The Illness That Wouldn't Go Away

Brittny sent me a cute e-card from hallmark last week when I wasn't feeling well. :-) Little did she know that my continued illness had yet another cause. Actually, Brittny had more suspicions than other students. She kept wondering if I was really that sick WHY was I going to school. I could be contagious; I was obviously NOT in a teaching mood, etc. Well, the reason I kept going to school was because my throw ups were not contagious -- they were caused by a little something growing in my insides. (No, not a parasite!) I'm pregnant!
The first month was downright pleasant. My appetite was up and I was going on these nice neighborhood walks with Josh every night. Two weeks ago, however, the drama started. Suddenly, I felt better horizontal than I did vertical. I also did a good deal of heaving over the porcelain throne. Since two weeks ago it's worsened gradually, but amazinly, it is 12:19 in the afternoon and I have energy enough to type something. To THINK something. That is almost the worst part -- my powers of concentration are desperately weakened. Hence, grading, reading, teaching, talking -- all these previous forms of enjoyment (with the exception of grading) have taken on qualities of impossibility. Even doing dishes or walking downstairs to the laundry room have taken on epic proportions. My daily goals are so limited. I am trying eat, but there's no relish in it at all. This morning, I ate half a peice of toast, threw it up, and then ate the peice and a half I had left. That's how grungy this whole supposed "morning" sickness is. Unfortuantely, as all the pregnancy websites remind you, the name morning sickness is really a misnomer. It may occur wenever it wants to. Mine seems to be worse in the afternoon. The best part of my day is when I'm asleep at night. Then, there's the feeling in the morning when I've just woken up, that perhaps today will be a normal day. Well, enough of this rant! I am super excited, and it really helps to read about what positive things my body is actually doing while I am feeling so pukey. (How do you spell that, puky would obviously have a short u??) Apparently, the baby is mostly head right now, but already has nubs for all of its appendages. It even has little notches where the fingers and toes will grow. :-) It's still pretty teensy, like the size of a raspberry or something. My uterus, however, has grown to the size of a grapefruit. Also, the tentative due date is Jan 1 . . a New Year's Baby. I would certainly appreciate EVERYONE'S prayers. So would Josh. He's having to do the horse's share of the work around here. Actually, we'll just go ahead and say he's doing ALL the work. :-) Except when I wash a dish or two in the afternoon. :-)

Some Insomniatic Artwork

Here's what I can do with Paint. . Draw a picture of my house. :-) I spent so much time on this for no reason at all, I thought it might make it worth it if I posted it on the blog.

Unforgettable Sand

GIGANTESCOS
Spring Break in the OBX was really nice. The beach there is quite beautiful -- all of the homes are hidden by these enormous sand dunes, so you feel like you're at a remote beach. The homes in Waves, actually on most of the island, were ginormous! At Cape San Blas there are homes in all varieties or sizes -- including the one we stayed in (The Treehouse, 2 bdrms) . Most homes were 4 or 5 bedroom colossals.

SANDBLASTED JEANS, ANYONE?

The first day on the beach was a sandblaster to the legs and face. Unfortunately, it lacked any spa-like qualities that people pay thousands and thousands of dollars for. We beat a hasty retreat, for which we got called all sorts of names by the "adults." I reflected upon this as I told the story to my students. I still call the older generation, "the adults." Ridiculous! I guess its a more polite way of addressing them as a generalization.

LIGHTHOUSES, AHOY!

We went and did some sight seeing on the OBX. We visited two lighthouses, although we were allowed to climb neither. We even heard some ghost stories about the Bay in which Blackbeard, the Pirate, was killed. Apparently, his head was severed from his body, and the latter was thrown overboard but continued to swim for quite some time. The head was sent to the governor of VA as proof, and then on to England. It was stolen by a group of pagan's who cut off the top of the head, dipped it into bronze, and used it as a chalice in their wicked pagan rituals. Jen and I were told all this by a overzealous teacher turned Park Ranger. Same Park Ranger couldn't resist asking us if we'd heard about the sand on Hatteras. We hadn't. Well, once it got between your toes, you could never really shake that feeling, so you came back over and over just to get that feeling.

