...5...

Well - as of today, we have 5 weeks until Baby Girl's due date! I can hardly believe it's coming so quickly. I had another Dr. appointment this morning. Since I was off of work and Dan had a business meeting, I asked my mom to come with me. It was definitely fun having her along (especially since we had to wait so long to be called back)...She got to hear the baby's heart beat - it was 130 bpm today until the Dr. poked around a bit and it increased to about 145 - which is a good sign that she's active and responsive in there! Dr. Johnson also felt around on my abdomen and was able to kind of 'squeeze' the Baby's head - though she said it 'floated' away so apparently it's not quite time yet.  She also gave me some information about when to call in should I start to go into labor over the next couple of weeks (aka. my water breaking or contractions).  As I was listening to her explain this stuff, I started to feel a new sense of excitement about this Baby's arrival into the world! My next appointment is in 2 weeks - at which point I will be 37 weeks pregnant...SO crazy! Just another reminder of how blessed we are to have this healthy, growing Baby on the way!
On another note - this healthy, growing Baby is definitely making her presence known already - especially around the time I'm trying to get some rest at night.  I've been waking up VERY frequently throughout the night the past couple of weeks - mostly just feeling uncomfortable and having to shift positions to fall back asleep.  Other than that, my heartburn still remains - though it seems to have died down a bit from when it first started.  I know I can just be thankful for all of these little reminders that there's a precious little life growing inside of me right now!

I can't believe we're already on the verge of the end of another year - seems like each month has just FLOWN by since we found out we're expecting.  December was full of fun - baby showers, preparation and Holiday celebrations.  This Christmas was great - it was so nice to spend time with my Dad while he visited MN for the first winter in about 5 years - and fill our days/evenings with family as we celebrated Christmas with our families.  It was also kind of fun to sit back and realize that next year, we'll have another member of our family with us for all of the festivities!  I'm so incredibly thankful for our friends and family and am looking forward to the New Year and all that it will bring - including our Baby's arrival, friends' first babies being born, weddings and so much more!

On that note - here's a picture from today - with 5 weeks to go.  The Dr. did comment again that I am not 'popping' out as much as many other women, but not to worry - because it's apparently due to my 'toned abdomen muscles'.  Not too sure I believe that's the real reason, but I'll take it I guess! :)

Well - that's all for now! I now have two examples of friends' giving birth to their children 4 weeks early (over the past two months)....so I'm getting a little nervous - but know that ultimately God is in control of whenever this little girl decides to come!

6 weeks...like a squirrel

I know - I'm behind again...was just too tired to update last night! :( Guess I better get used to that - since in somewhere near 6 weeks, I probably won't be able to just take naps or not doing something because I am not up to it - Baby Girl will be a little more demanding than this blog!
So as of yesterday, 6 weeks until this Baby Girl is supposed to arrive.  It's still crazy for me to imagine her being here that soon! I googled animals with gestation periods of ONLY 6 weeks and a squirrel came up - not sure how accurate it is, but we'll go with it for the sake of this blog.  Can you imagine having only 6 weeks to prepare for the birth of your child?! I've already had months and I'm still feeling ill-equipped in many ways. 
This past week has been a VERY active one for Baby Girl.  She's been moving around a LOT and Mommy has been feeling it - very forcefully! :) It's so fun to feel her moving and even sometimes see my belly move when She moves.  Two nights ago, I was laying in bed trying to fall asleep and all of a sudden, I started feeling very steady thuds against my belly - I told Dan and he felt it for a couple of minutes too. It continued on for about five minutes straight, it was so bizarre and rhythmic.  "They" do say that this week the Baby is able to hear familiar tunes - so maybe She was playing out a song in there? :) Either way, very fun to interact with her as she moves.

