So many blessings!!!

Christmas time is my favorite time of the year!! And not because of the gifts I get, but the gift of friends,  family and fellowship that I get this time of year! This Christmas will mark the second without my PawPaw and the first without my Grandpaw. I miss them both but the feelings are intensified this time of year because of the annual traditions we always had. This year has been a wild roller coaster and with Emma on the way I think things will likely never slow down. :-)

So today marks the last day of work for the year and then off to my family!! MeMe got a stomach virus on Sunday and since she usually is the cooker of Christmas lunch looks like Michael, Mom and Me will be tackling that task. Mom did tell me last night that while MeMe is now feeling a little better...PapPaw is now sick so either way Christmas lunch will be at Mom and Dad's for the first time EVER! ;-) (or at least since I was born) All of our stuff is packed and presents are ready to be distributed to the appropriate family member upon arrival! Did I mention that I LOVE this time of year!!

Back to baby Emma. Week 25 has been great! For those of you still not on the week terminology that is 5 1/2 months down...three more to grow.  Emma is not about 13 1/2 inches from head to toe and weighs 1 1/2 pounds which is roughly the weight of your average rutabaga

She is slowly starting to change her look from long and lean with the addition of a little baby fat. This will help to fill out the wrinkled shin she is sporting now. They also tell me that she is growing more hair...and that if I could see it I would be able to tell the color and texture. We are really hoping for a ginger...or for those of us on this side of the pond a red head! Mom and Hunter both have red hair and Michael's beard is red so we feel like there is hope!

As for me I too am going to take a page from one of my friends...it's kinda a Bridget Jones report of the week... (thanks Elizabeth!)

How Far Along: 25 Weeks- due date is April 3rd

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 8 lbs

(Funny how if I look at me it looks like more but my doctor said I am right on track!)

Maternity Clothes: I can still wear a couple of regular drapey tops but I am maternity pants all the way!! and I have been wearing dresses and tights a lot too and that is nice!!

Gender: Girl Name: Emma Jean

After my Great Great Grandmother and My mom and MeMe's middle names.

Movement: Morning and evenings when I get still. Still can't pinpoint what makes her move.

What I miss: Being able to tie my shoes without a little pain...something I really took for granted apparently. :-)

Cravings: Up until last night I would say that I hadn't had one...but I smelled what I thought was a biscuit...and then had to make one!! Good thing we had some of those individual frozen ones.

Best Moment this week: Sleeping without interruption for 8 hours last night!!

On another note I read this week that I am really not growing more hair...it's just that the hair I normally shed naturally is staying put longer...so once the baby is here I will go through my own shedding process much like Brinkley! Just another fun thing to look forward to right! ;-)

Well that is all for now! 

 

Have a blessed week and enjoy all your time with family and friends!!

Luke 2: 1-20

The Birth of Jesus

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.  Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 


“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
   and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.  But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Steady growig is key!

Emma has made her way into 24 weeks! She is putting on weight (about 4 ozs since last week) and she is now a little over a pound. She is also about a foot long...and that is close to a normal ear of corn

Her taste buds are continuing to develop and there are now "branches" of her respiratory "tree" in her little lungs! She is still sporting the translucent skin but I am told that too will change soon. ;-)


As for me, I now look like I am trying to smuggle a soccer ball under my shirt! ;-) I also had the glucose screening test on Monday and so far no news is good news. I am not sure how I feel about the whole...if there is something wrong we will call but if not we will just talk about it in a month!! That is a long time!!

I also had my first bout with sickness this week! I was fine on Monday and sometime during the night I caught a cold. That cold put me out of commission for 2 days and while I am now back to work...My head isn't all the way here. I am a fan of medication when I have a cold and the fact that I am restricted to most of the good stuff didn't help matters much. Luckily my puppies were super sweet and cuddled with me most of the day! They also got their picture taken with Santa!!

They were at Sugarbears in Fayetteville and they did such a good job! Later we tried to walk around the square to take a family photo but it was far to cold and windy for that!!

We are now one week from spending some much needed time with my family in Brinkley!! Can't wait to see everyone and celebrate my favorite holiday of the year...the birth of Christ!!

Have a blessed week and if I don't write...a very Merry Christmas!

Jill

Just Dance!!!