NEW OLYMPIC SPORT
Of course, we spent a fair amount of time Pook's Watching. It's a new sport, haven't you heard? The real sport was trying to wipe Lydia's nose. It got so bad that people holding her would ask other people to get a tissue and play the "evil, mean, nose wiper" personality, so that whoever was holding her wouldn't be fussed against. Thankfully, she only had a runny nose and no other symptoms. Unfortunately, several others had worse symptoms, including Jen. She stayed up hacking several nights in a row.


THE WELL APPOINTED HOME
We had a great time. The house was what I'd like to call, "well appointed." There was enough usable space so that we didn't feel like we were in each other's space all of the time, and we didn't have to play that horrible musical tables game. There were enough flat surfaces so that eating, prepping, chopping, making coffee, playing games, stacking books, magazines, Lydia's toys. . everything had its own space and there was no need for the the constant moving of the objects in a circle. :-) The pool table and game room were great! The hot tub was pretty nice, even though the weather was quite chilly in the evenings. It made it even better to shed clothes getting chillier by the second, then plunge into the HOT water and feel the comfort and warmth spread from your toes to your neck. When the jets and whatnot were turned on. . forget it. . a wonderland.


KITTY HAWK & THE LOST COLONY
We thoroughly enjoyed our second day of sightseeing, a smidge more than our first day. The first day we encountered wild ponies wandering through their PEN, and the most beautiful beaches in the United States (if you like the remote, barren sort), and two lighthouses that we couldn't climb. This second day we saw two replicas of the first successful plane flewn by the Wright Bros. The presentation was given (I swear) by an ex-minster. . he labored every point he was making. He was dramatic I almost laughed out loud at several points. After seeing some of the tallest sand dunes in the U.S. (make that the word, why don't we?), we made our way across the Pamlico Sound to Roanoke Island where the memorials and musuem about the Lost Colony are. This was highly interesting. Right next door were the Elizabethan Gardens which were just popping into bloom. Ben, Jen, Lydia, Josh and I took a long walk through azaleas, hydrangeas, camellias, and lots of other gorgeous shrubs.

WALKS ON BEACH

The walks out on the beach were marvelous (after that first day). There was a nice wooden bridge taking us over the dunes to a 30 to 40 foot wide expanse of good sand. The dunes covered the other homes. On our last walk, Josh and I really walked far. We discovered this HUGE jellyfish which Josh couldn't resist poking in the ribs.

The Surprising Year of Travel

AMY MURPHY TURNS 21
Although unphotographed by myself, there were great doings here last Friday night as the Covenant Pres. 20-somethings (plus a few NOT so 20 somethings) came out to celebrate Amy Murphy's 21st birthday. We had a lot of fun! There were 18 guests, so we had to pull in our "spare" dining room table from downstairs. I bought a few extra glasses, but 4 of us had to eat with forks alone (no knives) and a plastic cup, instead of a glass one. Amazingly, this affected us not! I served lasagna, and was supplemented by a fantastic tossed salad from Nan, some yummy bread, and LOTS of wine. I guess I didn't realize how many people I had asked to bring wine. After all, we were celebrating Amy's 21st. Unfortunately, Amy herself was not able to imbibe on this her supposedly inaugueral 'first' drink because of her status of PREGNANT MOMMA. Ah, the irony of it all. I loved making the lasagna, especially because it frees time up nearer the end to do last minute things like set the table, greet guests, etc.

O-B-X
In other news, globesetting Liz is off on a new set of travels, this time WITH her husband and family. We're going to OBX (I get the image of the little boy in "You've Got Mail" saying F-O-X every time I say it). For all of you ignoramuses out there -- that would be the Outer Banks, NC. Basically the same crew of people that vacationed in Florida this Christmas are going on this trip as well (minus Jake, Matt, and Sarah). So, please excuse the lack of updates. I'll be taking long walks on a beach and watching amazing sunsets from the deck of my 7 bedroom (unquestionably large # of bathrooms as well) home in the OBX. Granny Livingston (Amy's grandma) is the particular hook-up on this trip and has graciously invited us to go with the Dosters. We're so excited! All of us are leaving on Friday afternoon, but several will be returning before the week is out. I don't know what has hit me this year -- I've been on a traveling craze. I LOVE it! Hope everyone out there has a great next week!