Yesterday, I started to experience what is known as 'nesting'.  From Baby Shower #1 in November until yesterday, we have just had piles of stuff sitting in the Nursery.  I'm not sure why I hadn't started taking things out of boxes/organizing - since that's my natural tendency (in life) - until yesterday.  Dan ran some errands and came home to a living room of folded up/broken down cardboard boxes all over the floor.  Meanwhile, I was busy organizing and consolidating our gifts in the Nursery.  It feels really good to start putting things away.  My next big project is to clear out the closet and hang up the MANY articles of clothing waiting for an adorable little girl to wear them -- fortunately we have one of those on the way! :)
Here are a few previews of what the Nursery looks like so far...not sure we're set on furniture placement yet - but for now it works.  I decided to put my limited creativity to work and made some artwork to hang on the walls. 

I couldn't resist - how cute are all of these booties?! This may be a dangerous start to a shoe collection like her mommy's! :)

SO excited to celebrate Christmas in just 2 days -- though this isn't her first Christmas, it's special knowing that this is our last year of just the two of us...I can't even begin to imagine what it will be like celebrating with our little Girl next year. 
On that note - I did have someone worry me a little about confidence in expecting a little GIRL...As I look around the nursery, here's hoping the ultrasound tech. was right - because we do not have much to offer a little boy at this point!! :)

...lucky number 7

Alright - I'm a day late, but 7 weeks to go as of yesterday! It's just surreal that we have that little time until this precious little one joins us...
Last weekend, we had a MAJOR snowstorm - they compared it to the Halloween Blizzard of 1991 - the one that ruined my chances at getting any significant amount of candy since we lived in Dayton, MN (aka, didn't stand much of a chance getting out of the driveway).  Unfortunately - this blizzard caused the cancellation of our Birth & Parenting Prep Express class.  Since we had to leave so early in the morning, we were able to get out of our driveway and made it safely to the Hospital (we were even 10 minutes early)!  We ended up waiting until about 9:15am - watching other couples come in from the cold - only to find out that the class had been cancelled.  After making it home, we decided to take advantage of the continuous snowfall by setting up shop on the couch.  Dan bravely ventured out once the snow stopped falling (late afternoon) and started shoveling.  He was out there for about an hour and a half before our neighbor got home to let us use his snowblower - which still took another 2 hours to clear the rest of the driveway! We ended up with something like 17" of snow in the Twin Cities when it was all said and done! While we didn't learn anything about giving birth, the weekend was definitely memorable.  Our class couldn't be rescheduled until January 22 and 23rd - so hopefully this Girl doesn't come early! :)
We had another appointment on Monday and the Dr. reassured me that if she does come early, we'll be fine - everyone else around me will know what to do even if I don't! :)  The appointment went smoothly (and quickly); still measuring normal growth, heart beat of 144 and normal blood pressure - all I can ask for!

Not much else to update...just getting excited for Christmas time and some time off from work! :)
Here's a picture from this past Sunday --

and one from today...

That's all for now!

...8 weeks till Baby

Well - another week has passed, hard to believe how quickly they're going! I think with the Holidays and Baby Showers, time just passes faster! I've definitely started feeling pregnant this past week - trying to walk slowly and carefully over the icy/snowy parking lots and walkways...having a hard time putting my socks on in the morning...and some restless nights of attempting to sleep.  I've also had the joy of heartburn pretty constantly - and the Dr. said it will only get worse from here on out! I've been told by a few people that they experienced the same fun when pregnant with their little girls - and one even said it means she'll have a full head of hair (which I wouldn't doubt based on my baby picture)!  Other than those 'inconveniences', things are still going wonderfully! We feel so incredibly blessed at God's protection over this little one's growth and over me throughout the pregnancy so far. It's really a great reminder that I am not in control...a hard lesson for me to learn.

This past weekend, I had another Baby Shower - this time hosted by my wonderful Mom and Sister in Maple Grove.  It was a great Saturday spent celebrating with my family (Rostamo and Dale) - though it was a smaller group since most of my relatives are scattered throughout the US (and Australia).  I had a great time playing games, eating delicious food and catching up.  My Great Aunt Mary was there and she was entertaining for all - as usual - I love her candor and that I have her in my life during this exciting time.  She reminds me so much of my Grandma Rose (her sister) that it warms me to feel like my Grandma is here celebrating too in a way.
My mom made this incredible fruit carving for the shower - a little baby buggy. So impressive, had to post this.