Emma has made it to the 23 week mark and that means it's time for some dancing!!Not just because we are over half way to meeting her in person but because "they" say that if I sway to the music she can feel me dance! She is more than 11 inches long now and weighs just a little over 1 pound. (the weight of a large mango)

This added length has already caused some more noticeable movement in my tummy. And this week was the first time that Michael was able to feel her "kick". I use the kick loosely since she was actually hiccuping which is a totally different thing but feels similar...just much more repetitively!  She is also able to hear more sounds that are around her every day...like my hair dryer and Brinkley and Gabby's barking when a leaf flutters across the front yard. ;-) This is a good thing because it means she won't be that upset by the noises once she is on the outside her current home.

Things going on with me...Swelling may start to show up in the coming weeks or months by the end of the day. I think this weekend I will see about some of those yummy compression hose! :-)

Tomorrow marks 2 Weeks until Christmas and time with my family and I can hardly wait!! :-)

More to come next week...and I will be able to tell you how that glucose drink tastes!!

Be blessed!

Bananas, Carrots and Spaghetti Squash...Oh My!!

You know it's been too long when you see that you have three fruits and veggies compared to a quarter!! ;-)
We will start with the Week 20 banana...

 In week 20 when we found out that she really was a she, Emma Jean was as big as a banana! From head to bottom 6 1/2 inches and from head to heel an impressive 10 inches!! With all that length it is still strange to know that she only weighs 10 1/2 ozs. Like we were able to see on the ultrasound she is swallowing more now which I am told is good practice for her digestion. :-) And for those of you who have had babies and experienced the joy of the first poop...well that is forming to!

Week 21 brought us the visions of carrots...

 So in week 21 Emma is weighing three-quarters of a pound and 10 1/2 inches long from head to rump. If you are tracking that means she grew 4 inches in the course of a week!! Eyebrows and eye lids are present and her V jay jay (thanks for the word Miranda on Grey's Anatomy) is beginning to form as well. This week was Thanksgiving so we were down in Alabama visiting Michael's family and Emma even put on a small show for Michael's Mom as she played the konga on the inside of my tummy. Kicks and punches were big enough that she was able to see them!! This week marks the increased chance of the appearance of varicose veins...yuck. I am already doing my best to sleep on my left side... I am not too good at propping my feet up when I can and I haven't gotten support hose but since my family is prone to them I am gonna try all I can to minimize the damage. :-)

On a side note: While in AL I learned that there really isn't much that I don't see myself forcing Emma to wear!! If she is anything like Mom says I was, once she starts talking she will want to dress herself and then all bets are off. ;-)

Now that we are caught up here is week 22!! The Spaghetti Squash

This guy shows what I feel like is currently taking up residence in my belly! Emma is almost one whole pound now and now is really starting to look like a mini newborn. She has lips, eyebrows and eyelids and little tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed but still no pigment in her irises. She is covered with a fine hair right now called lanugo. Changes in me include the magnetic attraction of hands to my tummy. This might not be a big deal to most but to me...HUGE!! I am just not a fan of tummy touching weather my tummy is big or flat. This immediately makes me jump back a bit and it's worse with family for sure. Somehow they feel like it's okay for them but I beg to differ. I am also realizing that when people say "you really look pregnant now" it affects me more than it probably should. I start by feeling defensive...even though I know it's true. I guess it's due to the fact that I am 5 feet tall and I have always had to watch my weight but I am listening to my doctor and she says I am right on track and as long as I eat right and get in some physical exercise each day I am doing good!

Oh no...I just read the most terrible thing...apparently the lotion I am paying the big bucks for has no scientific proof that it can prevent stretch marks. :-( Hopefully the research is wrong...cause I would really like to NOT have stretch marks if all possible!

So that's what happening in my belly. On other notes here are some pictures from Thanksgiving with Michael's side of the family!!

Have a blessed and happy week!

It it a GIRL!!!

So without further adieu we would love the world to say hello to Emma Jean (or a least her current home in my belly!!)  We had our 20 week ultra sound yesterday and it was confirmed that the little guy, um gal inside me is actually a girl!!! We couldn't be happier!


People kept asking us if we cared what we were having and the truth is that we didn't care one way or another as long as the baby was healthy. But am I excited about a little girl...you bet! I will be able to have my very own dress up doll for as long as she will let me. If she is anything like me that won't last once she starts talking. I can't say that I remember this but I have been told that when I was in preschool and Mom would wake me up I would ask "What am I wearing", if I didn't like the option I wouldn't get up. :-) And that if I had my way I would change cloths 3-4 times a day!! Lets just say that this might be interesting!!

