Mood swwwwwwing!

I have to say, so far this pregnancy has been relatively uneventful, but just today I found out what it can do to one's emotions! I got a healthy dose of embarrassment when I made a quick phone call to UHAUL to change our truck reservation. I explained to the poor gentleman on the other end, that 7 am was too early for us to pick up the truck and could we please reserve it for the afternoon instead. He then asked how long we needed it for, and as I sat there trying to think it through, a thick brain fog settled over me (though in fact, I knew perfectly well going into the call exactly what hours I wanted it for) and suddenly out of nowhere I BURST into tears. Between sobs I sheepishly tried to explain that I'm pregnant and apparently very emotional right now. Well, evidently this poor man doesn't deal with a lot of pregnant women, as he panicked himself and was suddenly EXTREMELY helpful, prompt and kept telling me to "relax, it's ok." Hahaha, of course it's ok, it's a UHAUL truck reservation, not a life-changing event! Goodness me. Well, I suppose I have to have a few of these little embarrassing nuggets to store away for good laughs later.

Baby's first picture!

Mark joined me for my first ultrasound, this morning. I'm 7 weeks, 1 day along and baby measured exactly that. Hurray! We got to hear our little guy's heartbeat, nice and strong at 152 beats per minute. For those of you who aren't ultrasound picture savy, the baby is the oblong shape on the left, and the round ball on the right is the yolk sac.

I continue to feel absolutely wonderful, some tiredness aside. We're so thrilled to have been able to see our baby, as I was getting a little anxious about feeling so great. (Although I hear sometimes morning sickness holds off til week 8...I'll keep you posted.)

Praise the Lord for his wonderful blessings to us!

Introducing the next Julia Child...

...Before I get to that, get out your calendars because we're heading to Michigan, hurray! Mark and I will be in Ann Arbor, and surrounding region, from June 24-July 4, driving back on the 5th. We, esp. me, would love to see long-lost friends, babies old and new, family, etc. Please let us know if you'll be around while we are so I can make sure we see you!

Now, for the really important news... I like to putz around in the kitchen and occasionally I'm pleasantly surprised by how something turns out. Today, I managed to create the easiest, healthiest, cheapest snack known to mankind. I thought I'd let you all in on my little secret. I must admit, I have a nagging feeling that I'm not the first to have discovered this, but as I haven't done an internet search on it, I feel justified claiming it as my own invention: "Homemade" Hummus.

Ingredients:

-1 can of garbanzo beans, aka chick peas, drained and rinsed
-A couple/few tablespoons of your favorite savory salad dressing. Our current fav. is "Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan dressing"
-Triscuits, or some other whole-wheat-crispy-something

Directions:

-Mash/blend/puree garbanzo beans to desired smoothness
-Add dressing, stir, add more to desired consistency
-dip Triscuits and enjoy!

On the move

This is Mark playing kickball with the teens at a recent youth-group event. Isn't he handsome!

On to the news at hand: Mark applied for a hall chaplain position at the University of St Thomas and we found out earlier this week that he got the job!!! Hurray! This is excellent news for us. He will remain at SPO, but in addition he will be working for UST as a chaplain which means that we will have free room/board/misc. in Ireland hall. Strange though it may seem, I am actually excited about moving back into the dorms. Let me assure you, it's not as awful as it sounds! :) We will be living in an apartment, NOT a dorm room. In addition to free room and board (utilities, laundry, internet, etc.), there are countless other benefits: a quick walk across the lawn to daily Mass, living just across the street from the women's household and a dorm away from another chaplain family who are good friends of ours, being able to exercise without the hassle of membership fees (!!!), saving a substantial amount of money for a downpayment...the list goes on. Anyway, we're thrilled! Thank you, Lord! :)

On a sad note, this does mean that Max, our beloved little man, will have to go to a new home. Unfortunately, Mark was not able to convince UST that our cat should become the new school mascot and subsequently this lack of vision means that the no-pet rule applies even to us. I am confident that there is a home out there for our toilet-trained wonder of the world. Say some prayers.

