My cheeks hurt... Can't stop Smiling

How is it possible to fall in love with someone who you only just met. No I am not talking about a tall, dark, and handsome man... rather a little 7 lbs 6 oz bundle. ALISON HAD CADE! and he cannot be any more gorgeous!

Looking at this perfect baby I realized that even though we had just met and was simply head over heels, God has known home for eternity. He alreay knows what his favorite color will be, when he will have his first broken heart, whether or not he will be a brain surgeon or major league baseball player, his loves, passions, EVERYTHING! and I know that I will learn all of this one day, but God truly knows the little person he is today and the person he will be 50 years from now.

Prentice "Cade" Douglas

Oct. 27, 2008 10:51 a.m

7 lbs 9 oz 20 inches

Breather anyone??

Can I just say that I am so ready for everything to slow down. I am ready to to just breath and not have to anticipate something bad happening...

Last Monday I got the news that anyone who loves anyone fears reciving. My Poppy died. Even reading that sentence and seeing just how final it is breaks my heart. I have been so blessed with such a tender and amazing extended family, and this is devestaing for so many. I hate that he won't be there to meet my nephew, he won't get to see me one day walk down the aisle, that I won't get to steal away to his computer room and complain to him about anything and everything, and most of all he won't get to see his legacy play out with his 22 grandchildren.

I have the whole bag of cliche statements I could (and have) use... but the honest truth is that he was an amazingly Godly man, who didn't apologize for who he was, loved his family, and never passed judgement on any of the insane decisions that us kids made... just prayful words of wisdom.

O and as if everthing hasn't been crazy enough, I totally had my first wreck today. ok ok ok... it was more like a glorified bump, but never the less it still shook me up. My car is fine and the cop didn't write me a ticket, but it still added to the yuckyness of this month.

ONE A POSTIVE NOTE... ONLY 16 MORE DAYS TIL I LEAVE FOR SPOKANE!

and then there were 19...

19 day!!!

SERIOUSLY!

19 days until my soon to be, o so gorgeous nephew makes his grand appearance and I am so excited. Alison went to the doctor yesterday and he said that the baby looks wonderful. She is

1 cm, 50% effaced, he's head down and weighs around 6 1/2 lbs. Wahooo!

This baby is something we all have been waiting for for a long long time. With all the craziness going on with our family in the past two years, having Alison pregnant has been like a shining light. Knowing that although our family kinda "fell apart" after the divorce, its been nice to know that not only are we still a family, but this baby will be apart of all us. She is doing well, but I know she is ready to get that little guy in her arms.

and the other wonderful new was the date... I was soooooooo nervous that he was way to comfy in her belly and wouldn't want to come out and I am leaving for Spokane on November 6th. Needless to say my heart jumped for joy when she told me he would be here on Oct 27th. :)

Its over...

So I have always had this amazing gift of getting out of tickets (or like my darling Mom said, "am amazing gift of desperate lying".) Now don't get me wrong I love Jesus and I know the rules... no lying. period. point blank. BUT let's face it, in the moment when you speed past that white and blue car (ooooo and those really sneaky ones that look like a regular car) and your heart falls to the pit of your stomach, you quickly throw your cell down (I'm sure it wouldn't help the situation if you asked the cop to hold for a sec so you can finish that last ":)" on the text). Then you see it... the U-turn and you know what comes next.

Well since the tender driving age of 16 til now I have been pulled over NINE! times. I swear my Momma Mobile is like a flashed KrispyKreme sign for all cops. Now whether or not I should be proud of this or not I have never (until yesterday) gotten a ticket. You would be surprised how emotional one can get when you know that you just paid your last bill, bought a latte that you had no business buying, and have ZERO extra money in the bank and the LAST thing you need is to have to pay a ticket. I have used every exuce in the book (and wrote some myself). My personal favorite is getting pulled over going 55 in a 35 mph and what made it worse was that I had a car full of middle school girls and we were going to a church function. TALK ABOUT HORRIFED! In matter of seconds I had imagined the worse (...the parents bringing me in front of the church for a linching) well I knew I had to get out of it so when the o so nice cop came to my window he had laid his arm in the inside of the door and o so sweetly I laid my hand on his arm and said "Officer I am o so sorry but to be honest I have mad dirrehea and I must get to a bathroom." He then looked at me and smiled and said have a good day and to watch my speed. Needless to say when we got to where we were going I disappeared into the bathroom so the girls wouldn't know I wasn't exactly telling the truth and was in there long enough to make 4 phone calls. (one to each of the girls parents to tell them what happend)

I tell you all this to say, "I got a ticket in the MAIL yesterday". o yes... THE MAIL. Now I woudn't be so shocked if I had been pulled over recently (hey, they could have changed their minds) but I hadn't been in like a year. When I opened the envelope there was a lovely picture of yours truly talking away on my phone and a note/ticket attached saying I was captured by recently installed camera on Keith St running a red light. O pulease!... at least give me the chance to defend myself. I'm sure I could have come up with a great exuce.

Its offical!

Decision making is always something that I have lacked. I dream big, make long lists, and desire much, but actually following through and doing IT is something that I'm simply not the best at... That why when I annouced that I was moving to Spokane, WA on August of 06' everyone was like, "yeah, ok, sure Bethany" and surprise surprise I did it. Its hard to believe that I have been home for 16 months! 16 months! Even looking at that number baffles me. I had such a hard time last summer... Wrestling with the "should've, could've, didn'ts" Debating on the "to stay or not to stay" and it took me an entire year to answer those questions. The journey God took me on in WA. was unimaginable and God did some amazing things, but I am so happy to be back home. But I miss it, and yesterday *drum roll please* I booked a ticket to fly back and visit! November 6th-13!

Its going to be so FANTASTICALLY AMAZING!!

Wahooo to seeing my amazing Friend for Life Tiffanie, curling up for coffee at a fabulous shop with Jaimie, driving over to Couer d'Alene and meeting Baby Laurel and seeing my girls (awww... and Sophie), getting to go to North Star on Sunday, drive past Gonzaga and smile real big, going to my preschool and seeing all the kids, and so much more!!

O and don't worry... I paid an extra $36 so that if Baby Douglas hasn't come yet I will be able to stay and not lose out on all my money.

How precious...

My amazing friend Stephanie gave me my o so precious birthday present this weekend (yes, my birthday was 2 1/2 months ago, but o well). She framed this quote in a scrapebook format and this picture does NOT to it justice!!Enjoy!!

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Needless to say... it definitely brought me to tears!