Hi there!
For some reason it feels like it's been a long time since I posted, then I checked today and it's really only been two weeks. Which as the non-committal blogger I am, isn't really all that long of a break. This last month has gone by fast but has also been extremely packed thanks to some big news - I got a new job! To say I'm excited would be an understatement...as most of you all know the desire for a new job has been great and has been a long-time coming. So between wrapping up my old job as best as I possibly could and making one last trip to California, it's been a crazy time over here.
But...here I am with a whole week off before I start the new job, just in time for our Anniversary (#4!), and will be on vacation with Ty starting tomorrow. We're vacationing at a little B&B that's actually a working ranch right outside of Round Top, Texas so we can spend a few days at the semi-annual antique fair that's in town. Seriously, the Round Top Antique show is amazing. We went one day last year but definitely needed a full weekend, so I can't wait to really see everything. I'll be sure to do a full recap when we're back - they have another show in the fall and hopefully it will entice a few of you to come out and join me???
So the new job - I'm guessing you want details? I start April 4th as the Chief Development Officer for the Arbor School in Houston which is a private school that provides education and therapy to children with special needs. I really can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about the work they're doing - the stories and breakthroughs they're having with these kids are just incredible! The school recently brought on a very well known name in the child development/education world (Dr. Charles Meisgeier), and they have plans for a state-of-the-art campus to be built...it will be my job to see that we build up the school's brand, influence, reach (and budget!) both nationally and locally to make sure we see that campus built so we can offer education to more students, plus a whole slew of other things...there's lots of work in my future, but I'm really excited for the challenge of it all!
Okay, so that's the scoop! This is a long post sans pictures so I hope you'll forgive me, I promise to make up for it when we return from vacation:) Talk to you all in a few weeks!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
The Silver Bullet
Margot is like this ALL.THE.TIME. Really. From sun up, to sun down - the girl is nuts. And SO stubborn. She is most definitely our alpha-dog. It's a big joke in our family now, because when Ty brought her home he said he picked her because she was "so calm." The breeders had obviously given the girl some puppy downers, because within two days of her being home, she was in full force.
We now call her the Silver Bullet and Raleigh has earned the nickname of the Golden Ghost...MAJOR points go to anyone who knows where we got that one from;)
P.S. This is really a dumb video but makes me laugh every time I watch it, oh and also please ignore my troll feet. Also that's me at the very end responding to Ty as to why I was laughing upstairs by myself:)
We now call her the Silver Bullet and Raleigh has earned the nickname of the Golden Ghost...MAJOR points go to anyone who knows where we got that one from;)
P.S. This is really a dumb video but makes me laugh every time I watch it, oh and also please ignore my troll feet. Also that's me at the very end responding to Ty as to why I was laughing upstairs by myself:)
Friday, March 11, 2011
Ramblings on a spring afternoon
Today is the kind of day where it feels so good it feels like a drug…or at least what I imagine a drug that makes you feel good would feel like? The goodness literally feels like it’s running through my veins.
It’s blue, verdant, and looks like it’s all just about to burst. From the azaleas all in bloom to the trees that are showing off their greens after sleeping all winter long, it’s like one big breath of fresh air.
And it makes you feel oh-so-good. Like right down to the tippy toes. It’s all I can do to not just sit outside all.day.long.
It’s so weird, when I was pregnant I was overcome with this feeling of a desire and want for spring. I craved it. It was literally all I could think about in moments alone – and I kept trying to constantly remind myself to be happy and present – but it just wouldn’t happen. And I thought, you know…spring would be when we would be making the big announcement to friends and extended family, I would be showing, etc…so maybe that’s why I had this yearning for the coming season.
But I realize now, that God was doing something in my heart, and was preparing me for a new season – albeit just not one that I had pictured in my head. All along He knew spring would bring an overwhelming sense of happiness and renewal. He has quieted my heart in a way that I never thought possible…and as most of you know, a quiet-anything is not very “me.” I’m more the kick-and-stomp-and-yell sort. Add to that combo a heart and mind led to easily to question and doubt, and well, I think you’ve got me figured out.
But oh, I’m learning. SO MUCH. SO-SO-SO-MUCH. This new season is so beautiful, gracious, and I feel like there’s nothing left for me to do but to sit, be silent, and enjoy. There are great things ahead.
The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. ~ Exodus 14:14
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Excited...
Did you hear the news? Ralph Macchio is set to appear on Dancing with the Stars?!?! Now I have never really been a fan of the show - but this...this is something my inner six year old can get behind! Karate Kid was one of my very favorites when I was young - as a six year old growing up in Okinawa, Mr. Miyagi held a special place in my heart;) Naturally...right?
