Showered With Love

This is way overdue...but over the past month, I have been blessed with 2 wonderful baby showers in New York. The first was a COMPLETE surprise! My team and friends at work put it all together. They did it a good 3 weeks before my last day in the office, so it would "throw" me off. They did an amazing job! I thought I was going to a marketing meeting, so you'll notice the laptop in hand and especially the look of shock to see about 60 of my team members, including the partners and practice leaders, AND my husband there to celebrate this fun time. So fun!

The other shower, was given by my sweet friends from church. It was such a beautiful shower; they put so much thought and detail into everything. Here are just a few of the pictures taken and here is the link to the website (Shawna's NY shower), so you can see more. Keep in mind they are unedited, so you may see a lot of Shawna opening gifts and making really funny faces.

The funniest part of it all, was how to get all of the gifts back to our place. It's not like you have a car just outside to load them up into and David happened to have the CFA exam on the same day! So, my friend's sweet husband loaded up a "hotel" cart and pushed all of the gifts 2 blocks and helped us get them all home. There were 5 other girls who helped as well, so we literally looked like a parade marching up the upper east side. Now that is a great NY memory for sure!

We feel so blessed by those around us in NY and in Texas who have celebrated this special time with us. We can't wait for Kate to enjoy all of her new things!! Thank you to all of you who helped with these special events!

Kountdown for Kate!

Well...I went to the doctor this week and oh yes - the official countdown has begun! I am 1 cm. dilated (or was on Tuesday) and there is no turning back at this point, because as you know...1 leads to 2 (not 0), which leads to 5 and then to 10 eventually. Ahhh!

Funny, how just one doctor's appointment changes everything, isn't it? It could be any day now that we will WALK to the hospital and return only to find our entire lives changed - for the better, of course. Entering into the "unknown" can always be scary, but I'm thankful for friends that God has brought into my life in the City who are in the same situation.

That really makes all the difference in the world and has been such an answer to prayer, not to mention the fact that David has been amazing during my entire pregnancy. I can't imagine doing this alone. He has been so affirming and encouraging every step of the way, and it's that much sweeter to share something so special with the one you love and who loves you more than anything. It's really how it's supposed to be and I'm so blessed by my husband.

So, how do you prepare for the most enormous change in your life? It's one you know is coming, but you just don't know when and where. For a "planner" like myself...that is a tough one, but another reminder of how NOT-in-control we really are and just another area of life that I have to remember to bring before God each day or it will just get too overwhelming.

Just a few things I'm excited about as I reflect on the next few weeks:
~ looking at Kate's sweet face and getting to touch her little feet
~ rocking her to sleep (yes - sleep)
~ praying over her
~ laying with her and David and just admiring God's creation while holding my husband's hand
~ watching my parents, sister and brother with Kate
~ watching my husband as his heart melts each time he holds her
~ seeing God's faithfulness take yet another form in my life

There are so many things really, but this is a start. Ok, so as part of the countdown, I must keep reading my baby, breastfeeding, and "sleep tips" books, AND working on my adorable baby book made by my sweet and talented friend, Courtney. Check out her website! (If you mention that you heard of her from my website, she'll give you a 10% discount! Go shop!)

Ok, so I'm off to attack the to-do list! Thank you to those who have called to "check in" and for those of you who are praying. We welcome them both and appreciate them more than you know.

Stay tuned...

Our "Evening" with celebs!

So one of my favorite NY memories was last night. It will for sure go into Kate's baby book as one of the crazy things her parents did while she was still in the "belly". I wish I had pictures to share with you...but we really couldn't take pictures, so you'll just have to believe me.

My friend, Christian, and I are a part of an expectant moms group on the upper east side and the person who started the group has "connections", so we all got an email invitation to attend a movie premiere for FREE. We both received tickets and were able to bring our husbands. Not knowing what to expect, we showed up last night at a theatre in Chelsea. The movie is called Evening and is coming out in 2 weeks. We really didn't know much about it, but just knew there was an all-star cast and we just had to go and see what this was all about.

