailout has affected mortgage rates and the general impact on the industry. So we chatted for about 10 minutes, and that was that.

I checked tonight to see if she had posted anything, and sure enough! Here's the article. I have two whole sentences to boast about, but hey - it's still pretty cool to me.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26628137/from/ET/

And, if you're up for some pleasure reading (that's a joke by the way), Click here for the blog entry I wrote that got her attention to begin with. (Please ignore the terrible quality pictures. I just started it and I don't really know what I'm doing yet. It's a major work in progress.)

Thanks for letting me share my nanosecond of fame. :-)

Word of the Day

I've learned a new word this election season. I honestly had never heard it before. The word is "vetting".

I think it's a funny word, although I don't really know why. Wikipedia has this to say about it:

"Broadly, vetting is a process of examination and evaluation. Specifically, vetting often refers to performing a background check on someone before offering them employment. In addition, in intelligence gathering, assets are vetted to determine their usefulness."

John McCain "vetted" Sarah Palin. Barack Obama had a "vetting process" to find Joe Biden. Is this a really common word and I've just missed it all these years?

Vet, vetted, vetting.

Let's see if I can apply it to my world:

• Did I "vet" my husband before I decided to marry him? (I don't know if I did, but I think he vetted me, because he told me once his dad advised him to check a woman's teeth before marrying her to make sure she'd live good and long!)

• "The Hansens vetted out a few babysitters before deciding which one to hire." (perhaps one day!)

• "Jeremy's vetting process for nursing schools eventually landed him at Wake Tech." (that's not really true... it's the only one he even strongly considered, but it sounds kind of fun.)

I'm gonna try and use this word at least once a week in my conversations. It just sounds too cool not to!! At the very least, I'll sound just as clever as all those politicos out there. Maybe.

Uninspired

I'm in a bit of a blogging funk, I think. I just don't have much to say right now, or if I do, it seems like too much effort to write about it. So... for those very few faithful followers, I'm sorry that you haven't heard much from me lately. I promise I'll be back as soon as some inspiration hits me!

7 years

Today is our 7th wedding anniversary. On August 26th, 2001 at high noon, we stood literally on a mountaintop in Colorado in a gorgeous little chapel that holds 75 people, overlooking the Continental Divide and made promises to each other and to God. Jeremy sang to me, and it was a beautiful ceremony. (With one small exception... I hired a local string quartet to play for us instead of having a piano or organ, and let's just say their demo tape sounded NOTHING like them.... bless their hearts.)

So now 7 years later, it's interesting to reflect on how we started this marriage, and the journey we've been on. We met and got married on a dude ranch that we both worked at. We knew we wouldn't live there forever, but we didn't know what was next either. We had no idea we'd move to North Carolina - that was never on either of our radars for places to live. We had no idea I'd be a mortgage broker, and we had no idea Jeremy would go to nursing school. We didn't know if we wanted kids or not, but we certainly couldn't picture them for a long time. And here we are! Who knew.

God has surprised me through the years. I knew I was marrying a very good man - a man who loved Jesus and had a heart of solid gold, and while he wasn't a perfect man, he seemed perfect for me. But I couldn't have known at that time that Jeremy would grow into a Godly man, and a man who would lead me by example, and be the model of sacrificial and unconditional love. I couldn't have known that he would grow into the kind of person that views even the little things such as housework as an equal task that should be shared (and he did have to grow into that... it wasn't automatic... there's still hope for husbands out there!!). I didn't know that Jeremy would continue to pursue me day after day, year after year, in ways that no one else ever has. And I guess I just didn't know that the Lord could allow me, little 'ole me, to be loved so deeply. I honestly still question every now and then why I get to have such a wonderful husband and such a fun marriage.

I could go on and on about my husband, but I'm sure I'd make some of you vomit with my sugary sweet gushings. So I won't do that. Instead, tonight I'll tell all the wonderful things about Jeremy.... to Jeremy.

Happy Anniversary to the love of my life.

The car saga continues....

Just 2 days ago, I was driving along in Raleigh, and thinking how nice my car is now that it's painted and has a new transmission. And I glanced down at my odometer and saw something that I'll never see again: 123456. Yep, my mileage was 123,456. Pretty cool, huh?

And then yesterday..... I'm coming back to work after going home for lunch, and my car starts revving and lurching, and not really working very well. I manage to make it back to my office (it's only a mile and a half from my house, after all) and then talk to Jeremy about it later that afternoon. When it comes time to head home for the day, the darn car won't really even go. Jeremy came and tried to drive it too, and we ended up just leaving it in my office parking lot overnight.

Aargh!! This is after just having spent $3500 fixing it up. Fortunately, we have a nice warranty on the transmission, but still... just a bit frustrating. So today it's getting towed to the transmission shop, and we'll be without a car again for a while. Lovely.

The Coolest Gift

I've been absent from blogging for a while, but with good reason: we spent a wonderful 2 weeks in Oregon, visiting Jeremy's family and celebrating his grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary.

I'll post about our trip another time, but I couldn't wait to get this amazing thing on my blog. The night we got back from our trip, which was late last Wednesday night, we saw this on the door of the nursery:
Hopefully you can tell what that is, but in case you can't, the entire door was "wrapped" like a gift, with a bow and all! Our dear friends Stephanie and Lou had snuck into our house while we were away in Oregon, and painted little Westin's room for us!!!!!

Stephanie was with me when I bought the paint, and she had helped me talk through the design I wanted to do, but little did I know that she would actually DO IT FOR ME! It was such an amazing blessing, and it turned out beautifully. Here are some pictures of the finished product:
















Those stripes were no small feat, and they perfectly match the bedding I bought to put in Westin's crib.

