OUR REALLY BIG NEWS!!!

I meant to write this post two days ago, but I've just been too tired to get it done.

Why am I so tired you ask?

Maybe it's from the anxiousness of easing into my new job. Or maybe it's because I haven't slept well the last few nights due to a stuffy nose. Or it could be because I'm still trying to recover from all the excitement from last week when I had the Wedding Show to coordinate.

Or maybe, just maybe, it's because...

I'M PREGNANT!!!!

Yep, you read correctly! We are expecting baby #2 at the end of November this year! Y'all know that we have been trying for some time... what you do not know is that we were actually shocked to find out that we are pregnant.

Let me explain...

We were discouraged by the fact that so many months had gone by without a positive pregnancy test, so Ryan and I both went to the doctor at the beginning of February to see if he could provide us with any explanations. We didn't even have to wait a full week before test results came back telling us that we only had a 3% chance of conceiving naturally.

We were both devastated by the news, but didn't let it stop us from continuing to try. We just assumed that we weren't going to get pregnant even though we were still trying!

Now you would think that seeing as how I have been pregnant before and knowing that we were trying to get pregnant, that I would have clued in to the symptoms that I was having. But no... I was convinced that I had a urinary tract infection! It wasn't until the doctor said that he was going to do a UTI test AND a pregnancy test that I even realized that I was 2 days late in my cycle.

Both the UTI test and the pregnancy test came back NEGATIVE. My Dr. suspected that it was still too soon for his office test to give an accurate result, so he sent me to have blood work done to give us a definite answer regarding the pregnancy. At this point, we didn't know what to think. We were hopeful that I truly was pregnant, but we didn't want to get our hopes up to just be disappointed either. Also, all of this was happening the afternoon after I had my final interview with Trinity Western for my new job.

The following morning, I was up at 4:30 doing a home pregnancy test. Ryan and Anna both waited anxiously with me as we saw the TWO LINES TURN PINK! Still, I wouldn't let myself believe it until I received a phone call from my doctor around 10:00 that morning confirming that the blood test showed that yes, I was indeed pregnant!

I phoned Ryan, and then Anna. Then I had to make the phone call to Trinity Western. I could not in good faith let them prepare a contract for a job offer without letting them know that I was pregnant. A few hours later I received a phone call back from them assuring me that nothing had changed, and that I would be receiving a contract shortly!

I am now at the end of my 6th week of pregnancy, which is still very early. So far I haven't had any crazy symptoms other than the frequent trips to the potty, feeling even more tired than usual, and the need to snack throughout the day. Thankfully, I haven't started gaining any weight yet, but my body is already starting to change shape.

Reagan is already proving that she is going to be a fantastic big sister. She's already talking to the baby and giving my belly lots of super sweet hugs. According to her, if this baby is a girl we will name her Cinderella, and if it's a boy, we will name him Prince Charming!

It's going to be a long wait for all of us until November 21st gets here!

Returning to Trinity

I haven't kept it a secret on my blog that I have been very unhappy working at the Hampton Inn. I enjoyed my position as the Event Coordinator... it suited me well with my background with weddings and event planning. But day after day, I was being pulled away from that position to cover shifts for other employees at the front desk. While I did enjoy meeting and mingling with many of the hotel guests, I was unable to give my full attention to my corporate clients. I reached my breaking point when I started being placed on the schedule to work the front desk on weekend shifts.

I started looking online for new opportunities, and all roads pointed back to Trinity Western University. I worked at TWU before I was pregnant with Reagan, and I absolutely loved everything about the University. The TWU workplace is a very unique working environment. It is rare to find a place to work where everyone lifts each other up and offers such respect and support to their coworkers... Trinity has that sense of community.


I applied online for 2 different positions at the University, and within a week I was asked to come in to interview for each of the two positions. Interviews at TWU are no walk in the park! Trinity Western University is dedicated to providing both Faculty and Staff a workplace that is supportive of each individual's God given abilities. The recruiting process is carefully detailed in hopes of hiring the best individuals for the University's needs. The first requirement that any individual must meet is to be a warm-hearted, dedicated, committed and mature evangelical Christian with a keen desire to serve in family, church, work and community with a firm commitment to TWU’s Mission, Statement of Faith and Responsibilities of Membership. One must also have an impeccable character and reputation, a pleasant personality with a positive and friendly attitude in the midst of a very busy and challenging university atmosphere.