This weekend, we have our Baby Preparation class at Fairview Southdale Hospital.  This is the Hospital I will be delivering the Baby at - so it will be good to walk around and get more familiar with it.  I'm excited to hear what they have to teach us and get a tour of the Maternity Ward there! Though I know it's not nearly as exciting for Dan - at least it's just one weekend...

Not a whole lot more to report at this point.  Things are going smoothly - I have my two week Dr. appointments starting next Monday, which is just another reminder of how soon this little girl will be here to greet us! :)

9 weeks to go!

Hard to imagine that tomorrow, I will only have 9 weeks until we get to meet this little bundle of joy! Dan and I were just talking about how quickly this is all going - it's so ridiculous to me that we are already in the final weeks of my first pregnancy.  We were trying to figure out why it seems to have all gone so fast and realized that we can only be thankful that it's all gone SO smoothly!

I was able to enjoy a relaxing 4 day break for Thanksgiving. It's funny how every chance I have to sleep in or lounge around seems to be much needed these days.  I feel so lazy, but it's been really nice enjoying the warmth of our home wrapped up in a blanket on these cold MN days...
Thanksgiving was wonderful, though I'm not sure I indulged nearly as much as I had anticipated.  I tend to get full a little quicker than I did even a few weeks ago -- I usually just end up 'feeding' more frequently in smaller portions.  This year we decided to spend Thanksgiving dinner with my Mom & step-dad Corrie in White Bear Lake.  We didn't have to be to their house until 3pm, so we ended up stopping by Dan's Aunt & Uncle's house to say hi before heading to WBL-- everyone was excited to see Dan, since they weren't expecting us at all.  On Saturday, we celebrated Thanksgiving with a nice soup lunch at Dan's Aunt & Uncle's house on his Dad's side.  It was great to see everyone again - and spend some time catching up with Dan's cousin Hank, who is back from Thailand after 6 years.
We came home from the festivities to set up the Christmas tree! I always love this time of year - even though people say Thanksgiving doesn't get enough time, I say bring on Christmas! I love walking into the living room with the glow of the Christmas lights.  It already makes me so excited for Baby Girl Powers to be a part of the fun next year!

I had another Dr. Appointment yesterday and everything checked out perfectly!  This little girl just keeps growing perfectly on pace.  We heard the heartbeat again yesterday -- a little slower than before at 122.  The Dr. said everything sounds and looks great though! I'll have my next appointment in 2 weeks to make sure she's still progressing.  We're just so thankful that she's in good health with no concerns!

I'm excited to finish up Christmas shopping and get ready for my next shower on Saturday.

week 30 update! countdown begins...

I'm officially 30 weeks pregnant (today)!
People say this is the point that you can start the countdown to Baby's arrival.  I'm not sure I'm ready to start that process yet - it really feels like this whole pregnancy has gone so quickly! It seems odd to already start the count DOWN to her arrival -- especially since everyone also says that these last 10 weeks go so slowly.

Instead, I'll just give you an update on what's been happening.  We finally made some progress on the Nursery -- emptied out the 2 desks and one large bookshelf.  There are still a couple of office remnants at this point, but it's much more cleared out - feeling more like a Baby's room than a command center (for those of you who saw what Dan had set up previously).  We also were able to get the crib and changing table assembled which is exciting!

On top of all of this progress excitement at home, I was blessed by another wonderful shower on Saturday, Nov. 20th hosted by my Mother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law in Elk River! It was a great day of celebrating with Dan's Aunts and Cousins. 