I also credit the movie with introducing me to my other love - Peter Cetera. They better have dear ol'Ralph do a number to "Glory of Love" - and that's all I have to say about that!
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| Oh...Hi, there...do you like my headband? |
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Awesome.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
No Scarlet Letter
I’ve heard it said that pregnancy and having a baby inducts you into the “club.” There are all sorts of clubs for us women of childbearing age - the “new mommy” club, the “SAHM club”, the “full-time career and motherhood club”, even the “I’m not a freak, I just don’t want to have kids club” each with its own corresponding highs and lows. Towards the lower rung of such groups is the “miscarriage” club. And well, wouldn’t you know it - I never was the cool kid in school - I joined that club this last week. Let me tell you - not so fun this club. It’s full of loss, betrayal, shame, unanswered questions and prayers, and a whole lot of pain. Physical, emotional, and spiritual pain. Plenty to go around in each category.
But this isn’t about the sadness and emptiness I feel right now - instead I’m struggling more with the idea of the “shame” of it all. Why is there any shame at all?
It’s estimated that roughly 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage, but the topic itself is (among most) a very dark secret and only shared on the occasion that one encounters another who’s just lost their pregnancy. BUT let me tell you - there are HOARDS of people online in message forums sharing stories back and forth, like hundreds of pages worth. It kind of blew my mind...it’s like this dark underbelly of a secret society of women who only feel comfortable sharing intimate details with complete strangers under the cloak of anonymity.
And maybe this all makes sense. But then on the other hand, I think there’s more to the situation here. I think as women we are constantly battling the judgement we feel may come from other women when it comes to all matters of reproductive health/prosperity/ability. And this doesn’t apply solely to miscarriage either - I’ve seen this quiet “shame” play out in many forms...for the woman who never miscarries but can’t conceive without the help of modern science...or the woman who can’t carry full-term on her own and depends on medical assistance...or even something so simple as the woman who has a c-section when all else fails despite her best attempts at a natural delivery.
If in the end you have the healthy baby - wasn’t the path to get there worth it? And really, isn’t that what a miscarriage is part of too? No, you sadly don’t get to make to the end with the grand prize, but it’s still all part of your body’s natural way of trying to achieve a healthy baby - it doesn’t make you less capable of bringing a baby into the world and it’s a step towards the right direction - with a detour. A painful detour, yes, but only a detour if you’re dedicated to being a mother.
When we received the news that our pregnancy wouldn’t make it full-term, there were only a few calls to be made to share the sad news - we had really only announced the pregnancy to our family circles. So it may seem very counter intuitive to share such news here, but today I was hit with this feeling of how refreshing it would be if every woman were so forthcoming. Wouldn’t it be nice to know that in addition to having X kids, that same woman also experienced X miscarriages? My mom for example has five kids - but along the way she had three miscarriages. There is no stigma further associated with the miscarriages past, no burning scarlet letter emblazoned on her chest - in my mom’s eyes her family is perfect and she has the exact children she always wanted.
Please don’t get me wrong - the pain associated with a miscarriage is deep and wide. I hope I’m not conveying it as anything otherwise. But there should be no shame involved. We, as women, have a great and wondrous responsibility to bear when we decide to step into these murky waters called “having a baby.”
So having said more than enough this time around, it’s my turn to be forthcoming - Hi, my name is JuliAnna and I’ve just had a miscarriage. I hope for three children in the future and I’m well on my way.
But this isn’t about the sadness and emptiness I feel right now - instead I’m struggling more with the idea of the “shame” of it all. Why is there any shame at all?
It’s estimated that roughly 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage, but the topic itself is (among most) a very dark secret and only shared on the occasion that one encounters another who’s just lost their pregnancy. BUT let me tell you - there are HOARDS of people online in message forums sharing stories back and forth, like hundreds of pages worth. It kind of blew my mind...it’s like this dark underbelly of a secret society of women who only feel comfortable sharing intimate details with complete strangers under the cloak of anonymity.
And maybe this all makes sense. But then on the other hand, I think there’s more to the situation here. I think as women we are constantly battling the judgement we feel may come from other women when it comes to all matters of reproductive health/prosperity/ability. And this doesn’t apply solely to miscarriage either - I’ve seen this quiet “shame” play out in many forms...for the woman who never miscarries but can’t conceive without the help of modern science...or the woman who can’t carry full-term on her own and depends on medical assistance...or even something so simple as the woman who has a c-section when all else fails despite her best attempts at a natural delivery.
