The Perfect Anniversary Weekend...

My DH and I are headed to Destin on Thursday for a long anniversary weekend. We had such a good time in July and couldn't wait to return. We found the perfect place to camp and we hope to make an annual visit to the Florida panhandle each summer.

I am such the PLANNER, but I haven't made ANY plans for this trip. We are just going to wing-it, be spontaneous, and enjoy our time together.

Okay...all you ladies that REALLY know me can pick your chins up off the floor. This is NOT typical of me at all, but I'm trying to relax here!

I have envisioned our long weekend to be full of sun, sleep, bike rides, and sunsets.

Sound like the perfect anniversary weekend EVER!

Breaking Down and Getting Back Up...

Last night I finally had the break down that I KNEW was coming. I didn't cry at all on Wednesday when we got the negative results, and really only shed a few tears on Thursday, but I let it all loose last night. My poor DH...I was a basket case!!! I thought about posting a picture of my swollen eyes this morning (because I look SCARY), but I do have SOME modesty :)

We had a great talk about our journey and how having a baby has changed everything in our lives...our focus, our relationship, and our relationship with others. Unfortunately, our journey has impacted all of these things in a negative way. We are stressed, frustrated, exhausted, and all of this is taking a toll on our marriage.

So we made a promise to put our focus back on US!!! Our 4th wedding anniversary is next week and what better timing than NOW to make a change. We are traveling back to Destin for a long weekend of enjoying one another and remembering why God put us on this earth.

We also made some decisions on what our next steps will be in this journey of growing our own garden. So although it was a bad break down, I'm getting back up and moving on.

Overwhelming Victory...

I received this scripture yesterday and I can't even BEGIN to tell you how it touch my heart...

"…despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us." ~Romans 8:37

Words like hurt, pain, struggles, frustration, failure, and unfair are no longer a part of my vocabulary. Instead I'm choosing love, laughter, success, joy, and overwhelming victory.

Still Waiting...

We woke up early this morning and took a pregnancy test. Unfortunately, we received a negative. We are doing fine...better than I expected because I still have a peace about all of this...I just know I was destined to be a mommy.

We are just still waiting for the right time.

9/9/09...

The number nine has taken on a new meaning for me and my DH. Things started to change for us, when we found out that the day we would test for our pregnancy was on 9/9/09. I started to research the number nine and found many interesting facts about the number. Here are just a few of the facts that I found:

• "The number nine has been used to describe the perfect movement of God." We can't think of a more perfect movement than that of a healthy baby.

• "Nine is not yet the full or complete, number ten, but it does mark the ending." We have been praying that it means the end of infertility.

• "The Ordained, fullness of God's plan." We believe that God has planned for us to be parents.

• "There are nine fruits of the Holy Spirit listed in the book of Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance." These nine fruits reminds us of our journey to become parents because we have experienced each and everyone of these fruits at one time or another.

Stand in prayer and faith with us that 9/9/09 will change our lives forever!

The 2WW...

...better known as the Two Week Wait, has not been as bad as I have experienced in the past. I am not quite sure if it is because I have been extremely busy at work with school starting or because I have this wonderful peace about this cycle. Maybe it is a little of BOTH!

Our 2WW will soon be coming to an end and I am determined to wait until the date that our doctor gave us to perform the test. I'm just a rule follower...I can't help it! And I'm determined to try something different this time because every other time, the DH talked me into testing sooner. But NOT this time :)

The peace I feel about this cycle, I truly believe, has been a result of all the prayer and praise that I have been experiencing these past 2 weeks. This cycle started with a series about Hope at our church and I just can't seem to wait until the next Sunday to hear more about what our pastor has to say on this topic. My secretary and I have been praying every single morning at school before we start our day. I have been surrounding myself with scripture and positive thoughts. Not to mention that MANY of my friends and family have been pouring their love, prayers, and words of encouragement over me. I literally have recieved at least one sentiment from a loved one every single day of this cycle...which have come in the form of a phone call, email, text message, facebook message, or small gift. I have also started believing in this pregnancy with words of affirmation. Here are just a few of the comments I've been making these past few days..."Be nice to the mother of your child!", "I'm experiencing a little cramp...our baby must be growing!", and "I can't (insert chore) because I'm pregnant."

I am so very blessed and I know that God is in control...He knows my hearts desires and He will fulfill the promises He has made.

Please continue to pray that our 2WW will end with the most amazing results ever!

9 Minutes...

Our church has been doing a series about hope for the past few Sundays. The Sunday after the AMAZING sermon I heard (if you didn't read my post, click here to catch up), Pastor Russ delivered a POWERFUL production at the end of the sermon. He told us to take the last 9 minutes of the service and meditate however we wanted or needed to...with our eyes opened or closed, with our hands raised or clasped in prayer, seated, standing, or kneeling. For the remaining 9 minutes our awesome music ministry played while this video was projected. Take a look and see what you think...

Did this 9 minutes change your life like it did mine?