The next day, we had our 5th Annual DUPI Thanksgiving -- the DUPI is our special family (made up of the men that Dan lived with during College and their significant others).  It was a great time and our little one's first official experience (though she only got to taste the food).  Hard to believe that next year she'll be 8 or 9 months by that time! It was so fun getting together with everyone - especially with the 3 little guys running around, already so mobile!  Hopefully next year Baby Girl Powers will be ready to get in there with the boys and play!

Here's a group shot of the DUPI ladies -- love these girls!

That's about all for now.  Excited to thoroughly ENJOY/INDULGE on this year's Thanksgiving dinner (for the baby of course) ;)
I'm sure we'll start some of our Christmas decorating with this long weekend -- fun! Hopefully we'll make some more progress on the Nursery too!  I think I'm officially into my 'nesting' phase! Ready to organize/setup/clean out!

showered with love!

First update - I passed my gestational diabetes test! Which means I do not have it --thankfully, because I'm a big of a sugar lover and happen to be into baked goods during this pregnancy :) Does wonders for my figure too I'm sure!

Today I had my first baby shower - hosted by my lovely friend and former college roomie, Kristen Tenley!  I woke up at 6:30am to see Dan and Cade off to go pheasant hunting and coudn't fall back asleep - maybe this is my body preparing me for baby to be here...usualy Saturdays are my day to sleep in and I typically take full advantage; but I really just couldn't fall back asleep.

It just so happens that our first snowfall happened last night while we were sleeping (I think it wasn't until early this AM actually) but this is about what I woke up to.
It was really a beautiful, cozy sight and made me really excited for Christmas to come!

On the other hand - I quickly realized that I would be cause for my friends to venture out in this (while the snow was still falling) and most roads were unplowed! Sorry and Thank you to everyone for making it out!! Despite the delays, it was a wonderful first shower! I feel so incredibly blessed by the love and excitement of my friends - for Dan and I and our new addition!! I cannot wait for this Baby Girl to get to know and love all of her 'Aunties' as much as I do!
*I failed to bring my camera, so thanks  for taking pics friends!

All in all, it was a great day - and as a bonus, Dan returned home just after I did with 2 pheasants from a successful hunt!


I also figure I should post a photo or two of my current belly's state of being.  I haven't been good about taking photos throughout the first 28 weeks - but I think this will at least give you an idea of what kind of growth has occurred thus far.

 

just waiting...

Well I figured I should probably update something on here - even though there's not too much news to report.
I had another Dr. appointment on Monday - got blood drawn to get tested for gestational diabetes.  I should get the results in the next day or so.  We'll see if I pass - the nurse said that she sees about half of the women pass and half "fail" the test.  If I do fail - I will have to go to the hospital for a 3 hour test! Hopefully that's not the case for me!

The Dr. said I'm measuring perfect growth - she told me that I shouldn't be worried if I'm hearing a lot of "you look too small to be 28 weeks pregnant"!  -- which just so happens to be the case.  I'm ok with it though, I guess I'd rather look smaller and know that the baby is healthy than not.  The Dr. told me that with my frame, I should expect somewhere around a 6 pound baby! That'd be great - so we'll see how accurate that is! Dan was 8.5 lbs when he was born and I think I was on the smaller side, so I think our chances are pretty good of at least having a smaller baby. 

Other than that, not too much else is new.  Dan is finally home from his hunting adventures - so now we're getting focused on home improvement projects, picking Health Insurance, a Daycare and getting ready for our baby preparation class (Dec. 11)!

I have my first Baby Shower this weekend - SO excited for it - hosted by my BFF (love you Kristen)! I'm so thankful for my friends and family and their excitement and support through this whole experience! It'll be so great to celebrate and visit with them this Saturday. Kind of crazy how real it makes this feel though - we're having a baby shower...because we're having a baby! Still sinking in...I know you'd think it would be pretty real if you saw my belly sticking out...still just kind of a surreal, but amazing blessing!

That's about all I have now - just hanging in there, waiting...letting this precious little girl grow!

3 of 3...already!?