I had two interviews for the first position, and was informed a few days later that the job had been given to another person. I was then invited for three more interviews for the second position. During the third interview, I knew that I was going to be offered the job. I came home that evening and was elated to replay the events to both Ryan and Anna. All I had to do was to wait for the official contract to be drawn up, and then I could give my notice to the Hampton.

The next morning, Ryan and I discovered that I had one slight hesitation for returning to work at Trinity. (I will post more details about that in my next blog post!) I phoned and discussed my concerns with my potential new bosses, and then I left the decision in their hands. I received a phone call that afternoon assuring me that all would be taken care of, and a contract was emailed to me the next day!

Wednesday last week was my last day at the Hampton Inn, and tomorrow will be my first day back at Trinity Western. I am the new administrative assistant for the Student Success Center, and I will be working closely with both the Advising Office and the Career Center. I am so excited to be returning to Trinity... I truly feel like I am returning "home" to work!

Dance-A-Thon

Last month, Reagan's pre-school hosted a dance-a-thon to raise money for World Vision. Specifically, Regan raised money for preschoolers in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has among the highest under-five mortality rates in the world - 166 deaths under five years of age for every 1000 births. For the children that do survive, malnutrition and disease reek havoc with brain and body development.

Reagan's preschool has strongly enforced the phrase, "Give to a child and you change their life. Teach a child to give, and they will change the world."

Reagan raised over $325 towards this cause, and all of the Wind & Tide preschools involved together raised over $71,000!

The kids learned a valuable lesson, and they had a great time shaking their cute little booties all day long!

The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games

The past week has been a week of transition in our house... we are trying to figure out just exactly what we are supposed to be doing with ourselves now that the Olympics are over! For over 2 weeks, we sat in wonder and amazement, glued to our television watching all of the events unfold. From day one when Canada won their first ever gold medal on home soil, to the final event in which Canada won the gold in men's hockey, we watched it all. I even became a fan of curling... a sport that I have never ever understood in the past.

We didn't have tickets to any of the events, but there was no way that we were going to miss out on the opportunity of a life time that was happening practically in our own backyard! On Valentine's Day, we loaded up and headed to downtown Vancouver to become a part of the excitement.

This was Reagan's first time on the Sky Train Transit (it's like the monorail at Disney) and I think she would have been happy to have just stayed on the train all day long!
We took the train to the Waterfront Station... the last stop possible. This was the perfect place to start our tour of downtown, as the outdoor Olympic Cauldron was less than a five minute walk away. In a sea of proud Canadians enjoying the Olympic atmosphere, Anna walked proudly waving her American flag!
Seeing the Olympic Cauldron was absolutely amazing. The Olympic rings were in the background off of Coal Harbor, and the view of the two of them was really inspirational and breathtaking for a sports fan like me. I have such respect and admiration for all of the athletes that have committed their lives to their sport, and I have always viewed making it to the Olympics as what has to be the ultimate highlight of an athlete's career. I will be the first to admit that I got a bit choked up just from the sight of the Olympic flame!
We wandered the streets, mingling with people from all over the world for hours that day. Everyone was so happy and excited to be there that it truly felt like the whole world was your neighbor! Even without tickets, there was so much to see and do.
Anna and I both wanted to purchase some official Team USA Olympic gear, but we were extremely disappointed by Mr. Ralph Lauren. The cheapest T-SHIRT that we could find was $135! Sure, we could have gotten a USA t-shirt from a street vendor for next to nothing, but only the items by Ralph Lauren had the official 2010 Team USA logo. I fell in love with a fleece pullover... until I saw the $445 price tag. After seeing the price of $660 for the winter coat that Anna wanted to purchase, she decided that a picture of her in the coat would be just as good!
We finished up the day by walking down to the Olympic Village where all of the athletes were staying. Of course, we didn't have clearance to actually enter the village... but it was pretty cool to see it just the same! The Olympic Village was directly across from BC Place Stadium and the Canada Hockey Place Stadium, separated by Falls Creek. BC Place is where the opening and closing ceremonies took place, and where all of the daily medal celebrations occurred. Canada Hockey Place Stadium (also known as GM Place, home of the Vancouver Canucks) is where most of the hockey games were played.
All of the flags of the participating countries were waving proudly in the breeze in front of the Olympic Village, and it made us proud to just simply be there and to be a part of the atmosphere.
It will be another 2 years before I can get my Olympic "fix", but I will probably never get another chance to experience it up close and personal like this ever again. My wish is that Reagan will be able to remember being able to be a part of the excitement, and that many years from now she will be able to tell her children about going to THE OLYMPICS!