Trip of a Lifetime

I had such an awesome time on my historical tour of Virginia and Pennsylvania. We saw so much - Please skip to the end where it says "Highlights" if you don't really care at all about me (like my sister Becky) and complain that my blogs are too long.

LE TOUR DE HOMES
Interwoven through the entire 10 days were homes of men who made an impact on our nation: Washington, Lee, and Jefferson. Fortunately and unfortunately, many of the homes are owned privately and large percentages of the items within the homes are donated by family members of the Lees, Washingtons, Jeffersons, etc. and other collectors. These items actually have copyright laws governing the photographing of these articles, which is why we weren't allowed to photograph the interiors of Stratford Hall, Mt. Vernon, or Monticello. Arlington, the homes in Williamsburg and the memorial home at Pope's Creek were photographable. The fortunate portion of being privately owned is the fact that, for the most part, the tour guides / interpreters were more widely knowledgeable and also more interesting! Also, being able to see actual objects that were in use in these houses 150 to 200 years ago was incredible!
The scale of each of the homes except for George Washington's birthplace were HUGE. I loved the tall ceilings, the unfinished floors, the vivid wall colors, and beautiful furnishings that filled all of the homes we saw. Highlights were George Washington's Presidential Chair at Mt. Vernon, and his humble gravesite which quoted scripture on the nature of the true resurrection -- what a contrast to his overpowering monolith in Washington, D.C. The unique features of Monticello were completely captivating -- the odd shaped cubbies for the beds with a built in closet above them and his impressive atrium that he used as a museum.

FOLLOWING IN FOOTSTEPS
Washington, DC and Gettysburg, VA were unbelievable! The scope of the battle at Gettysburg was immense. I was overwhelmed by the entire experience of seeing landmarks that I'd heard and read about for many years. We walked through Little Round Top, Devil's Den, the wheatfield, and the area where Pickett led his last charge. The monuments constructed by the states to various personages and to the men that died there were impressive. Between the memorials seen there, in D.C. and in Richmond, I thought a lot about what the purpose of a memorial truly is. There must be a balance between rememberance and honor and ostentation and ornate foolery. Many of the men honored in Washington considered it their greatest duty and honor in life to be a farmer, not president or vice president. On Jefferson's stone he lists what he considers and perhaps more importantly WISHES to be his three greatest accomplishments: writer of the Declaration of Independence, the Act for Religious Freedom in Virginia, and the founder of the University of Virginia. As such, I'm not sure that he would have been pleased with what man has built in his "honor." As I mentioned about Washington, the contrast between the humble tombstone on his native land and the enormous Washington monument couldn't be greater.

FEAR AND LOATHING IN DC
Other great contrasts included the interior of the great national buildings in Washington, such as the Library of Congress and Capitol building. They included such things as the apotheosis of Washington on the interior of the dome on the capitol -- apotheosis! Contrast that painting to the paintings that hang around the lower portion -- true depictions of major scenes in American history. The one of the Puritans traveling across the Atlantic in their ship has the emblem of a rainbow in the corner. Our illustrious tour guide (who didn't know her left from right) pointed to this rainbow and mistakenly attributed it to a symbol of the USA since the colors were the red, white, and blue, completely discounting any biblical symbolism. Quotes inside the Library of Congress included The true shakina is man! plus The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God. One of the problems with our great capitol is that it attempts to embrace all without making definitive statements, or perhaps it reflects our nation's many fractured soul.
The architecture and design of all of the buildings in Washington were unforgettable! Walking down the mall and just gazing at these giant buildings -- I was a bit overcome both with a sense of history and a certain sense of the now. I suppose that is exactly what the designer of Washington would have wanted.

BONUS
One truly nifty thing we discovered was about the pageboy's in Congress. We met a family up on the Washington monument that was trying to take a picture of their elder son's "office" in the capitol and she told us all about it. They are 11th grade students who are selected to come and serve in the nation's capitol. They have school in the Library of Congress from 6:30-9:30 am and then run across the street to the capitol to begin their duties at 10 and continue until five o'clock or whenever Congress decides to quit. It's a semester program -- but it sounds SO awesome!