It's official!

My nursing license arrived in the mail on Monday. I'm officially a licensed and registered nurse. Yikes and Hurray!!! Last night Mark and I met with our couple's group. They surprised me with a little celebration, including the sign pictured above (pictured at home in our apartment), a gift of (unpopped) popcorn, a cake that said "Congratulations, Betsy" and (popped, buttery) popcorn to be enjoyed by all. I was so excited; my 2 favorite things: sugar and popcorn. They know me so well! :) I think Mark said it best, as he was sharing with his men's group that he feels as though I've been redeemed from slavery. Strange but true, I didn't know how good it would feel to have that part of my life behind me! Praise the Lord. Now, what's next....

Welcome to the family, Fartinella!

I tell ya, middle children can never be trusted! In my defense, Heidi was asking for trouble when she told us his first and last name, but absolutely refused to tell us anything more than his middle initial: F. So, what's a middle child to do, but invent the worst possible name imaginable. Well, bro-in-law-to-be, I hope you don't take it personally. Welcome to our crazy but wonderful family. I think you and Heidi marrying is an "excellent idea!" ;)

I WHAT?!

Well, I caved under pressure and paid the $7.95 for my "unofficial" NCLEX exam results. (Unofficial: the testing center's website has the simple "pass/fail" result 2 days after testing. Official results arrive via the mail a month after testing.) I was tired of hearing people say "no, no, I'm sure you did great; everyone thinks they fail" and knowing that indeed I had failed.

So, here are my results cut-and-pasted (with ID and reg numbers xxxx for security purposes.):

The Pearson VUE Testing service has recorded your unofficial results as shown below. The Board of Nursing to which you applied for licensure will mail your official results to you within approximately four weeks of your exam date. Please note that a passing result alone does not authorize you to practice as a licensed nurse.

Exam Date: Tue, 1 May 2007 at 9:00 AM
Candidate: ELIZABETH ARCHIBALD
NCLEX ID: xxxxx
Registration #: xxxxx
Exam: NCLEX-RN: NCLEX-RN
Grade: pass

I am utterly amazed! I was so convinced that I had failed and I simply wanted that assurance so I didn't have to keep hearing otherwise from well-meaning individuals. I really had no idea that there was even the remotest possibility that I had actually passed! But I did!

I attribute my passing the exam ENTIRELY to the grace of God thanks to all your prayers! Thank you so much! I really couldn't have done it without you!

Now I have to figure out life after the Boards....

Mark had to wait until after my big exam for his feastday cake, it's his fav: Fruitcake mit marzipan and a healthy dousing of Brandy. Here it is in all its glory, just before a large chunk was -ectomied. :)

As for that exam...well, it certainly could have gone better, but it went about as expected, esp. in light of being out of the nursing environment for 2 years, etc... Anywho, I'm about 95% sure that I'll be visiting Pearson Vue testing center again in the next few months. But thanks for all your prayers! I could tell that they were extremely efficacious; I was peaceful and calm throughout this past week and while taking the exam. Excellent dress rehearsal, you are all to be commended! ;)

He is Risen!

Like father, like sonDad and the grandkitty
Betsy and Mark, tired after a very long Easter Vigil
Home sweet home, well, the parking lot anyway

Happy Easter! Mark and I had an absolutely wonderful Easter Triduum, though technically I think we celebrated a Quartet. We made it to 4 different Triduum/Easter celebrations at 3 different locations, making for a diverse and somewhat exhausting weekend. Despite the running around and trying to enter into the season, we thoroughly enjoyed the company of Mark's parents who hopped over the pond to join us for a week. Spending quite a lot of time with Mark's parents, celebrating Easter and the baptism of the baby daughter of a British-turned-Minnesotan friend of the family, and having dinner with a Scottish-turned-Minnesotan friend of the family, all on various days thoroughout the week of Mum and Dad's visit, left me feeling as though I was the one on a British vacation. It's a little odd being in my "hometown" and being nearly in the minority with my American accent, but certainly a nice change of pace. Mum and Dad flew home on Easter Tuesday, which to Mark's great delight left me feeling quite sad for a few days (I think I miss them even more than he does.) I hope and pray that we are able to see them again, soon! Mum and Dad just sent us a few pictures that they took during their visit with us, which I'm posting for the enjoyment of all.