It's kind of ironic that such an exciting event in our life was a secret for so long! It was such a relief to be able to share the news with our families.  We decided we would tell our parents and siblings on Father's Day (June 20, 2010).  Since my dad lives in Florida, we had to share the news over the phone.  I called him and after wishing him a Happy Father's Day, simply said "Guess what...we have news...you're going to be a grandpa"!  He immediately responded with a giddy "Yeah! I knew it...".  I still question whether he really knew it since he said the same exact words when I told him that Dan had proposed to me... :) But maybe a father knows better than I give him credit for.  Either way, he was, needless to say, ecstatic to hear the news and proceeded to exclaim the news to all those around him (he was at brunch with his girlfriend and my sister).  He quickly asked my sister if she already knew - to which she had to say yes (I had to tell SOMEONE when I first found out)!
It was a great feeling to hear the excitement in his voice after telling him the news and definitely made it feel more real.
Next - we had plans to meet Dan's parents, brother and sis-in-law at the Science Museum to see the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit.  We met up with them, walked through the exhibit and waited as Dan and Ben played with the wave machine before heading to lunch.  We decided to walk down to Cossetta's for lunch together after the Science Museum.  After finishing our meals, Ben and Jenn gave their gift to Bruce.  Then it was our turn.  Bruce took his gift bag and pulled out a onesie -- with "My Grandpa Loves Me" written across the front in puff paint.  He looked at it for a minute and said "Now all I need is a baby".  I looked at Dan and then glanced around the table.  Dan's mom, Laura looked at everyone and said "...wait, I don't get it...".  At this point, I was a little worried that the news wasn't breaking itself as easily as I thought it would. Just then, I looked at Jenn and she had tears in her eyes and said "..she's..you're...she's having a...you're having a baby"!?  To which I shook my head and everyone jumped up and hugs and tears were all around! It was a very fun, and unexpected announcement to share with the future Grandparents and Aunt & Uncle!
Since we wanted to be able to tell all of our family in one day, we had made plans to stop by my mom and step-dad's house for dessert that day.  We headed to White Bear Lake and greeted them with the normal updates.  We sat down to eat some dessert on the deck and I pulled out a card for Corrie and then a gift bag for my mom.  I know it was Father's Day - but I wanted to spring the news on my mom anyway!  She opened the bag, pulled out a onesie that said "My Grandma Loves Me" across the front - only she only pulled it out about an inch before she shoved it back in and shrieked, "Leah Dale (still calls me by my maiden name) you're..."!?  It was too funny to me how quickly she figured it out - meanwhile, Corrie was still kind of staring, confused so I told him "we're pregnant"!
It was a pretty incredible day of FINALLY revealing our secret to our families!  All of them greeted the news with such excitement that it just made us that more ecstatic about our news.  Having our family to share this secret with just made it feel more real too.


1st Trimester --
It's really kind of funny how much of pregnancy is the 'hurry up and wait' game.  That little home test confirmed the news for us so early on but I couldn't have my first Doctor's appointment until I was 8 weeks along.  So I made the appointment and anxiously waited.  We had decided that we wanted to at least wait until that appointment before we started telling anyone else (including our closest friends).  Thankfully, the first appointment went smoothly - everything was perfectly routine and best of all, the Dr. confirmed our news! If that wasn't enough, we were able to hear the little one's heartbeat!  At first, it was difficult for us to distinguish which heartbeat was mine and which was the baby's - but the Dr. was quickly able to point our the slightly more faint pulses of our the little miracle growing inside of me!
Before we knew it, we were through the first trimester! Technology allowed us to hear the heartbeat of our newest addition to the family and the Dr. confirmed our due date of February 2, 2011. So, we quickly spread the word to our families, friends and Church body in the next couple of weeks.  Of course - we were so encouraged and overjoyed by all of the celebratory responses from everyone.  Again, we just had to look at each other and realize that this was real - our news meant that we would have a little one sometime in early February!

