The Many Adventures of: Pregnancy

I named this blog “The Many Adventures of Mandi and Tyler.” And in November, we discovered that we are about to embark on a new glorious adventure: Parenthood.



20 weeks and 5 days today. We are halfway there. July 24th- Here we come!

To recap the last 4 months since that test showed the infamous “+” sign would be quite the task. Here are some highlights, and a few things I never knew about pregnancy:

• I knew I was pregnant when I suddenly had to sit down in the middle of blow-drying my hair to catch my breath.
• Telling your family you are expecting is one of the best feelings in the world, especially at Christmas time. My favorite is when people scream like they have seen a giant spider or throw items across the room.
• Morning Sickness should be called all-day sickness. That lasted until about mid-January.
• Maternity pants should be mandatory every day wear for all humans. Whoever invented buttons and zippers is an idiot.
• Queen size beds are not made for a pregnant woman and her poor husband, who is constantly pushed, kicked, and woken up by a woman’s need to use the bathroom at 3am.
• A growing belly can be beautiful when a baby is in there.
• My husband is one of the most giving, compassionate people on the planet. He is going to be an amazing dad.
• I felt the first popcorn motions of a baby moving about two weeks ago. And I sat on the bathroom floor and cried as my iPod played “How Great Thou Art.”

 

Tomorrow we find out if this little one inside of me is a boy or a girl. Since the end of October, this baby has grown each day and stretched my body and as I've placed my hand on my belly I have wondered… "Who are you in there?"
 
Today is the last day I will fall asleep without knowing. And I don’t want it to be over. Sure, I am rejoicing in the thrill of knowing and starting a baby registry and thinking in pink or blue. But I realize how quickly time is passing and how much I love being pregnant. They are subtle motions right now, but I love the flutters and kicks I feel as I meet with students at school. It is all I can do to keep from squealing in the middle of an emotional teenage breakdown. I love how my husband and I are growing closer each day, even through the occasional mood swings and sudden needs for pizza rolls or ice cream sundaes.

I am certain that with each stage of motherhood there will be new joys and new trials. But for right now, I want to embrace today and these moments and try to etch them in my mind forever.

Oh little one, I can’t wait to know who you are, who God is knitting you together to be. 

 

"For you formed my inward parts;

you knitted me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works;

my soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

in your book were written, every one of them,

the days that were formed for me,

when as yet there was none of them.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

If I would count them, they are more than the sand."

 

Psalm 139: 13-18

 

This Wild and Crazy Life

Today. Was. AWESOME.

My week (maybe month) was not.

If I am being honest, I have muddled through my days of the week, Monday through Friday, barely able to pull my shoes out of the mud to take the next step. If stress has a limit, I am close to the ceiling.

Growing up, I never felt like I had very many talents. I mean, I could hit a softball pretty well and I liked to sing in the choir and I enjoyed speaking in front of others… but a talent? Something that really stands out… no where to be found. I think I was more like vanilla pudding- simple wholesome reliable vanilla pudding.

And this cup of vanilla pudding became a school counselor.

 

Helping people is what I enjoy most. Each day, I get to spend time with teenagers and share life and advice and laughter and tears. In the past few weeks though… there have been many tears. And when their hearts hurt, mine does too. Sometimes those emotions follow me wherever I go, even after I shut my office door.

It’s hard to walk through the muddy roads of life with people because your shoes will get dirty too.

But it is worth every step. Because you will have days like TODAY. When I get to wake up at 5:15am with my husband to coach 20 full-of-life teenagers who sing "Sadie Hawkins Dance" by Relient K all the way home from our meet with the fall air blowing through the bus windows.

And one of them will say, “Thanks for watching me today and cheering me on. It really meant a lot.”

 

 

We wear matching hoodies that say “Endurance Inspired by Hope” on the sleeve.

 

 

Isn’t that our theme through every day of life? To never give in and never give up and keep going.

Guys- It has been busy. Tyler and I work during the day, coach in the afternoon, eat dinner late, Tyler works on homework, I fall asleep on the couch (that’s right- we bought a COUCH this summer!) and we do it all over again. Meet days are on Saturday and we help with the little kiddos in church every other Sunday. Life is CRAZY.

But it is crazy awesome. And I am so glad I get to share it with my best friend J.