What we've been up to

The past month has been a Lenten whirlwind of involuntary fasts of time, comfort, health, (solid) food, and sleep, for Mark and I. It began with Mark contracting a case of strep throat. That lasted a week longer than it should have due to his nurse-wife's inability to recognize feverless strep (who knew?!). That was promptly followed by a 3 1/2 day excursion to and from Leonard, MI with about 40 high schoolers for the annual YES retreat. After arriving home at 2:30 am Monday morning, we caught a few hours of sleep before Mark had his wisdom teeth removed at 1 pm. The surgery was difficult due to his age, impaction, and pre-existing TMJ, which was excerbated by the surgery and left Mark in serious pain for quite some time. (The picture of him is about a week out of surgery, with his heat-pack held by his cap, hands-free, so he can do some work on the computer.) Our Lenten soup dinners became not simply fasts but a necessity as the TMJ pain prevented Mark from chewing even after the holes in his mouth were safe from the risk of dry-sockets. In the midst of all this, I was trying to study for the impending Nursing Boards whenever I could find the time...which, unfortunately was not often and I lost about a month of studying (please pray!). Just as Mark was beginning to "turn the corner" in his TMJ recovery (a phrase used about 5 times in 2 minutes by the oral surgeon, last time we saw him), I headed off for a 4-day women's retreat in WI. I was originally VERY hesitant to go, as I felt I just needed some rest and study-time and a retreat with 180 other women, 2/3 of whom are strangers, didn't seem the way to achieve either of those. After much deliberation, and coaxing from my women's group, I agreed that I would go, study materials in hand, and tithe "my" time to the Lord. Though it should be no surprise, he generously blessed me and it was a truly restorative retreat, which also included nearly 6 hours of study time (more than I probably would've gotten over the weekend had I stayed home and tried to clean, cook, take care of Mark, run errands, etc.) This brings us to a very busy, but eagerly anticipated Holy Week. This morning I got another "all-clear" from my Oncologist and he also progressed me from seeing him every 4-months, to 6-months. Hurray! :) Additionally, we are thrilled to be able to share the 2nd half of Holy Week and the Triduum with Mark's parents as they arrive tomorrow evening for a week-long visit. I pray that Holy Week brings us all closer to the Lord as we follow His last steps to Calvary and await the celebration of His triumph over death and sin! (I also pray, perhaps selfishly, for a peaceful, study-filled Easter season!)

More Pictures

Due to popular demand (from Adam), here are some more pics from our vacation to Montana and Wyoming, including the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone.

Yup, that's a little grizzly bear...

...and a moose!

Check out the reflection.

In addition, I was quite struck by the second reading from the Office of Readings for today. The topic was prayer and I thought I'd include a few excerpts...

From the treatise On Prayer by Tertullian, priest

The spiritual offering of prayer

Prayer is the offering in spirit that has done away with the sacrifices of old... Prayer is an offering that belongs to God and is acceptable to him: it is the offering he has asked for, the offering he planned as his own.We must dedicate this offering with our whole heart, we must fatten it on faith, tend it by truth, keep it unblemished through innocence and clean through chastity, and crown it with love. We must escort it to the altar of God in a procession of good works to the sound of psalms and hymns. Then it will gain for us all that we ask of God. Since God asks for prayer offered in spirit and in truth, how can he deny anything to this kind of prayer? How great is the evidence of its power, as we read and hear and believe. Of old, prayer was able to rescue from fire and beasts and hunger, even before it received its perfection from Christ. How much greater then is the power of Christian prayer...it gives the armour of patience to those who suffer, who feel pain, who are distressed. It strengthens the power of grace, so that faith may know what is gaining from the Lord, and understand what it is suffering for the name of God... Prayer is the one thing that can conquer God. But Christ has willed that it should work no evil, and has given it all power over good. Its only art is to call back the souls of the dead from the very journey into death, to give strength to the weak, to heal the sick, to exorcise the possessed, to open prison cells, to free the innocent from their chains. Prayer cleanses from sin, drives away temptations, stamps out persecutions, comforts the fainthearted, gives new strength to the courageous, brings travellers safely home, calms the waves, confounds robbers, feeds the poor, overrules the rich, lifts up the fallen, supports those who are falling, sustains those who stand firm.All the angels pray. Every creature prays...Even the Lord himself prayed. To him be honour and power for ever and ever. Amen.

