first comes alaska -- then comes love, then comes marriage, then...

So... Tim's couple weeks off went all too quickly --

We crammed in a lot -- galavanting north to Denali and then south to Homer with my father and nephew. Last summer we filled the many rainy days planning the details of our wedding.... but this year we were determined to get a good dose of Alaskan exploration, 

Mountain House camping meals, mosquito bites & trips to the gas station. 

We were quite exhausted by the end of our journey...  Just in time for me to turn around and pump out some crazy days and crazy hours at work & for Tim to start his new job!

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I have given my official notice of resignation at Cross Road Medical Center.
I finish at the end of this month with the grand finale of a few night shifts.
It has been a tumultuous couple years with a job that never quite fit right and with expectations all too high for what ministry in the Copper River Valley would mean for me as a nurse.
I will write on this theme in posts to come as I process much in this last month.

So -- we are bumping along with weekend marriage again for one more month. Then we are moving, but to where is yet to be determined. We think Palmer, but then it is possible that if work comes through in Anchorage -- that we should live closer to that end. Everything is clear as mud - and much is on hold as we wait for details to come together.

We've been continue to wage war with those in charge of my loan forgiveness contract...and finally came to the resolution that working for Alaska Native Medical Center does qualify!  So we're waiting. We are waiting to hear back from ANMC while trying to decide about an offer for a position at the hospital in Palmer-Wasilla area (which is ineligible for contract transfer). It's messy and confusing, so if it doesn't make sense to you, well, that's sensible.

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In other news. We're pregnant.  BAM.

A few pregnancy tests later, I was still a little dubious.

HOLY SNICKERDOODLES.
Not our timing by any means.

The reality is still baffling...I think Jesus grants us about forty weeks growin' time just so we can let the idea settle in our minds before a baby starts crying for milk.

My first impression: I'm not really old enough for this! Nooooo...I'm not pregnant. You're supposed to actually try in order for this to happen! I shouldn't have been ovulating! Really?! Now? In the middle of the chaos of trying to get a new job? In the middle of moving and starting over? Ohhh, I love babies...I never thought this would really happen to me! This child is going to be crazy -- we're going to mess him or her up! I just want to live with my husband for a little while first! Really?! It's like the year everyone has to get pregnant... Oh man...this is going to hurt... I need ice cream. I don't want to get huge! We don't even own any furniture or a reliable car, our baby is going to be naked for the first five years!


My first ten weeks:

Waves of unpleasant nausea.
Brushing my teeth without gagging has become a battle.

Soda crackers are my best friend.

Suddenly I can no longer stomach salmon (or watching the fillet process), I even prefer tuna to salmon now.
Ranch dressing tastes different.

Yogurt. Vanilla ice cream. Eggs. Chicken strips. White bread.
Ramen noodles.  These are my most frequented cravings.
And most recently -- SpaghettiOs & Ginger Ale with a side of chewy prenatal vitamins. Yum.

Get too hungry and I want to hurl. I'm always ready to curl up and sleep. Motion (even car rides) is sometimes overwhelming.
Left a nice up-chuck deposit on the side of the highway the other day.

This baby... has already flown in a small plane & gone to camp. Climbed mountains & up near glaciers. Camped in a tent. Survived hoards of mosquitoes and a string of night shifts. Done CPR. Gone deep sea fishing. Been to Kennicott, Denali & Homer -- rode along for a trek of over two thousand miles in Alaska in just two weeks. Celebrated daddy's birthday. Met grandpa and Wyatt. Slept on a rocky beach. And he or she already has a beating heart & is already able to sense light/darkness.  The wee one has been busy!

First OB/Ultrasound appointment:

I have a human inside of me. Don't think that will ever be normal. I have a little 3cm HUMAN with flippers dancing in my belly. WHAT?!

Life has been crazy --between major job transitions, financial quandaries, an unexpected pregnancy, uncertain moving arrangements we have been brought to our knees. The few involved in my first prenatal care visit were a little confused when I mentioned that my stress level was on the way upper end of the spectrum. But we are trying to trust and trying to recount God's faithfulness as we have known it & seen it. Please continue to pray for us as we wait upon Jesus.