So, we show up and get our tickets. The "dress" was "summer festive casual" - and as Christian said...the celebrity version of that was a little different than hers or mine. Either way, it was definitely casual - like way more casual than you could ever imagine. The security was crazy outside, paprazzi and cameras everywhere - but once inside the theater, everyone just mingled together. Like the biggest stars and directors were just standing next to you engaged in their own conversations. There was no division, we all sat next to each other and watched the movie. So crazy!

So, here's who we saw. I could blog all day about this, but you get the picture. It was so stinkin' cool.

* Claire Danes - beautiful!
* Glenn Close - striking!
* Patrick Wilson
* Hugh Dancy
* Mamie Gummer (Meryl Streep's daughter) - went to the bathroom with her and literally splashed water on her when I was washing my hands and she was putting more lipstick on... Oops! I said I was sorry and she laughed and said it was ok. Oh gosh!
* Eileen Atkins
* Natasha Richardson - 2 rows in front of us
* Vanessa Redgrave
* Lajos Koltai - the Director of the movie
* Bernadette Peters (Annie - hello!?)
* Guy from Law & Order (can't remember his name, but David knows it)
* Ang Lee (director from Brokeback Mountain) - I almost took his popcorn and had to apologize. He was super nice.
* Allyson C. Johnson - Editor of the movie - David and I sat next to her - no pressure or anything. She said she wanted to see how we react to it.
* Regis Philbin (didn't see, but Will and Christian did)
* Donna Karan (didn't see, but Will and Christian did)

We saw so many other people, there were just too many to keep track of in this small space. Like it was a movie theater the size of (maybe smaller) the old Rockwall 8 movie theater. As the Editor said to me...this was a very heavy celebrity concentrated premiere...so pretty much everyone was someone, we just couldn't figure them all out or keep track fast enough. Then there was this small contingent of pregnant women...hahahaha - we knew how they got there. :) The Editor asked me if we were in the film business and I said - "No, just pregnant". LOL. She got a big kick out of that story. She said she had never heard of such a thing before. Such a great memory!

Shawna's movie review:
Pros:An all-star cast for sure; beautiful scenery/cinematography; makes you think about your life and what it's all about
Cons: Pretty slow and drawn out; definitely could have been shorter and still developed a plot; I wanted more character development
Overall: A girl movie and could definitely just be a rental

My prayer for us this week

Here is a thought or two to think about this week. Church was so powerful yesterday, that it left me in tears and speechless. For those of you who know me, the later is much more difficult than the former. JR talked about Moses (not sure if you've heard of him) and the Exodus and that unless our lives are aligned with God's epic - the big story - then we are wasting our lives on such insignificant things. So good to hear again.

We then prayed over a girl who is going into Thailand to film a documentary which will aid in trying to put an end to children involved in sex slavery. She is a young girl and yet is willing to put her life on the line in an effort to make a difference. Her father was in the service and cried outloud during the prayer as he realized that his daughter's life was in jeopardy that even though he is so proud of her, there is a reality that she is not his. She is God's and that our children are simply "on loan" to us for their time on this earth. So moving.

To conclude the service, this benediction was read. I pray this stirs something in each of you. I pray that you would be moved to live outside of your comfort and to take a risk on something that would contribute to the bigger story - God's story. How is your life, not your husbands, not your mom's, not your friend's, not your son or daughter's, but YOUR life contributing and aligning itself with the only story that really matters?

All the while, I had my friend from work, who I blogged about last time, sitting beside me at church. God is good.

This is my prayer for you and I.

A Franciscan Benediction

May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
At darkness, injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for the gospel, justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer alienation from God, pain, rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world.
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring salvation and justice to all the lost and the poor.
Go, in the name of our God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Additions by JR Vassar

The Lion and The Lamb

Last Friday, I decided to work from home, as it was going to be a slow and quiet day in the office, but forgot that I had a marketing meeting planned for the afternoon. So, I quickly improvised and invited the girl from marketing to meet me for coffee on the upper east side instead of in the office. Fortunately, we have a great relationship and she happens to live just a few blocks away. Perfect!