 

Miles Ahead, Worries Behind

 

I was in the copy room at school, printing one of those rising senior meeting forms I have been completing every day for the past 3 months.  I love my families (I really do- my students are awesome), but after repeating myself 120 times, my peaceful moments in the copy room are treasured. Then I hear my name.

 

“Mandi, would you be interested in helping me coach cross country next year?”

My head whipped around in astonishment. “Me? I am NOT fast.” My face was twisted in a record-breaking state of confusion.

“I see you run around campus every day after school. I need a coach who will run with the kids, not just sit there.” She went on to say that she needs someone for middle schoolers, so I should be able to keep up with them. I was still shocked, too surprised to give an answer. I told her I would think about it.

This invitation came from a woman who ran a race called the Mountain Masochist and many other ultra-marathons. You can check out her blog HERE. Rebekah Trittipoe is a biology teacher, cross country coach, wife, mom, and so much more. I can’t count how many compliments I have heard about her from students and parents in my office. How could I pass up the opportunity?

I was too intrigued to resist. So I told her I was interested. And then she says:

“I have an Assistant Coach Position open too. Would Tyler be interested?”

Well if you know my husband’s love for running, you know how excited he was when I told him.

 

 

And that was that! Beginning in August, Tyler and I will be helping coach XC at LCA. I am excited and terrified all at the same time. Our team is on a summer training plan, so Tyler and I have been working hard to keep up with our students. In order to qualify for the team in August, my middle schoolers have to run 2 miles at an 8:30 pace. I am determined to make sure I can do that with them. So each day, 5-6 days a week, we are running, swimming, or biking. AND doing an ab workout. You can check that out here:

Hello Training Plan! I missed you since the half-marathon.

Miles Ahead, Worries Behind.

Mandi <3

Five Minute Friday: Close

I have a friend.

She doesn't know me, but I read every post of her blog: www.lisajobaker.com. She is a wife, a mom, a woman who loves Jesus and isn't afraid to admit that her life isn't all flowers and butterflies. Her words inspire and encourage and help me to press on in the days when I am certain I am just a frame of a woman making it through life.

Each Friday, she challenges women to to write fearless for 5 minutes. No editing, no fretting. Spontaneous writing to be posted to blogs all over the world. And women write comments or messages and encourage each other through this crazy life with all of its ups and downs.

This is my first one.

Here are the rules from Lisa Jo Baker:

1. Check what the prompt is on my blog.
2. Write a post in only five minutes on that topic on your blog.
3. {And if you don’t have a blog, no worries! Just leave your writing as a comment on my post}
4. Link over here and invite friends to join in.
5. Select the permalink to your post {so not your blog url www.lisajobaker.com but your post url www.lisajobaker.com/2012/07/five-minute-friday-2/ }
6. Using the blue linky tool at the bottom of my Five Minute Friday post enter your link.
7. It will also walk you through selecting which photo you want to show up in the linky.
8. Your post will show up in our Five Minute Friday linky.
9. Be sure and encourage the person who linked up before you!

Ready. Go!

 

So close. So close to the end of the school year. To summer. To Tyler coming back home. It has been a long week lying lonely in my bed missing my other half. But he has had the opportunity to go and make disciples and live out the will of God in Nicaragua. How can I be lonely when I know he is serving and He is working. I lie in my bed instead and imagine the stories he will tell, of what God has done through those people in the mountains and those people climbing the mountains to tell them the Great Story.

 

 

So close. How close we get to God when we spend time in lonely places. Sometimes separating from people opens time holes in our lives for God to fill. When people fill all of our time we become dependent on those people and not on Him. This week, I have felt the closeness of God. In the still of my home with a candle lit and my journal open. In my sleep filled with peace instead of worry. He is always close to me, no matter how far away I may feel. It is when I am aware of His presence and make time holes for Him that we are close again.

 

Stop.

 

Shorts Weather

My secret dream job has always been to be a weather girl. As a kid, I loved when tropical storms and hurricanes neared the state of Florida so I could study them and of course, so I could have some days off of school. I would wake up early to watch the rain fall and the trees blow and to see the hurricane move across the TV screen. I may have inherited this obsession from my Dad, who checks the Weather Channel several times a day and ultimately announces that, “It’s shorts weather!” (Isn’t every day in Florida shorts weather?).