As for the name I wanted to give a little history about that too. Emma is my great great grandmothers name and Jean is both my Mom and my MeMe's middle name! Here are some pictures of the three of us at MeMe's birthday and a Christmas!!

 In the next couple of months I am going to get all the information I can about Emma so that I will be able to tell Emma all about her namesake. I think it's neat to have a name with history...my name was chosen from a character on a soap opera. :-D

And as promised here is a picture of me and my belly...covered up!!

 You may notice that something looks a little different with my hair...nope I am not adding red to it but Emma is!! :-) My hairdresser assures me that this is natural and that pigment changes in the hair is just one of those things that happen during pregnancy. Who knows...maybe I will luck out and get a beautiful red headed girl like my Mom!!! For week 20 it's same ole same ole! Growing baby...growing mommy...but the one thing that is new is that we are finally able to buy things!! Michael, being the amazing husband he is, went and put our crib, dresser and changing table/dresser on layaway yesterday! Next week when I am in Alabama with my mother in law we will start the fun registration process!!!! Sooooo excited to start the planning. :-D

That will do me for now!

Be blessed!

Riffraff

So  I have heard some amazing things about this place and I am finally going to get to check it out! :-) You should too!!! This Thursday they are having a holiday open house!! Come check out all the things you can't live without for the holiday season!!

Exploding Babies...

Well not exactly exploding babies but this week our baby's sensory development is exploding! She is in there developing her senses of smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Right now I would venture that the taste, and vision part would be very dull but being able to see what is in front of her, touch her surrounds and even hear Michael and my voice seem pretty big!  She is growing bigger and bigger and so is my belly! I think I finally feel like I look pregnant and not like I have been drinking a little too much. ;-) Next week I will see if I can post a picture of me with the belly! :-)

I am still shocked and amazed that this little guy is 6 inches long and 8 1/2 ounces!! All of that is happening under my skin...GOD is AMAZING! If you are like me and enjoy the quarter pictures...here is one for this week.

By the size of the shrinking quarter I can really tell that soon my baby is going to look like a small baby instead of fruits and veggies! ;-)

That's about all I know for now!

Have a blessed week!!!

JGW

Week 17 has come and gone...

So this post will cover both week 17 and 18!! ;-)

First things first...
Week 17 saw our baby's skeleton turning from soft cartilage to bone!! Her placenta is also growing stronger and thicker!! Good thing since she will need all the yummy nutrients she can get from now until she comes to meet us in person.!! The baby is now 5 oz. in weight (like a turnip) and is 5 inches from head to rump.

For baby, week 17 is more of the same...growing growing and more growing but for me it's causing some precarious issues with my balance. My trainer is working to help keep my balance from going the way of the dodo bird but just the same I have all but packed up my high heals for the next 22 weeks. :-)

And now...
We are in week 18!! Just two short weeks until we get the first real glimpse of what we are having!! :-D
The baby is now 5 1/2 inches long from head to rump which translates to about the length of a bell pepper and weights 5 1/2 ozs.





I don't know about you guys but this bell pepper looks smaller than a turnip. ;-)







Last weekend Michael and one of my best friends Bethany celebrated their 40th and 30th birthdays together with family from both sides and one of his favorite people Yoshi! Michael got his first store bought birthday cake and I may have ruined him for future cakes!

 

 We are truly blessed to have such wonderful families!! :-) 

That is all that is really going on in our lives right now...more to come next week!

Be blessed!

Anyone up for Mexican food?

No I am not have any of those dreaded cravings that you hear that so many people have but my baby is the size of an avocado this week! And when I think avocado I think guacamole!!

3 1/2 ounces and 4 1/2 inches long don't sound like much until you go back and look at week 4...

 

Now that was a seriously small thing growing then! It seems like  it's been sooooo long but at the same time it seems like yesterday when I was waving the positive test in Michale's face! :-D We are now for weeks away from possibly knowing what if she is a she or a he and we are very excited in anticipation!! We have been looking a cribs and bedding, but I am such a planner that it really depends on the sex. White Munire Bristol collection for a girl http://www.munirefurniture.com/bristol_05.htm and Newport in Espresso for a little boy! http://www.munirefurniture.com/newport_03.htm More decisions to come...after November 15th!