God's Blessings

The Lord is very, very generous to Mark and I. He never ceases to provide for us! To honor and thank the Lord, and hopefully be a witness to the Lord's great love for those who strive to love and serve him, I want to list some of the material ways he has blessed us, recently: a free trip to the zoo, free movie tickets, sales on grocery items, beautiful shoes for me that were a fantastic deal (one pair was a mere $2.50!!), very inexpensive handsome glasses for me from myeyeglasses.net, I give them 5 out of 5 stars! Endless buy-one-get-one-free coupons for wonderful date nights, a BEAUTIFUL nativity set that was given to us unexpectedly exactly when we were wishing we had one, providing (free) every single piece of furniture and appliance we own (yes, they match and are in good condition), a (free) anniversary getaway that included an eight-bedroom mansion on a lake, money that shows up exactly when we have unexpected bills to pay such as wisdom teeth extractions, etc. A cat that goes in the toilet - sorry, that's not a material blessing, but I just heard a few "plops" that are music to my ears!!! Sense and Sensibility, one of my favorite movies, BRAND NEW for $1.85 (that was just this morning). The list goes on, and I know there are countless other examples that I can't think of at the moment. Maybe you're asking why the Lord does this for us? I can't say for sure, but I can guess that the Lord might not be so generous if we didn't a) tithe without fail, no matter what and b) recognize that we are simply stewards of his gifts, and they are given to us to lead us and others to Him. I hope and pray that we are good stewards of the gifts He gives us and do in fact use them for His glory. Come, Lord Jesus!

Is your 8-month-old potty-trained?

Ok, perhaps I failed to mention that it's an 8-month-old cat. Max, our loveable ball of fur, is well on his way to using the big-boy toilet. For the first time, just today, we heard a couple of beautiful "plops" as the, uh, stuff hit the water. It was the sweet sound of no more litter boxes to clean, no litter dust coating the floor, etc. Before I mislead you, I should admit that we're probably still a few days away from complete freedom from litter. Currently, there is a foil tray with a 5-inch diameter hole cut out of the middle sitting in our toilet. It began with no hole and litter, next there was a 2-inch hole with less litter, and now larger hole, still less litter. This allows Max to slowly adjust by a) balancing 2 paws on the toilet seat b) hearing the splash of the water c) not being able to bury anything when he's done. The next step is a larger hole, which will encourage him to balance entirely on the toilet seat. Hopefully it will be a success! I will be sure to keep you posted. In case you think we're completely nuts (though I won't deny it) there are others who are leading a litter-free existence, ex: http://www.karawynn.net/mishacat/toilet.html

Spring Cleaning

Actually, just "cleaning" would probably be more appropriate. Mark and I are attempting a first-ever (hopefully annual) Lenten purge of some of the junk we've accumulated in our 1+ year of marriage. I did a quick search for the patron saint of tidiness, but came up empty-handed; who knows if there is such a person - the good Lord knows it won't be me! (poor Mark). Fun times ahead...

Beginnings...

I have finally decided to create an Archibald blog. I'll do my best to keep posts short and sweet, with pictures when possible. Enjoy!

This picture of the Teton Mountain Range is one of the 368 breathtaking pictures from our MT/WY vacation in July '06. We can't wait to go back!