We meet and go to DTUT - a really fun coffee shop on the UES. We get our coffee and I think we are about to dive into planning our conference and going through our to-do lists, when she asks me how long she thinks we'll be here and how long I'll keep working. I give my usual answer, "I know God has us here for a reason, so we really take it a year at a time. If it were up to me, I'm not sure this would be somewhere I would raise a family, but it's not. We'll see what God has in store for us." At this time, I didn't know where she was spiritually, but I did know she was randomly invited to our church by another common friend for Easter, so I assume that she is another fellow "Southerner"in NY shopping for a good church. She then tells me that she just renewed her 1 year lease but still doesn't know why she is here. She feels like God is telling her to stay but she really is struggling with friends and isn't here for work and is truly searching for why she feels led to be in the City.

I give some encouragement of how lonely it can be in the City and that I feel blessed through the connections and vision we have through our church, and that's when the real point of our "meeting" was revealed. She said that she had been to our church a few times with a friend, but that she really didn't understand who this "Jesus" person is and why our Pastor always referred to Him and our sins. I took a few sips of my iced decaf sugar-free vanilla skim latte and prayed for the Holy Spirit to start speaking, because Shawna was SO not prepared for the direction this conversation was headed.

3 hours later, I realized how I was able to share with her who Jesus is and why He is so important in this story of our lives. That we are really only able to have a relationship with God through Him alone, otherwise we would just be checking legalistic boxes and feeling like we were good people - capable of making it on our own. We even got into Sin and where good and evil came from, and even why we have to talk about it so much in church. I mean - every theological discussion I've ever had came rushing through my brain and out of my mouth.

I brought up a popular "pastor/ motivational speaker" and said there are pastors and churches who tend to focus more on the power of positive thinking and the scriptures that only relate to "God is Love"; we need to help others and take care of ourselves to be better people. However, we lose the full picture when we don't talk of God's justness, His power, His wrath, and His overwhelming desire for us to be Holy. He is the Lion and the Lamb...and if we only focus on one of those figures - we miss the big picture, don't we?

I never thought my marketing meeting would turn into such a powerful conversation. We ended up sharing dinner that night together with David and Dan and had a great time! Walking home afterwards, I realized that God had truly ordained that conversation because it was in telling her who Jesus is and why God has her here in the City, that I was affirmed again why I am here. Funny how that happens isn't it? I'm not here for David, I'm not here for our church or a job or a cool City and fun memories. It's about conversations like this and people like her who are seeking and searching and just need someone to share with them about this "Jesus" person.

Let's not forget why we're here and let's not forget to share the "full" person of God in Jesus. Most people can accept God - it's the "Jesus" part that takes the extra step in faith - but how powerful that can be when you help someone "see" Him as he truly is...the Lion and the Lamb.

Memorial Day in the City

I think David and I were one of the few who did NOT leave the City for Memorial Day weekend. He is busy studying for the CFA exam (next Sat) and so I tried to be a good wife and not distract him as much as possible. It's pretty much a good time to stay in the City b/c everyone leaves, but it really feels like a ghost town compared to the day to day hustle-and-bustle you would normally expect. So, I decided to do a Top 10 list from my weekend.

You know it's Memorial Day weekend in the City when:

10. Your favorite stores are closed, which means even the retailers got to get out of the City!
9. You can walk right in and get a mani/pedi without having to wait.
8. You can cross the street even when the red hand is up b/c there are no cars and even more amazingly....NO taxis!
7. Central Park is full of families, picnics, softball games and dogs.
6. The taxis that are here are trying to flag YOU down! (not kidding - it happened to me today)
5. The smell of dog urine and every other unimagineable smell starts to hit you as you walk to and fro - NOT a lovely thing (especially when your 8 months pregnant)
4. The Monday morning news shows only EMPTY lincoln and holland tunnel lanes - why even do a "traffic" report?
3. The delivery man arrives to your door in 5 seconds rather than the usual 5 minutes b/c there is NO ONE on the street and probably no one else ordering.
2. The extent of an outdoor BBQ consists of delivery (see above), store bought beer, and a trip to the park. Grills - what grills?
1. The speedo is sported at Central Park (and there's no water in sight). I saw several today - NICE!

