mommy- and daddy-to-be

Yep, it's true. I'm a mommy-to-be and Erik's a daddy-to-be. And yes, it's also true that I can't quite wrap my head around it! I've started to think of what it will be like to have a little baby around the house when I'm working, and it's pretty exciting to think about, but for the past 16 1/2 years, I've been giving the babies back to the parents and going on with life! Now everyone who holds my baby will be giving him/her back to me at the end of the day (or whenever they cry!).

Crazy!

But Erik and I are super excited. I read somewhere recently on a blog what mothers would tell themselves before motherhood if they could go back to when they were pregnant. One was "trust your instincts." Another one was "You're going to love this." And I'm taking that motto with me. I know Erik and I are going to love being parents. I also know that all those crazy details that are flying through my head (or will soon fly through my head) are all going to be taken care of. I think of Philippians chapter 4 where it says that we don't have to worry about anything, but instead we can pray about it and then let God handle the situation. Or as Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust God from the bottom of your heart."

Yep, as a mother-to-be and as a mother, that's what I'm going to do: look to God for the peace that passes any understanding I can have ever have and know that He'll remind of and show me all I need to know right when I need to know it.

Such a wonderful thing.

P.S. Thanks for all the wonderful wishes to me and Erik on the pregnancy! :)


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12 weeks
current due date: 4-2-11
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God first. Life second.

I feel like I'm finally settling down into a new rhythm of life. Part of that comes from the fact that Cristina has settled down with a new husband. Another part comes from the fact that I'm starting to renew my relationship with God.

Don't get me wrong. My relationship with God has always been there, but the time and desire I put into it has slowly been coming back, really as God has been healing my heart. I know I'm not all there yet; a lot has gone on over the past few years. It's okay to take time to heal. But I am getting there, and it's refreshing to know that.

I think in the ever-changing, ever-busy society we live in, we always have to keep rethinking how we come to God--not for His sake, but for our sake. I'm talking from a practical perspective--reading your Bible, praying, listening to podcasts. We have to strive to continually keep our personal relationship with God fresh. What can you do that will help you connect with Him throughout the day?


Here's what I mean... When I was single, talking to God and worshiping in the card was my favorite. When I started to work from home, I didn't have as much alone time in the car, and that was especially true after I got married. That means I needed to find a new time to pray and think. When Erik and I got Tucker, walking the dog suddenly became the perfect opportunity to pray and sort out my thoughts.


I think it's important for us not to miss the ever-changing nature of life.

And, no, I'm not telling you to fit God into your crazy, busy life. It's more like "how you can fit more of God into your life?" As your life changes, your answer to that will change.

Funny. Since I'm a writer, I thought a blog would be a great place to write... when it's turning out more to be a place for me to ramble. :)


And oh yeah... the look of my blog has changed because the focus of my life has changed. The storm of my brother's death has waned and I'm looking ahead to the future.

dead sea scrolls

Erik and I just visited the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Science Museum that was pretty cool to see. In addition to lots of history and information about the people and places surrounding the scrolls, we saw five portions of the scrolls themselves. Pretty sweet! Oh and a virtual tour of the temple.

It makes me think about Scripture and how amazing it is that the Bible came to be the 66 books it is today. Multiple other books exist that were written around that same time, yet God led people to group together a specific few. Pretty cool.

God's Scriptures are amazing. They've been speaking to people for generations and will continue to speak for generations to come. They speak truth. They speak light. They speak intrigue and mysteries. They solve mysteries. The beauty of the Word is that we can't fully understand it, but God sheds light into our hearts the meaning behind the words every time we read it and open our heart to Him.


By the way, if you haven't yet seen the exhibit, here's a link to a coupon. You go through the exhibit at your own pace. I'd suggest estimating two hours at least. http://www.smm.org/scrolls/offers/

Enjoy discovering God's Word. :)

a chapter closed

Well, it's taken a while to write, and I plead mixed emotions and an uncertainty of what to say.... I know, it's funny a writer should have that problem!

Good things have happened though... Cristina got married! YAY! I'm so excited for her to have that stability and love in her life. Such a blessing, especially since her family of three girls is a busy one! She married someone she has known for a long time; he's actually an acquaintance of our family as well. (I went to school with him!) Josh Harty is his name, and he's a stand-up guy. Solid in the Lord, great with the girls, loves Cristina.

What a great equation, huh?

