little updates

My last final is turned in and the last few corrections are being made on the presentation that my group and I are giving this Friday. It's been a long and stressful process but it's almost over!

The last bit of stuff is happening on the house as well. It's looking good and more than likely well be moving in next Friday! Woohoo! I'm ready to be there. I've already had a few dreams of us and baby Dunton in the house.

It rained all day today so I only ventured out briefly to go to the bank. The rest of the day I've been resting, baking/cooking, knitting and listening to Christmas music. I wouldn't mind some snow but you can't have everything.

I had high hopes of sending all kinds of Christmas presents with my sister when she went to MN but the last few weeks with finals and house things and being so exhausted (this baby growing can be tiring work) I haven't gotten anything done. I'll have to mail some things. Does anyone have any ideas for handmade things for a 13 computer game loving boy??

I hope the holiday season is treating everyone well and people are healthy and happy as Christmas approaches.

Catching Up

I cannot believe how time has flown! I got caught up with Thanksgiving and then before I knew it it was December!
We're still in the process of buying a house and although things have been rocky we're trying to be patient and trust that God will work things out for our good and His glory whether we get the house or not.
I have one final left and can't wait until it's over!!! I'm so ready to be done.
Chuck and I made Almond Bark pretzels last night for our home group Christmas party. We had a good time even though the kitchen is small and we kept bumping into each other. Thankfully neither of us were burned during the adventure.
My younger sister, Liz, who is just about through with her first semester of college at UNT, is flying back to MN on the 15th and as the date nears I get more and more nostalgic for Christmas at my parents. They have snow, the traditional Christmas Eve meal and so much of my family. I miss them but am so excited that Chuck and I get to start our own traditions with our child soon. Next Christmas s/he will be 6 months old! AH! I'm always startled by that realization.
I have this vision of us visiting MN next Christmas and some of my friends and family that haven't met Chuck yet will also be meeting our 6 month old! Time sure does fly! Oh course, several of my fellow High School graduates already have kids so it's not entirely out of the ordinary.
On that note, I've got to get going to class, only today and next Friday left!!!
Have a wonderful weekend.

Don't knock it till you try it

Last night Chuck and I went out to Sweet Basil for dinner. We'd surprisingly never been so decided it would be fun to try. We ran into Jean and Lynne (from the birthing center) on their way out and had a good chat before going in. So Emily, I've met Jean!
The food was good and we'll definitely be back, but unfortunately it was not long, about an hour and a half actually, before I needed to eat something again.

Chuck asked what I would like and I ran through the list...
chocolate chip pancakes, potato salad, cabbage slaw, and taco salad. Taco salad was it.
Chuck was about to throw on a sweatshirt and get me one because he's the sweetest man ever, but I assured him that Taco Cabana wouldn't have Thousand Island dressing.
For those of you who aren't familiar with Minnesotan Taco Salad let me be the first to share it with you.

Ingredients in order of layers on your plate:
taco chips
taco meat
cheese
lettuce
tomatoes
and then...
pork and beans
and top it off with Thousand Island dressing

Let me just say that when you grow up eating it it seems like the most normal thing in the world.
So we concluded that no one that served taco salad would also have thousand island dressing and finally decided that 'El Guapo's' would have a decent taco salad and got one to go. It was ok, and I more than appreciated that Chuck was willing to do it, but it just wasn't the same.
Ah, childhood influenced pregnancy cravings... it will certainly only get more interesting.

Our Daily Bread

"In a commencement address to a graduating class at Miami University, columnist George Will gave some statistics that help to diminish our sense of self-importance. He pointed out that “the sun around which Earth orbits is one of perhaps 400 billion stars in the Milky Way, which is a piddling galaxy next door to nothing much.” He added, “There are perhaps 40 billion galaxies in the still-unfolding universe. If all the stars in the universe were only the size of the head of a pin, they still would fill Miami’s Orange Bowl to overflowing more than 3 billion times.”

There is a plus side to all that overwhelming data. The God who created and sustains our star-studded cosmos in its incomprehensible vastness loves us. And He doesn’t just love the human race as an entity of multiplied billions. He loves us individually. What Paul exclaims to be true about himself is true about each of us in all our insignificance: Christ “loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).

Astronomically, we are insignificant. But we are the beloved objects of God’s care. While we have no reason for pride, we are inexpressibly grateful to the Lord whose love for us personally is revealed at Calvary’s cross."
Vernon C Grounds

no alarm clocks for baby

I think I discovered something this weekend. My baby doesn't like alarm clocks.
Yesterday we had to get up early to go to a training for Apartment life that lasted all day. When we got home I didn't feel well, probably from not eating enough all day but got worse as the hours went on. This morning I was hoping I would feel better but baby wasn't happy with another early morning because I felt sicker than I had all month.
Luckily some more sleep and a wonderful husband helped me recover and the day has gone alright.
But on the bright side, I'm probably only a few weeks away from regaining some normalcy in my health and my tummy is beginning to grow! I am so very excited to have a baby growing inside me and incredibly blessed to have such a hard working and understanding husband and the opportunity to sleep in on a regular basis.
Chuck is currently napping but when he's awake I'll persuade him to show me how to post pictures so you all won't get bored by my imageless posts.

You've got to start somewhere

When contemplating how to begin my first entry I could only think of Julie Andrews singing "Begin at the very beginning...it's a very good place to start..." And now that you all can enjoy that tune with me, I'll jump to the middle.
It's November 7th and the leaves seem to be sporadically changing color. I'm finding it hard not to be nostalgic for the seasons I grew up with. I am, however, enjoying the crisping weather and looking forward to time off for Thanksgiving.

Being 81/2 weeks pregnant is not what I expected but I'm doing my best to thank God for each moment and not throw up.
I'll post pictures of my expanding middle when it expands more noticeably.
In the mean time you can check out other pictures of us at www.picasaweb.google.com/charles.dunton