We have a super busy weekend coming up and we can't wait! My little brother, Buff and her hubby Garrison will be staying with us and one of my favorite former students Torrey and many of my pledge sisters are coming in town for the game too!! :-) Now I just hope we play amazingly and then it will be perfect!!

Saturday night the pups have a Halloween party at Dog Party USA and then off to a yummy dinner with Jana and Elizabeth and our other halves at Jana and Bret's in Rogers. I am even going to be crazy and try to make a cake that a dear friend Meredith posted on her blog http://meredithsadams.blogspot.com posted last week! Fingers crossed!!!

I will be sure to post some presh pictures of my pups in their costumes!! Be looking for cuteness! ;-)

Be blessed!

Jill

The "apple" of our eye

You guessed it...little Wheeler is now the size of an apple!!

 

Week 15 is off to a great start! Feeling really good but I am not sleeping to well. I had a normal check up yesterday and Dr. Partridge told me that I can take a Tylenol PM or a Benadryl if I go several nights with restless sleeping. Since I was already on my third night of tossing and turning I took her advise...and PRESTO I slept until 6. I could have slept until 6:30 like normal but Brinkley wanted to tell me that it was time to rise and shine! ;-)

I learned that she is now 4 inches long and 2 1/2 inches long and while I can't take fluid up my nose, apparently it is perfectly normal for her and it actually helps her lungs develop. (No you didn't miss anything...I don't know that it's a little girl but I am tired of calling it an "it" in this blog so for the next 4 weeks she will be a her and if we learn something different on November 10th then I will change my terminology then!) She is moving around now and soon I am told I will be able to feel her! :-D Her legs are finally longer than her arms and she just floats around in her happy little home! Her eye lids are fused shut but if I wanted to make her move I can shine a flashlight on my tummy and "they" say she will try to get away from the beam. All I can think about is Look Who's Talking Too Look Who's Talking Too trailer
When Julie is still in the belly. It's not even that great of a movie but thinking of her in there talking to me when I talk to her is just too exciting!!

On a non baby note our family has experienced a loss this week. Michael's Aunt Kitty passed away this week after a more than 5 year battle with cancer. Please keep her husband, daughter and son in your thoughts and prayers. They have been through a lot over the past few years but she is now at peace and no longer in pain. I pray that the family she has left behind soon are able to experience the same peace too.

I leave you with a neat list by Rebecca Woolf:

1. You finally stop to smell the roses, because your baby is in your arms.

2. Where you once believed you were fearless, you now find yourself afraid.

3. The sacrifices you thought you made to have a child no longer seem like sacrifices.

4. You respect your body ... finally.

5. You respect your parents and love them in a new way.

6. You find that your baby's pain feels much worse than your own.

7. You believe once again in the things you believed in as a child.

8. You lose touch with the people in your life whom you should have banished years ago.

9. Your heart breaks much more easily.

10. You think of someone else 234,836,178,976 times a day.

11. Every day is a surprise.

12. Bodily functions are no longer repulsive. In fact, they please you. (Hooray for poop!)

13. You look at your baby in the mirror instead of yourself.

14. You become a morning person.

15. Your love becomes limitless, a superhuman power.

Have a blessed week!!

Jill

Squinting to see

Week 14 is upon us! So this week many new developments are occurring in my belly. The little guy or girl can squint, grimace, pee and possibly suck on their thumb!! Baby Wheeler is now 3 1/2 inches from head to bottom and is about the size of a lemon and weighing only 1 1/2 ounces!!

At 5 foot even I can say that I am starting to show...not much but it's there. I am meeting with a personal trainer for the next 6 weeks (and maybe beyond too) to make sure that I gain weight appropriately and that I stay toned and fit throughout the remainder of my pregnancy. I want the delivery to go a smoothly as possible and the recovery after to be swift as well! By making sure to do the proper exercises correctly throughout my pregnancy I will keep up my energy and my spirits!

This week myself and four of my co-workers went to an Advising conference in Orlando, FL! It was a wonderful experience filled with laughter, fun and learning too. With all the excitement (and a trip to Magic Kingdom) I was still so ready to be back home! I missed Michael, my puppies and the comforts of home. It was a lot harder to find things I wanted/could eat while I was on the road and I ended up making more poor food choices than healthy ones. BUT I am back on the wagon and working hard to get all the good fruits and veggies this little guy needs to grow up big and strong! 