2nd Trimester --
Our 15 week appointment went smoothly as well - and we were able to hear that little heartbeat again! It's crazy that it just doesn't get old and I just wanted to keep laying there, listening to the little being inside of me.  It was pretty fun to glance over at my husband, the Father of our child - and see him just smile when we were listening to the heartbeat...
At 19 weeks, we had our first ultrasound.  We had decided pretty early on that we would find out the gender of our little one when we were able.  This was the day we were waiting for!  Our ultrasound technician led us into a pretty dark room and I hopped up on the table.  Neither one of us had ever been part of an ultrasound - so we weren't really sure what we were looking for.  The technician started pointing out various body parts, including clarity around whether we were looking at the head or the stomach (both kind of roundish)... :) I was a little caught off guard when he started pointing out the legs of our baby and then said "Those are girl parts..." that was the news! It was nothing like they do in the movies, so I think I was a little unsure of whether he was positive about what he had just told us! In the almost the same breath he moved on and continued to point out other features of our baby "...and there's the kidney...".  That was it - simple as can be, so I glanced at Dan and he kind of smirked and we silently came to the understanding that we would celebrate after we left that room. We called our parents on the ride home announcing excitedly "It's a girl" - and there we had it, time to buy some pink, frilly stuff for that little one!

About a week later, I finally caved and purchased my first pair of maternity pants!  I was still able to wear most of my normal pants (some with the help of my BellaBand) but some of my dress pants were getting a little more uncomfortable than others. 

We decided to partake in a newer tradition (and it is real - not just an excuse to travel...well maybe a little), so we booked our flight to San Francisco, CA.  It was kind of a combo celebration for our "babymoon" and Dan's 27th birthday.  We left on his birthday (September 25) and returned home the 29th.  Neither of us had been to CA and it was an incredible time for us to escape the busyness of work and life at home.  We took in the sites, walked around the very hilly city and took a drive down to Monaco.  We couldn't have been happier with our choice and are so thankful that we were able to take that time away, just the two of us before the little one joins us.

Sometime around week 22 I started to show a little more.  Of course, I had felt like I was showing for a while - but it's a little different when you're the one with the expanding stomach I suppose...

Just a few weeks ago, we had another Dr. appointment - complete with follow-up ultrasound.  The first time around, Baby girl Powers was apparently resting peacefully on her backside, so they weren't able to see one part of her spine.  This time she was in a different position and they were able to confirm that everything looked great! Another appointment we could be thankful for - baby was growing and healthy! 

A couple of weeks ago, I started to feel like every morning when I woke up, my stomach was sticking our further and further.  Dan tried to comfort me by telling me how cute the little bump looked, but I was still feeling a little like a chubby lady instead of a pregnant lady!  It did help when some people started asking me if I was pregnant because they had suspected, instead of just double taking to see if I was just over-indulging!  Now I'm just trying to embrace the bump and show it off as much as possible - hoping to bring clarity to any curious onlookers.
I still cannot get over the perfect ending to my second trimester -news from my best friend and college roommate of 3 years, Kristen Tenley.  We met for dinner to catch up on October 13, 2010 and after about 15 minutes of catching up (probably me blabbing about nothing)....she gave me wonderful news "..so speaking of babies..."! and then that smile! I jumped up and gave her a huge hug and couldn't stop saying oh my goodness - I'm SOO happy! Even while I'm typing this, I can't help but smile and think how excited I am for her and her hubby!  It couldn't be more perfect.  I went home and told Dan the news and said "This is so perfect, it's just like the movies - when your best friend is pregnant at the same time..."!  It's so exciting to think that just a few short months after our little girl arrives, she'll have a new best friend or maybe future boyfriend!! I know - don't worry, I'm not really planning our daughter's future yet....well trying not to.  It's just so exciting to think of the play dates and memories to be made! :)

That brings us to now - week 27...officially in the 3rd trimester.  Can't wait to see all of the developments, preparation and fun to come!

dan and leah + 1...infant

well for those of you that know us...we've already been a family of 3 for almost three years -- if you count our dog Cade...which we do.  all you have to do is peek into our living room window any night of the week and you'll see how much he's a part of our family (while he lays across the couch snoring) :) it's endearing, trust me!