You couldn’t have paid me to wear shorts in Virginia this winter! We have had a total of 14 snow days, some even in late March. Now I must admit, part of the reason I wanted to work in the school system is for this sweet treat, but we have all been ready for some warm temps. Thankfully, the warm weather rolled in the last few weeks, giving Tyler and I time to run or ride the bike on the trail in Lynchburg and enjoy some sunshine. It has indeed been shorts weather, finally.

 

Here is a recap from our winter adventures:

 

 

My sister Sami came to visit Virginia! And she flew in on the day the biggest snow storm in 5 years hit our town. Tyler and I ventured out to the airport in over a foot of snow, with more flakes still falling. I was grippng the door handle as Tyler navigated the truck to Greensboro, NC to pick up Sami. My phone kept ringing as my Mom called to make sure things were going safely. I refused to call her back until we were all home in one piece. :) Sami arrived on practically the ONLY flight that actually landed in Greensboro that day- and we had an AWESOME weekend of sledding, snowman making, and movies.

 

My go to winter treat is below- Coffee and Cinnamon Popcorn. The popcorn recipe I use is from 100 Days of Real Food. Such a yummy homemade snack for any season! 



Click here to try it yourself! Cinnamon Glazed Popcorn



My cousin Danae got married a few weekends ago, so we had the opportunity to visit with the Sommers family- And meet my new nephew Asher!!

 



A closing thought: Remember, our lives cycle in and out seasons, just like the trees. Sometimes there is winter... brokenness and heartache and uncertainty. But often out of our brokenness comes the most beautiful stories. Stories of how God used something that we thought was ugly for good.

Jesus said this to his disciples before He was arrested to be cruicified. "So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you." John 16:22

Today we remember Good Friday, the day that Jesus sacrificed His life by dying on the cross. He lived a perfect life, free from sin. He was arrested and flogged and nailed to a cross as a sacrifice, a payment for sin... my sin. Your sin. His body was broken and he breathed His last breath. He was buried in a tomb and His friends and family and followers mourned. It was their winter.

But Sunday was coming! Three days later those friends visited the tomb of Jesus and the stone had been rolled away. And they saw Jesus, alive again! They saw his scars and his new body. His words are true- "your hearts will rejoice."

"Weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning." Psalm 30:5

Aloha and Mahalo!

I was awake. I rolled over and glanced at the clock- 6:30 am. It was six in the morning and my eyes were wide open, ready for a new day. I wondered what my students were doing back at LCA, if my office needed me this Monday morning, wait… what time was it there? Almost noon. No wonder my eyes were open. Lying in our bed with the 70-degree crisp air coming through the windows, I heard a rooster crow. For a split second, I wondered if I was dreaming… Was I really in Hawaii??

The answer: Yes. We were six days into the New Year and already grasping the adventure on an island that captivated all of my senses. We landed in Kauai in the middle of the night and fumbled our way to our timeshare cottage using a phone GPS. It wasn’t too difficult to follow the sole highway on this island but the pitch-black night sky masked the beauty etched in every corner.

That morning, I stepped into the daylight on my walk to the rental car and my jaw dropped in awe. I was surrounded by mountains, covered in both bright and dark green trees of every kind. There was no pattern to these cliffs; they were rocky and unique, nothing like Virginia, foreign almost. I could smell the salty air and instantly felt at home. Being the Florida girl that I am, I almost took off running towards the beach. Our group opted for the rental car to explore instead.

Let me pause to describe our wonderful group that made every ounce of Hawaii all the more exciting. Bill had been a friend and mentor to Tyler while he worked at Winco foods in Idaho. Each time we visited the West, we liked to get together Bill and his wife Jenny for dinner. Last winter, they shared that they needed to use their timeshare points soon and were planning a trip to Hawaii. They invited Tyler and I that night and we laughed at the dream invitation because we figured there was no way I could get off work in the middle of the school year. I asked. It was approved. And we had a blast with our kind friends in paradise!

We spent about six days in Hawaii, exploring the landscape, admiring the surfers, and resting in the warmth. The highlight of the trip for my husband, the history buff, was a day trip to the island of Oahu to visit Pearl Harbor. We purchased an audio tour headset that narrated every turn at this historical site. My heart began to ache as I heard background information on the political state of our world at the time and stories from survivors of the attacks. The USS Arizona rested at the bottom of the harbor, a solemn reminder of the events that day. I felt like in that one day, I had more interest in history than I ever had at Sebring High School. Maybe there should be mandatory field trips to Hawaii…

Bill and Tyler at the Pacific Crossroads

Pearl Harbor Memorial

For me, the highlights of our trip were back on the island of Kauai, with the sun toasting my skin and water at my fingertips. One afternoon, we rented paddleboards and navigated our way towards Hanalei Bay. We worked up the courage to head out into the smaller waves and coast across the bay, watching the surfers in the distance riding the monsters. They looked like tiny toy figurines on top of the giant caps.  The cliffs, the sun rays, the saltwater, the breeze… this was the perfect day.