Oh and if you are a friend that I have EVER emailed from my hotmail account I want to let you all know that I am OKAY!! I was not robbed at gunpoint in Wales and you should not send money!!!! My hotmail account was hacked into this Thursday and the good criminals have locked me out of my account all together. I am working hard to cancel the account but until then DO NOT RESPOND to the email!! I am afraid even replying could potentially infect your address book! :-(

This weekend will be relaxing for the both of us! We are going to try and work on getting rid or things that we no longer need in the garage and maybe even go see the movie "Life as we Know it"

This week was short and sweet! More to come later!

Have a blessed day!!

Jill

13 weeks and counting...

Little Wheeler has fingerprints! And if she is a girl...which for some really strange reason I think she is...she has more than 2 MILLION eggs in her little ovaries!! Amazing! God never ceases to amaze me with the wonders of his creations!!  The visual for week 13 is a medium shrimp but for the life of me I don't know a medium shrimp that is bigger than an lime so I am a little confused. Maybe it's because if you stretch the baby out they will be long like a shrimp. ;-)

I had dinner with some of my wonderful pledge sisters this week and it was great to see them and the different stages they are at in their lives. Out of the 6 of us at dinner 3 are pregnant, two have children, 2 are single and 4 are married! It was wonderful to talk to people who have gone before me in their pregnancy to give me a glimpse into what it could be like for me. Food and fellowship both blessed me so much and it reminded me how much I need my friends along with my family during this time in my life!

They also introduced me to Rhea Lana  http://www.rhealana.com/  I am not at a point where I can even wrap my head around buying things for this little life inside of me but I think that Michael and I may have to go and check it out since it's here for the fall. I guess that when we know the sex of this little guy for sure I will feel more comfortable purchasing things for the nursery. Michael thinks that we can get gender neutral things or even look at cribs that we can paint but I really want to wait and get exactly what I want...even if that does mean a higher price tag in the end.

Well that about sums it up for me for this week. More to come soon! :-)

Have a blessed day!

What's with all the "week" talk

I am the first to admit that when people say "I'm 23 weeks" I say "So what does that mean in months??"  I had always been under the impression that people were pregnant for 9 months not 40 weeks but now that I am prego I realize I was wrong!! I am slowly but surely getting on the "week" bandwagon but my mom refuses to ride so I will find myself switching back and forth when I call home!

I am now in my 12th week (ending my 3rd month) and finishing up my first Trimester!!! I am reading several different books about pregnancy but I get most of my information from www.babycenter.com  Here is the skinning for this week!

      "The most dramatic development this week: Reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over two inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce."

This little life is growing leaps and bounds!! So far I have gained 3 lbs and for most that would not seem like that much...but on a 5' tall gal it's quite a bit. I celebrated my birthday with my family this weekend by buying my first pregnancy cloths. I got some pants, shirts and a pair of leggings and I was soooooo happy. Since my growth is only making me rounder in the waist it's reeking havoc on my pants!! :-) I am not quite ready for the maternity pants but I can see that in the next few weeks I will be needing these new purchases like no other!! Also for those who know me well, I have always been blessed in the chest area and most shirts I owned pre-pregnancy no longer fit my chest even though they still fit my stomach. All in all I can say that the shopping trip made me feel so much better about myself so thank you to all those who contributed money...Mom, Dad and my wonderful husband Michael! My MeMe also gave me the gift of make-up! She suggested I enjoy taking time with my make-up now because once I have a little one the time just disappears! ;-)

On a non pregnancy note Michael had oral surgery this past Friday! He had two permanent teeth removed and steel rods put into his bone!! :-( He was a trooper and now has 4 months to heal before his permanent teeth get put in. Until then he has what the dentist calls a "flipper" with to fake teeth attached. He hates it!! He has had the weekend to try and get used to it but for the most part he just keeps them out. This works at home but when he feels good enough to get back to work he will have to keep his teeth in. Due to his surgery he was not able partake in the Little Rock fun but he had fun of his own. (while not wearing his new teeth!) He got a friend to help him unload his truck that was filled with cabinets to organize our garage!! When I came home it looked GREAT!! I had plenty of room to park and there was even a new stand up freezer. :-D


And lastly it's my birthday today! It's a great day to turn 29 and I can't believe how fast the first 29 years have flown by!!! Something tells me that it won't slow down anytime soon!

Thanks for reading and have a blessed day!!

Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

                                                                                                                               Colossians 1:10

Home Remodeling

Wow...hold on...I am posting twice in one week! This is truly a big deal!!