on may 28th, 2010 a test (well, technically 4) confirmed that Dan and I would soon be parents!! I took the test that morning before work and proceeded to leave it on the bathroom counter while I jumped in the shower.  In the meantime, Dan came into the bathroom, stood perfectly still for about 2 minutes and politely asked, "...what is this?".  I responded with a smirk on my face saying "..well, it says we are having a baby!".  While I was extremely excited at the result on the test, I still wasn't 100% sure that it was accurate and wanted to take the chance to take another test (or a few more) to confirm.  I didn't want to get either of us too excited before we knew for sure.  In the next day, I took the other 3 tests to confirm - and sure enough, all of them came back the same -- we could expect a little baby in about 9 months.

the weeks that followed were filled with a secret celebration -- that just Dan and I were able to share together (which was kind of fun on its own)! I think both of us were still in shock that God's plan was for us to start adding to our family....now.  The funny thing is that just a couple of months before, I had decided to go back to school to get my MBA at St. Cloud State University.  I had been in communication with the Director at SCSU and she had jut alerted me of an opening in the March 2010 cohort - meaning I could complete the program by early 2012.  I jumped at the chance to start, since this had always been something on my to-do list.  It just goes to show that you can try to plan every second of your life -- and you still can't predict what will happen tomorrow.  I have definitely been humbled by the clarity God gave me to quit school for now - knowing that I wouldn't be able to finish the program before the baby came - and focus on work and preparing for our first child.  I have felt nothing but peace about that decision to hold off on my schooling and am so thankful for God's bigger plan for our family!

giving this a try...

It's hard to believe that it's already been almost five years since I was in college...almost five years since my whole world changed.  About six years ago, I had a plan and it was great -- graduate with a degree in International Business and Marketing, move to Australia, start my own business or become some kind of business phenomenon to take the world by storm.  All the while, continue to live my life completely independently, without the need for anyone or anything else - just relying on my own strength, staying true to the mantra I lived life by in all of my years prior.
Funny thing is, the Lord's plans for us are perfectly plotted out for us - they may just not match our own.  In December of 2005, I graduated from Bethel College - and 'succesfully' made it through my entire experience at that private, Christian school without a ring by spring, further reinforcing my belief that I was better off on my own.
I took my final college class, International Business in Europe (January 2006).  This is the month that all of my dreams were shattered - I met someone...In preparation for the trip, my friend Tiff had asked me if there were any potentially 'interesting' men going - my immediate response was "No".  I had no intention of meeting/getting to know any of the young men on our trip well enough to come out of that experience with any change in my personal status - I still had my plans and had no need for someone to throw them off.
Then there was Dan Powers.  This seemingly quiet, country boy from Elk River - too busy to have time for a new friend, much less a relationship.  The first few conversations with him + others quickly led me to believe that he was much too involved in his Mixed Martial Arts training, school and roommates to be interested in anything else.  All of these factors quickly brought me relief - I can just get to know him and we can be friends on the trip and then probably just go our separate ways when we get back to the States.  We did end up spending a LOT of time together, as a couple of our close friends were pursuing other interests...Needless to say, I was exposed to more and more of Dan throughout our travels in Europe.  I was able to see his carefree side in London -  his knowledge of the Bible, Cathedrals and history in Paris - where he came from and what his family is like in Germany - and learn of some room within the busyness of life while we were in Italy.  It was through all of this time that we spent together (and with others) that we were able to build a friendship which allowed for more to develop once we got home.

Shortly after we returned home, Dan asked me out for our first date -- everything you'd imagine the beginning of 'happily ever after' to look like..."I have to get a new mouse at Best Buy, do you want to come with me? Then we could go to lunch after or something...".  So I said yes, and we went to Best Buy and had lunch at PF Chang - it may not have been idyllic; but it was real and we both had a great time.  Dan followed up with a call a few days later asking me on our second date - to dinner for Valentine's Day.  He picked me up with a bouquet of roses in hand and we went to dinner at Dixie's on Grand in St. Paul, MN (near our old stomping grounds).  It was a fun, relaxing evening and I remember feeling very special, as he was such a gentleman and engaged me in conversation throughout the entire night.