Paddle Board Time!

Tyler on a rope swing!

There was one other item on my to-do list for Kauai, something I had read about online and wanted to set my eyes on: The Napali Coast. The Napali Coast is an area of Kauai that can only be accessed on a hiking trail. The entire trail is 11 miles long in which most travelers camp to conquer in a several day trip. Tyler and I decided that we would do a day trip adventure a few miles in to a waterfall. We hit the trail late morning with a backpack filled with water and granola. I quickly discovered that this trail was no ordinary hike on the Blue Ridge. The path was not wide and well worn. Instead, it was narrow, rocky, and WET. Kauai is known as “the wettest place on earth” and so the trail lives up to its name. Our shoes stuck in the mud like suction cups or slid like skis as we walked the course. We talked and laughed the entire time, stopping to take pictures of the gorgeous, never-ending ocean and dramatic cliffs.

As we travelled inland, we began an upward climb towards the waterfall. I had no idea how amazed I would be when we finally reached the bottom. The mist hit my face as I looked at the height, the majesty of it all. I turned to see Tyler, taking off his shoes and heading towards the water. I heard him yell, “We didn’t hike 4 miles to a waterfall in Hawaii and NOT jump in!” Well I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I made my way down the rocks and dove head first into the water. The icy water shocked me as it enveloped my body and I came up for a gasp of air. Tyler said, “Just keep moving. It gets warmer, I promise!” And so I swam. As fast as I could, reminding myself that I would be warm soon. And it worked! Before I knew it, we were both under the waterfall, looking through it from behind. He leaned over to kiss me and for a moment, I felt like I was on an episode of the Bachelorette. It was magical.

Saturday, we waited in the airport for our plane to board, with open windows and no air conditioning, only the warm breeze blowing. Tyler began to coax me into staying in Kauai. He had a plan that Marly could sell our things in Lynchburg and send us the money. It was tempting, but at the end of the day, we came back to Virginia. Who knows though, maybe they need school counselors in Hawaii too? :)

~ Mandi

Hello 2014!

A new year, a clean slate, a blank page waiting to be filled.

I filled the year 2013 to the brim- tried a “real food” menu, got my license for school counseling, went to Disney World, vacationed in the Virginia mountains, camped in Idaho, attended two of my dear friends weddings, joined the leadership team for kids ministry at church, ran a half marathon and… started a blog J.

Tyler and I finished the year making many memories with friends and family over the holidays. We were blessed to host Thanksgiving with friends (our “Lynchburg family”). I made a TURKEY for the first time- believe it or not- and it turned out pretty good! I also made a “real food” sweet potato casserole and green bean casserole. I have really grown from my boxed mac-and-cheese days…

 

We also celebrated our 3^rd year of marital bliss on December 11^th. Three years baby! I can truly say I love that man more and more every day.

For Christmas, we travelled to Seabrook, Washington to celebrate with the Harris/Fenske family.

 

 

We stayed in a beautiful ocean view beach house. The week was full of games, a Christmas pageant, and sing along to Abba. Needless to say, we laughed until we peed our pants. Literally.  

For New Year’s, we enjoyed a New England style celebration with our “Lynchburg family” complete with Chinese food and the game Hedbanz. Just picture six of us with nouns strapped to our foreheads, trying to guess what the word is on our own head, and one of us has the word “Nude Beach.” Priceless.

My dad’s family also came to visit for the weekend. It was so good to spend sweet time with them. My siblings are growing up way too fast… my youngest sister, Zoe, turns 13 this year. Wasn’t I just 13 the other day?!

 

Thought for the day: Don’t move too fast through the day. Soon it will be gone… Slow down, look for the little blessings in life. Count them, breathe, enjoy life.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday celebrating time with the ones you love!

Stay tuned for Tyler and I’s first adventure of 2014… HAWAII. More info this week!