Michael and I have decided to do a little remodeling around our house. We have decided that two tiny feet should do the trick!

You are reading that shirt right!! We are going to be parents!!!! The due date may be a little earlier or later but you know what they say... "it'll come when it's ready!" We are soooo excited for our first child and so far things are going great. I have been truly blessed not to have the morning sickness you see on the movies and no real cravings to speak of yet. (I know that they can still come!!) Our whole family is excited about the first grandchild and the next 9 weeks until we know if it's a he or a she are going to be soooooo long!


More to come when there is more to tell!  Until then..... WE ARE GOING TO BE PARENTS!!! :-D

And so it goes....

The fall semester is now in full swing. I never thought in my wildest dreams I would be 28 years old and still gauging my time by semesters but that is the life a someone in higher education! The students are now settled in their classes and awaiting their first tests so it's fairly slow around the office but that will not last long!!

Football is now in full swing and that means Michael is one happy camper!! His favorite part of football season is the tailgating! This year we started it off right with 10 folks coming by our set up including 2 there for their first Razorback game!! We are looking forward to the next home game. :-)

Michael bought me my first SLR camera this year for our anniversary and for the past few weeks I have been in a photography class at Bedford Camera to learn the fine art of photography. I can't say that I have it down yet but at least I am being exposed to it now!  Here are a few shots that I did for homework that I thought didn't stink. ;-)

Something "square"

Trying to "stop motion"

Here is something "square" and trying to "stop motion".  Hopefully with practice I will keep getting better and with enough practice I may even develop an "eye" for a shot. 


I really hope to start blogging more regularly but I want to have something to talk about when I do so it may be a while!! 


Have a blessed day!!

Scanning fun...

So I have embarked on a great journey...to scan all the photos my mom and I have taken with the 35mm film over the past 40ish years!! I was able to make a dent but I still have a long way to go!

How do i have all this free time you ask...well that is because i have finally finished my masters!!! You can now call me Jill Geisler Wheeler, BSBA, M.Ed., MS and soon to add LAC!!! :-D  I have loved both my masters degrees but I am sooooo happy to be finished with school!! Can you tell by all my exclamation marks?? Here is a picture with me and a beautiful gal named Anna from the Social Work program. We spent a wonderful year together in our internship at CAPS on the University of Arkansas campus. Everyone asks so let me clear this up...I am finished with school...NO PHD in my future! :-D

Now when I am not scanning pictures I will try to find other fun things to do. Here is my list so far: Take a photo class (mine starts in August), read for fun (currently I am working through the Stephanie Plum series), keep my house cleaner, get involved in a Bible study either with friends or my church and any other ideas??

Back to business

Well it's been far too long! With Michael's return from Iraq in December 2008, I spent the last year and a half getting used to having him back in my life full time and it has been great!

Since my last post I have been super busy with finishing my second masters degree in counseling. I am now one class, a major standardized test and oral interview away from having my LAC or licensed associate counselor license! At that point I would be able to practice the mental health counseling that I have spent the last three years in school studying for...and the rest of my life preparing me for that schooling. :-) For now I have no desire to quit my wonderful job at the UofA but I would like to still

be able to do some counseling on the side, but before any of that can happen I still have to complete this class, take that test and sit alone in front of the board of examiners!!

Michael has been super busy with his new favorite pastime - gardening! He is not only a great chef in the kitchen but now he is able to cook those veggies in our backyard for the family enjoyment!! He has a new position at Walmart but all I really know it that he works with peoples budgets. :-) He is still in the National Guard and will be gone for a month of training in June to Fort Sill. Normally I would dread this time of training but this time it will give me the time to finish this independent study course! When he gets back he will meet me in Orlando, FL for a few days of R&R at the happiest place on earth.

We have had a lot of events in our families over the past two years. Both of our Paw Paw's are now with our Father in heaven, Michael's mom Saundra has been diagnosed and cured of colon cancer, my father just yesterday had a close scare with his heart and had his third stint put into one of the back arteries that was 95% blocked, cousins have graduated, Michael's younger brother graduates on Thursday, Mom and I just got back from an amazing mother daughter trip to Las Vegas

and the list could go on and on!!! We are so blessed to have family and friends that we love an that love us too!!

I will hopefully be better at keeping up with this now that I am almost done with school for good but be patient with me. :-) Well that is enough for now. Have a great night!