I hope you all had a good long weekend! :)

Babymoon in Puerto Rico!

Last week David and I got back from our Babymoon to Puerto Rico and had an absolutely amazing time! We could not have asked for more while seeking after sun, fun, time together, good food, and relaxation. We flew out of NY on Friday morning - early early - arriving in PR around 12pm, due to a small delay. We went straight to the Ritz-Carlton hotel (see above), which luckily was only a few minutes away from the airport. Once we arrived at the hotel, we felt like we walked into a true beach resort. After dropping off our bags, we went to grab a bite to eat and then we hit the beach.

Something you may not know about me is that I really want to be a beach person, but I'm just not. I can appreciate the salt water and pretty beaches from afar. I think it always sounds fun to go the beach, and I still have to get my "fill" every year, but the truth is I would much rather be on a mountain somewhere - fully clothed - overlooking breathtaking scenery. So...now you know how huge it is when I say that this was my favorite beach experience to date. Now I can understand why people like beaches....if they could all be like this one. :)

The sand was completely white, soft, and smooth - not rocky, or sand-shell-y at all. All we had to do was walk up to the towel cabana and David would say, "we need 2 chairs and an umbrella" and the guy would take his shovel and go fix a true abode on the beach wherever we requested. David doesn't like to be in the direct sun - while you can't get me away from it - so he usually stayed on the shady side in the umbrella and I was in the sun until I got too hot. The ocean was turquoise and calm...a few waves (much to David's dismay), but nothing too crazy that made me feel uncomfortable with the belly. It was like a swimming pool - just miles and miles of it. The water was clear so you could see if anything was going to get you. It was perfect for Shawna!

My other favorite part was that people would come and wait on you while you were on the beach and bring by free sorbet and cold towels scented with lavender. I mean - does it get any better than that? On this earth - I think not.

The next day I started out my morning getting a massage that was heaven while David spent a few hours studying and then went to the casino in the hotel. (oh yes - fun times for all!) We literally spent all day at the beach. When David got tired, he went to the casino while Shawna stayed out by the pool (after the beach) to float her belly. Everybody was so happy! The best part is that we actually made some money on our vacation - way to go, David! :) Sat night, we went to this fabulous restaurant on another beach - where we literally were barefoot with our feet in the sand eating fancy amazing food. It was AWESOME!

To make that night even better, we decided that we wanted to head back to our hotel and eat at BLT for dessert - a progressive dinner, if you will. So, we sat in the lounge area and ordered coffee and 2 of the most divine desserts - ever! We savored every bite. Our waiter was the nicest man who had 5 children and he paid for our entire bill. How nice is that?! I think it was my belly. :)

Sunday, we got out of the hotel early and went to Old San Juan, which is built on a hillside on the opposite end of the island from where we were. It was great to see what was out there. It had these amazing historic castles and views along the beaches, followed by the narrowest little cobblestone streets lined with colorful and quaint houses and stores. We had a great time but grew tired and very hot after a while. So, we decided that the beach was where we really should be for the rest of the day.

That evening for dinner, we went to Il Mulino, which is one of our most favorite Italian food restaurants ever! We have been to the original one in New York and I have been to the one in Vegas, so this was fun to visit the PR location which happened to all be at the Ritz. It did not disappoint. I can't say enough about this food but that you have to try an Il Mulino experience at least once in your life. I don't joke about food. Afterwards, because everything was located in our hotel, we took a walk through the casino and I even got to play a little bit. We had fun people watching and playing and then we called it a night.

Monday, we flew out, but we were still able to make it to the pool one last time. I have to say, I didn't want to come home to my to-do lists, but they were that much more manageable after having some time away to reflect on our marriage and our lives and all that God has blessed us with thus far. Wow - it's really only the beginning, isn't it? There are just so many things in store for us and we are excited to welcome Baby Kate and tell her of our great Babymoon when she was just in my big belly. :)