My family and I are truly happy for her. I've had the thought a lot of times... it could have been a much more difficult scenario where she met someone we didn't know and then both her family and my family would have had a "learning curve" as we got to know him. This has been a blessing because as soon as  I saw Josh and Cristina together, I was at peace. He was a good fit to help take care of Brian's wife and Brian's girls. He won't try to take over his place, but he'll do his part as a new person in that role while helping them remember Brian.

It will be good. It IS good.

All that being said, the past few months have been emotional for my family. We've definitely been excited for her, but nervous to close that chapter of life. Now, a week after the wedding, I think we all are breathing a sigh of relief that we can now move on and Cristina is safely taken care of.

I hope that makes sense. To many people, a marriage so fast after a passing of a spouse can seem crazy, especially when you don't know the new spouse. But don't worry. It is a good thing.

So a new chapter opens in our lives and in Cristina's. She and the girls will be living in northern Florida with Josh. The two of them are down there getting settled. My parents and Cristina's parents are taking care of the girls for another week, mainly because my mom's side of the family is having a big reunion next week and she'd like the girls to be there. A few days after that (actually on Erik's 30th birthday!), my mom will take the girls down to Florida.

It stinks that they'll be extra far away now, but Cristina will do her best to keep us in touch with the girls--which is definitely a huge blessing.

I think that's enough of an update for now. Please agree with me for Erik's continued healing and divine health in his body. We still haven't gotten the "breakthrough" we need for him to be completely free from this sickness that is plaguing him. I think we're close, but strength is definitely needed as we keep going until he gets completely better!


All for now!

a psalm for today

psalm: "a sacred song or hymn"
hymn: "a song or ode in praise or honor of God..." 

a psalm for today

early in the morning
    I will praise You.
I will let my heart remember 
how good You've been to me. 
As I get breakfast and walk the dog, 
I will remind myself of Your love, 
sing myself into Your presence, and
start to think of You taking all my worries
and making everything okay.


No matter what I see on this earth, You remain good.
Your love always finds a way to showcase itself. 


Be big today, God.
Show us the miracle of Your power.
Let us see Your majesty. Let us feast on Your love continually, 
and continue to be in awe of Your goodness. 


No matter how much darkness appears to overwhelm me, 
it will not win.

the making of an outdoorswoman

My 90-year-old grandpa told me yesterday that I should write a book about my outdoor adventures with Erik, partially because he is amazed by the fact that Laura Baker, a prim and proper young lady, has become Laura Wegener, a still prim and proper young lady, who occasionally catches a ten-pound catfish when fishing with her husband.

Yes, yes, it's true. I caught the biggest fish this past Saturday when I was casually (and I mean casually) casting into the river we were on and my fishing pole suddenly bent in half.

"Uh Erik, uhh help????" I dug the rod into my stomach and tried reeling it in, but the fish was swimming away with the hook! Erik gave me pointers on how to pull it in, but after a minute or two, I knew I couldn't do it on my own. I passed it to Erik who worked for another 2-3 minutes pulling it in, all the while trying to figure out what I had caught. It was fun to watch! And yes, I did a few happy dances while watching Erik and our friend John bring in my ten-pound fish!

If you had asked most people who knew me when I was younger, most of them wouldn't have pegged me for a fisherwoman who is generally okay with taking fish off the hook and putting bait back on. Little did everyone know, I have always had a hidden desire for adventure, an appreciation for the outdoors, and a desire to do (or at least try to do!) the things people would least expect me to do. :)

I have grown to love fishing and camping, two big hobbies of my husband, and I don't love them because he loves them. I love them because I love them. There's something so wonderful and relaxing about being outdoors, right in the middle of everything God made. Plus I love having meat in the freezer from Erik's various hunting and fishing endeavors, and thankfully, I enjoy eating it all too.

Oh, there's so much more I could say, but I'll save it for another time. Blessings on your day!

Pictures :)

So Erik and I got a new camera last Christmas and have had fun playing with it. Here are a few favorites!

Here's Tucker!

The place where E and I got married!

One of the many alligators we saw at the Everglades earlier this year

 Me helping the world be more modest

Just a glimpse of the flowers from the Bachman's flower show; we loved it this year!

Fishing (what the boys did) and reading (what the girls did) on the lake yesterday

a tree on the island we explored yesterday

Last, but best of all, my hubby!!!! :-)