From that point on, we began spending much more time together, talking constantly on the phone and me introducing him to text messaging -- for which he received quite a bit of grief from his roommates at the DUPI.  He was still finishing up his last semester at school and still VERY dedicated to his MMA training in preparation for a Regional Fight opportunity he had in Chicago.  As a result, much of our time together was spent in the evenings after he finished his three hour training sessions at the Academy -- which usually resulted in a great conversation over dinner and him falling asleep on the couch while we watched TV after.  Through his commitment to spending time with me, despite his sleep depravation and physical exhaustion, I was able to see that he was truly interested in me and I was excited about it.  Dan graciously struggled through some of my relational issues as we continued to date throughout that spring and summer -- the Lord really worked on my heart and used Dan to show me a glimpse of what unconditional love meant.  As much as I tried to push him away, for fear of rejection - Dan continued to pull me closer.  Six months after our second date we were engaged (August 30, 2006).  We had just conveniently ended up at Indian Mound Park (St. Paul, MN) to take a walk only to find a bench with flowers, candles and champagne waiting for us.  Dan got down on one knee and I can't remember exactly what he said to me - but DO remember that he told me he loved me and asked me to marry him -- I said yes. After we hugged, I noticed our friends sprinting out from behind a bush to congratulate us (they were planted to take pictures of the event).  We celebrated with them over champagne and a scoop of ice cream from Grand Ole Creamery.  It was a perfect night to begin our eight month engagement journey. 

Eight months to plan a wedding did seem short, but it apparently wasn't enough for us.  In that time we planned for our wedding day, I quit my job at Allianz Life Insurance to start work at General Mills, I was baptized by Pastor Michael Grose and we bought our first house in Golden Valley.

I still look back on April 21, 2007 and just smile.  There have been multiple occassions where I've turned to Dan and asked, "Don't you just wish we could get married again?!".  His response typically sounding something like, "Umm. No, we already are...".
I can't help it, I loved our wedding day! I know it seems stereotypical, but I am not a stereotypical girl - I didn't spend my childhood or really any years planning out my perfect wedding day.  In fact, it wasn't something I had given much thought to until I had to start making decisions about my own! The day went off without a hitch (well if you don't count the food poisoning that plagued our entire Bridal Party and EVERYONE that was in attendance at the Groom's Dinner the night before).  Fortunately, it did not hit most people until after the entire day was through (with the exception of my poor MOH sister- Lola).  Thankfully, Dan didn't get sick until about 1am on our wedding night - just happened to be that he got sick all over me while I was sleeping.  Our honeymoon was delayed one day due to the illness that quickly struck me as well - and we spent our first day as a married couple laying in bed, trying to keep our movements to a minimum.  "In sickness and in health...".

It's hard to believe how fast 3.5 years has gone by - it feels like just yesterday that we were relaxing in Mexico on our honeymoon.  In that time, we've gone through a lot of transformation -- we got a puppy (Cade), have done a TON of work to remodel our 1970 fixer-upper and we started attending Redeemer Bible Church in Minnetonka the Sunday after we got back from our honeymoon.  Dan had heard the Pastor on the radio and wanted to check it out since we were only about 10 minutes away.  We were hooked immediately and have been there ever since.  Pastor RW Glenn did something incredible in his sermon - he preached the Gospel.  It's really that simple, there aren't higher levels of understanding that we have to earn our way to - it's all rooted in the Gospel truth that Jesus Christ lived the perfect life that we cannot, died to atone for OUR sins (all of them) and rose again...it is finished! Nothing we do or say can earn our salvation.  We can rest in the hope of the Gospel, knowing that we are filthy sinners who need grace and mercy EVERY single day.