If in the end you have the healthy baby - wasn’t the path to get there worth it? And really, isn’t that what a miscarriage is part of too? No, you sadly don’t get to make to the end with the grand prize, but it’s still all part of your body’s natural way of trying to achieve a healthy baby - it doesn’t make you less capable of bringing a baby into the world and it’s a step towards the right direction - with a detour. A painful detour, yes, but only a detour if you’re dedicated to being a mother.
When we received the news that our pregnancy wouldn’t make it full-term, there were only a few calls to be made to share the sad news - we had really only announced the pregnancy to our family circles. So it may seem very counter intuitive to share such news here, but today I was hit with this feeling of how refreshing it would be if every woman were so forthcoming. Wouldn’t it be nice to know that in addition to having X kids, that same woman also experienced X miscarriages? My mom for example has five kids - but along the way she had three miscarriages. There is no stigma further associated with the miscarriages past, no burning scarlet letter emblazoned on her chest - in my mom’s eyes her family is perfect and she has the exact children she always wanted.
Please don’t get me wrong - the pain associated with a miscarriage is deep and wide. I hope I’m not conveying it as anything otherwise. But there should be no shame involved. We, as women, have a great and wondrous responsibility to bear when we decide to step into these murky waters called “having a baby.”
So having said more than enough this time around, it’s my turn to be forthcoming - Hi, my name is JuliAnna and I’ve just had a miscarriage. I hope for three children in the future and I’m well on my way.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Show and Tell
I've been giving this lil ol'blog here of mine some serious thought over the last few weeks...which I know sounds silly given how light my postings are - I have yet to break 100 posts in the course of three years.
True story. I just did the math.
Much of what I post is a show and tell of sorts - only showing the "fun" and "new." But life isn't always fun and often it's the same old routine, with nothing new to report, which leaves me empty-handed. And it's hard to evaluate what kind of blog you want to have - what's the "face" you want to show to the world. (And I know my "world" is limited to maybe three readers, my mom included, but that doesn't mean this still isn't public and available for more to see should ever that be the case...)
I have so much respect for the bloggers out there who write EVERYTHING, and it's honest, and even sometimes makes you feel uncomfortable, like you know way more about them than you should... See here, here, and here. Now please don't interpret this shift in direction as my thinking I'm going to reach the heights of the bloggers above which I referenced, nor is it even an attempt to come close. More or less, it's that I really love writing and this self-indulgent blogging platform - well it really fits the bill.
So, there's going to be a lot of posting in the future...and many of those days may have posts that are uncomfortable and personal, but I think writing will help me through them. And, right now I'm thinking of turning off comments per the nature of the post, because I'm not looking for affirmation, I'm really just talking out-loud. But I think that God is really taking me through something and I do believe that when all is said and over with, I'm going to want to remember the finer details and see how it shaped me and made me better a wife, friend, mother*, how it made me and Ty a stronger couple, how it changed my perspective, and how it moved my faith.
So get ready for a lot less show and a lot more tell.
*speaking for the future here.
True story. I just did the math.
Much of what I post is a show and tell of sorts - only showing the "fun" and "new." But life isn't always fun and often it's the same old routine, with nothing new to report, which leaves me empty-handed. And it's hard to evaluate what kind of blog you want to have - what's the "face" you want to show to the world. (And I know my "world" is limited to maybe three readers, my mom included, but that doesn't mean this still isn't public and available for more to see should ever that be the case...)
I have so much respect for the bloggers out there who write EVERYTHING, and it's honest, and even sometimes makes you feel uncomfortable, like you know way more about them than you should... See here, here, and here. Now please don't interpret this shift in direction as my thinking I'm going to reach the heights of the bloggers above which I referenced, nor is it even an attempt to come close. More or less, it's that I really love writing and this self-indulgent blogging platform - well it really fits the bill.
So, there's going to be a lot of posting in the future...and many of those days may have posts that are uncomfortable and personal, but I think writing will help me through them. And, right now I'm thinking of turning off comments per the nature of the post, because I'm not looking for affirmation, I'm really just talking out-loud. But I think that God is really taking me through something and I do believe that when all is said and over with, I'm going to want to remember the finer details and see how it shaped me and made me better a wife, friend, mother*, how it made me and Ty a stronger couple, how it changed my perspective, and how it moved my faith.
So get ready for a lot less show and a lot more tell.
*speaking for the future here.
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