HIGHLIGHTS
Hanging out with the kids was so great. They are such an awesome bunch, and I thoroughly enjoyed some of the classic moments on our trip. Learning to "skate" in the RV, playing Rook by the rules found in the rook box, then by the rules that were in Chris's hazy memory, playing Boggle, fast Scrabble, Phase 10, Alhambra, Poker, Scattegories, and Cranium , but mostly Rook. I even learned how to play Rook with only 3 people. People coming disastrously close to "falling" into the moving toilet. This same moving toilet frequently became the phonebooth where people went to have a "private" conversation. Unfortunately, the walls weren't THAT thick. Learning to sleep while we had dueling snorers was also an experience. We discovered that we could survive the Washington Metro, Metrobus, and U of Md bus systems and schedules! (Or we tried at the very least). Any mistakes we made were able to be cured by at the very most 3 miles of walking. But, whatever! A box of Wheat Thins lasts approximately 8 minutes when there's 8 people chowing down. Most people do NOT appreciate salami on cream cheese on those self same wheat thins, but Wheat Twisty Pretzel sticks ARE amayazing! Potbelly's is not some scary name for a bong but a rather nice sandwich joint that we visited several times. Also, Mennonites LOVE Tuby Ruesday's -- it is the place to be on Saturday nights in Amish Country. The largest restaurant I have ever been to is called Shady Maple -- imagine Golden Corral magnified both in quantity and quality times 100. We drove through some interesting Amish towns such as Bird in Hand and Intercourse, PA. Go figure -- we weren't really sure what they were ACTUALLy referring to, either. Also, if you ever drive with Chris Strevel in DC be prepared for the appearance of "Salim" -- favorite phrase (in Indian accent, if you please) "OH, not good!" and "No speakie English!' I bet you can't imagine why he needed those two phrases of all. :-) All in all, I believe we survived 10 days in a hall on wheels rather well. The kids got along really great, and I think that they really learned a lot -- more than just history or architecture or anything that could be described by listing the places that we went to. As usual on these sorts of trips, the lessons are learned by what happens, not where you visit.

POST TRAUMA
Perhaps the favorite part of the entire trip was arriving home to a husband that missed me something terrible and did the most amazing thing while I was gone - he painted the bathroom, put up crown moulding and added bead board to two walls. He even bought new fixtures! He created the perfect surprise for me when I got home on Friday night! I couldn't believe how great it all looked. We had talked about doing this a while ago. . . Big kudos to my dear for staying up and slaving until the wee hours of the morning to have a surprise that blew me out of the water. I missed Josh like crazy, too, so it's been great to be back home. I think some of the kids were a little sad to be leaving the RV, but no regrets here!

Double Birthday Helping

Several weekends ago, Jen, Pooks, Lisa, Jenny, and I made our way down to Augusta for a special girls celebration (+ Uncle Norman) for Grandma's birthday. We had such a great time. Jen and I had the added pleasure of being MUCH CLOSER to Susie Q. She came down on Friday night and we celebrated her birthday as well. Amazingly, in our mad birthday season, we only have one overlap -- Susie and Grandma's birthdays are on the same day! We went to downtown Augusta and dined at a trendy little cafe. Unfortunately, Jen's fish dinner was so disgusting, she had to send it back to the kitchen. They returned with a much nicer breast o chicken which was amenable to her. We had a nice little gift exchange and even a little interaction with a fountain. Unfortunately, the camera was having a bit of trouble grasping the beauty of the situation. That evening, Jen, Lydia, and I shared a room. Lydia wasn't all that psyched about sleeping by herself, and she made all of these hilarious sounds in her sleep. She spent half of the night in the bed with Jen & me. It was so sweet to hear her little sleeping sighs. The charm escaped Jen, but I was okay. I even got some sleep. :-) The next morning, Pooks and I woke up early and let Jen sleep in a wee bit. It was so fun to play with her in the morning. She was quite perky. Later in the morning we hit the streets with Grandma. There were some fun little shops in Augusta -- one called Eclectic South. It was an elegant "flea market" -- if that's not oxymoronic.