In God We Trust

NBC is presently taking a poll to see if Americans want the words "In God We Trust" to be removed from the American currency.

Just wanted to share with all my Christian friends...please go and vote (preferably to leave the words on there :) )!! I'm not sure how much longer the poll will be open.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10103521/

Welcome Ellie!!

Our good friends Sion and Emily welcomed their baby daughter into the world Saturday night.  Elle (Ellie) Ruth.  7 lb 1 oz.  I am soooo excited for them.  We went to the hospital yesterday to meet little Ellie and she is so adorable. 

I'm looking so forward to raising our kids together. :)

Here are a couple pics they sent out to everyone:

Right after birth I think.

Doesn't Emily look great??

Hope I look like that the day after having my baby. :)

Where does that expectation come from?

This past Sunday's sermon at church stemmed from the story of Mary and Martha, and I really really liked what the pastor had to say. The main point was that we put so many expectations on ourselves to be perfect or be a certain way, and that often these expectations are completely unfounded.

I really wanted to share it, because it took a load off my shoulders and somehow reached me in a way that all the books I've read and even my past counseling sessions were never able to. I wrote down in my notes, and even in my Bible, to go back and listen to it on a regular basis.

I know listening to a sermon probably isn't your idea of a great evening activity, but perhaps you could just play it while you're cooking dinner or cleaning up afterwards. :)

Here's the link:
http://www.crosspointe.org/messages/mp3s/2009_11_08.mp3
(Or you can go to http://www.crosspointe.org/messages/current_series/ ...until it's no longer the current series, then it will be in "past series". :) )

If you do listen to it, let me know your thoughts. :)

Friends, Fence, and Giveaway

So I just realized that I never posted about my wonderful Ohio friends coming down to visit me a couple weeks ago!!  Jaclyn, Ashley, and Michelle made the trip down and spend a weekend with me and Dave.  (Well, mostly they spent the time with me [shopping], and Dave joined in on a dinner or two. :))  It was great fun...I absolutely loved having them here.  The four of us have been friends since our college years at Ohio Northern University (ah, the memories).

Jaclyn, Michelle, me, Ashley

The three of them also got Dave and me a homewarming gift (candle and incense, yum) and baby gift (monitor), which I was super pysched about.  You can read about the monitor here: 22 Weeks 4 Days.

The second big item for this post is that Dave and I got a fence for our backyard!!  We were having a hard time deciding whether to take the financial leap, but with my growing belly and the weather getting colder, I was really dreading chasing the dogs down outside if they decided to run off.  Besides that, it's just great to let the pups run all they want.

We'll just ignore the fact that Rogan is apparently much skinnier than her fur leads you to believe and that she's already managed to squeeze through the fence posts twice.  Yes, that's right.  She can skimmy through.  It's unbelievable.  Those are not big holes between those slats, people.  Dave and I are not too thrilled about this, and we're considering ways to fix the situation.  One idea is to put some type of rope about a foot or two up from the ground zig-zagged through the slats, all the way around.  That way she'd have to jump and fit through in one leap, which shouldn't (!!!) be possible.  She doesn't get out on a regular basis...like I said, it's only been twice (once during which Dave apparently just stood and watched in amazement), but it's still a concern.  Until we find a remedy, my temporary solution is to beef her up a bit.  So she gets a few more bits in her bowl in the morning now.  We'll work on a healthier solution for down the road. :)

Finally, I must share with everyone that my friend Callie is having an Autumn giveaway on her blog!!!  So definitely go check her out at Through Clouded Glass.  She's got some good (and yummy) things she's passing out. :) The giveaway takes place this Saturday, so hurry up to get over there and enter!!

Alright I think that's all for now. :) God bless!

Baby Bump Buddies

I just had to take a pic this past weekend with my friend Emily and our baby bumps. :)  She's due this Thursday, so I knew it might be my last chance. :)  I'm so excited for her and her husband, Sion!  They're naming their little girl Elle, and they're going to call her Ellie.  I keep waiting daily for the phone call that Ellie is arriving!

For other updates on my pregnancy, check out my baby blog at www.babybesido.blogspot.com. :)

Care.com Free Weekend

For any of you mommies or mommies-to-be out there who may be looking for child care, Care.com is having a free weekend, where you can contact care givers for free.  Normally this service costs around $30/month (or $60/9 months or $120/year).

I posted a job a couple days ago saying that I may be looking for child care the end of next May, and I already got 6 responses.  The site also lets you be specific about if you want someone who is non-smoking, comfortable with pets, etc. 

So...just wanted to share in case it might help anyone else out. :)  The deal runs today through Sunday, so don't waste any time!

The Covenant of Marriage

A good article, I wanted to share...

Seeing the Sacred 

My favorite tidbit is "You love each other. But it's more than love, or even commitment. You're devoted to the covenant—the principle—of marriage. I've always given myself to the person. I loved the three women I married, but eventually arguments became serious and one of us walked out...I've watched you survive things that would have broken any of my marriages. You've put your relationship above your personal feelings."

It's what I want my marriage to be.  How about you?

My Husband is an Ultimate Stud

See that guy wearing number 18, soaring over everyone else to catch the frisbee?  That's Dave. My hubby.  That's right.  He's pretty awesome. :)

(More pictures from ultimate nationals soon to come.)