Jeremy I were really humbled and blessed by this incredible gesture. It's good to be loved.

THANK YOU STEPHANIE AND LOUANN!!!

ORAMM pics

Here are some pictures from our weekend in the mountains:

The RV we stayed in, and Jeremy resting up for the Big Day:












A sing-along with LouAnn's family at the campground, and more RV hang-out time:












Early morning pre-race preparations:












At the race site:












... And they're off!












Here's Jeremy at one of the sag stops. This is about 31 miles into the race. You'll notice he changed jerseys:












THEY DID IT (at the finish line):












Post-race celebration by cooling off in the creek:












CONGRATS to Jeremy, LouAnn, and John!

Jeremy is already talking about doing it again next year...... start praying NOW!!!

He rocked the ORAMM!

Just a quick post to say that Jeremy did fantastic in his mountain bike race! He completed the 63 miles in 8 hours and 53 minutes. He felt pretty good the entire day, and he was so happy at the end! He finished right in the middle of the pack of 450 riders. I was so proud of him, and so relieved to see him cross that finish line!

I will post pictures later, but just wanted to say thanks for your prayers! We had a great weekend of camping with our friends and we attended a huge street festival in Asheville that was really fun.

We are headed to Oregon for two weeks beginning tomorrow, so my posts may be a bit thin for a while. I'll try to get some pictures up as soon as I can.

ORAMM

Jeremy has a big weekend ahead. For several years, he's wanted to do this particular mountain bike race called the ORAMM - Off Road Assault on Mount Mitchell. It's in western North Carolina, in the mountains near Asheville. It's a 60-something mile mountain bike race that has over 11,000 feet of climbing. Since he's had the summer off, it has been perfect time for him to train for this race. Here is a picture showing the elevation changes of the ride:

This next statement is from the race website. I'm not sure if this should make me laugh or cry:

"Do not underestimate the extreme difficulty and danger of this event. The course is extremely demanding and travels over rugged terrain with extreme elevation changes. The forest remains in its natural habitat. It is not uncommon to see wildlife such as a wild cat or a black bear. Be ready to cope with any circumstances!! Please note that firearms are not permitted in certain areas. Aid stations will help with safety matters, but it is the competitor’s ultimate responsibility to insure his or her own safety. A few course-related facts are the 60 miles have been won in just over 5 hours!! This was done by a pro M.T.B. rider, while some have completed the course with only one month of riding under their belt. This rider quit riding altogether after the race. Others too have retired their biking efforts after competing in this race. This is not your typical race. Regardless of how you finish, this is the most exciting M.T.B. adventure race in the entire Southeast!!!"

So, um... please pray for my husband on Sunday!

We're going camping (in an RV... this pregnant lady is sleeping in a real bed!) so it should be fun. Our friends Stephanie and Lou are going too, and Lou is riding in the race along with Jeremy.

I'll publish some post-race pictures next week.

For my out-of-town friends and family....

Here's a picture Jeremy took of my baby bump just this morning.

(Thanks again for the shirt, Fen!)

$$

Well, it's official. We need a new transmission.

- Rebuilt transmission: $2500
- New paint job for my car's cancer - $750
- New front brakes with rotors turned - $200

Total cost to fix up my 7-year old, 123,000 mile car: $3450 plus tax.

Ouch.

But hey, it's better than having a car payment.

A boy and a car

So - most people know by now we're having a boy. We are SO thrilled, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I can't wait to have a son, and I can't wait to see my husband as a dad. When I was younger, I watched all these couples where the wife did ALL the parenting work and the husband basically swooped in and out whenever he felt like it, helping out maybe here and there, but never really fully engaged, and it made me MAD. It just didn't seem fair how hard the wife worked and how little credit and help she got. It truly shaped what I thought about parenting in general, and turned me off to wanting to have kids. If I was destined to carry the bulk of the load, then I just wasn't interested. But meeting Jeremy and getting to know his heart has truly changed all of that. We are true partners in life. There really is nothing in our relationship that either of us would label as "woman's work" or "man's work". Now, naturally, he's better at changing the oil in our cars, and I'm better at cooking, but we CHOOSE to do these things - it's not an expectation. He does MORE housework than I do right now, because he's home a lot more than I am, and to him it just seems obvious that if there are things to do and he's capable, then why not do it? I LOVE that about him, and I know it is going to carry over into being a father. He just gets it that we are totally in this together. I honestly could not imagine another human being on the planet that I'd rather do life with. I look forward to watching Westin with his Daddy.

Changing topics here..... I think my transmission is going out. I was driving in North Raleigh the other day, and suddenly I just couldn't accelerate. No matter what gear I put the car in, it would rev up but not go. So Jeremy came and rescued me (and after sitting for 20 minutes the car worked just fine - maddening!!), and we took it to an auto shop this morning. If it does need a new transmission, that is obviously going to be pricey. We had only planned on keeping this car for another year, until Jeremy is done with school and we'd saved up a bigger down payment on our next car. It's a 7 year old car with 123,000 miles on it. But now... if we have to put a bunch of money into it, we might just keep it for a few more years. It's a hard decision. But if we do keep it, I think we're gonna go ahead and throw some more money at it and fix the paint cancer that is spreading all over the car (it's a black car and is losing its color all over the front, back, and roof - not pretty). So this could end up being a $2,000 -$3,000 investment. But if we do that, we don't have to worry about a car for a good while (unless the engine suddenly fell out - Lord help us!). And really, with only one kid, do we REALLY need to buy an SUV? Absolutely not. I WANT one, don't get me wrong, but it is most certainly not a need. Sometimes fighting off materialism and keeping it simple is challenging............ fortunately this is an area where my husband is a very good voice of reason. So, I have a feeling Mitzi will be around for a good while longer.