Life as LawWife

We got to spend Christmas this year with my family, which we haven't been able to do since we got married. Normally, we go to WV to visit them sometime after Christmas (sometimes even after New Year). It was so nice to have a leisurely visit with them and to experience Christmas together. Christmas morning, my dad was reading the Christmas story in Luke, and my little brother & I ended up reciting most of it. At least a couple of times during our 13 years in Christian school, we had to memorize the passage (the KJV rendition). Most of it appears to have stuck!

My mom really enjoyed her gifts (apple-oriented stuff from Cracker Barrel that coordinates with her kitchen), and my dad seemed to like his gift, too. He's so difficult to buy for because he reacts about the same to every gift. I know he enjoyed it, though, b/c he had already started listening to it before we left! Dan liked his new bag, and he also received a new Bible from my mom that he was excited about. My younger bro received an iPod Nano, and I tried not to be too jealous. I got some lovely things as well, including a Pink Ribbon Barbie, a bracelet, a new organizer for my makeup, a cookbook, a Bible study book, some wonderful fragrance stuff, and four total seasons of Gilmore Girls on DVD! I know I'm forgetting something, but those were the high points as I can remember them.

We're leaving in a little bit for NC to spend NY with my eldest bro & his family; we'll exchange gifts and hang out, so it'll be a nice treat.

We've been in our "new" city for over six months now, and we've been attending the same church for all but the first weekend of that time. It's never really felt like home to me for several reasons: no/very few couples in our age group, the church is a 30-minute drive each way, the congregation live so spread out (45 minutes or more in any given direction from the church isn't uncommon), the musical worship portion leaves a lot to be desired (no worship leader, only a piano and one or two acoustic guitars), no evident way to get plugged in with people, etc. So, starting with the new year, we're going to visit some more churches in the area. Even though we're Baptist, we'll be visiting some Presbyterian churches (PCA, ARP, and OPC are all feasible options) because aside from one issue, we're in agreement with every other essential point of doctrine, and at least one independent Reformed congregation.

I'm praying that we'll find a home for while we're here. Neither of us feels that we'll stay in this area long-term, but we so need a church to call "home" while we are here. 

We went to a local ballet company's annual performance of The Nutcracker this afternoon. It was my late birthday gift, as I really wanted to see Barnum & Bailey's circus...but they were in town the weekend of my surgery (and my birthday). From what Dan's supervisor told him, it wasn't a three-ring circus so we didn't miss much.

Anyway, the ballet was pretty good. I can't say that it's on the same level with stuff we saw in Hampton Roads, but it really wasn't bad for a region of this size. My very favorite part was the tiny reindeer, who were absolutely PERFECT! They "pawed" at the ground when they weren't trotting across the stage, even throwing their heads back! It was adorable.

In June, Dan started his first legal job. I also got to quit my last paying job. Woo-hoo! I've enjoyed SAH so much over the past six months. I'm not anywhere near as stressed as I used to get, and I just love being able to do things for my husband and home. 

In September, we bought our first single-family home. It's an adorable house with three bedrooms, two full baths, a lovely fenced-in back yard, wood laminate flooring throughout (carpeting in bedrooms and linoleum in the kitchen and bathrooms), and great new appliances (except for the W&D). What a blessing this place is!

December 1, I had surgery to see if we could figure out some reasons for our infertility. The doctor found and removed Stage I endometriosis from my reproductive organs only, found and removed polyps and a septum in my uterus, and drilled my obviously polycystic ovaries. If you're keeping score at hope, that means I have/had these problems:

• Stage I endo
• uterine polyps
• septate uterus
• PCOS