Wake Up!

We’ve recently had 2 baby showers and we have been amazed at the generosity of all of our friends and family. Here’s what Madelyn’s room looked like after the 1st shower:

Video: Madelyn's Room

Here is her room after the 2nd shower:

And we still have 2 more showers to go! Where are we going to put it all? I guess it’s one of those great problems to have. We are so thankful for all of the love and support from everyone. God has truly blessed us!

This episode reminds me of the reason why I love this show so much: the characters. Sometimes I get so caught up in trying to figure out all the mysteries and connections that I forget how much I love all of the flashbacks. If we get to the end of the series and not all the loose ends are wrapped up (and I don’t think they will be), Lost will still be one of the best TV shows in my book simply because of the characters.

Desmond is becoming one of my favorite characters and I love every glimpse we get into his background. Desmond struggles with the concept of meaning in his life and his search for purpose has isolated him from his friends and loves ones. I love the way Desmond continues to save Charlie’s life even though he thinks its a pointless endeavor. His dilemma of to save Charlie or not to save Charlie was intriguing. Is it possible that Desmond’s purpose is to save Charlie’s life? I hope this storyline is explored more in the future.

I loved the campfire scene were Jin was telling a ghost story in Korean and he still scared Hurley. Things between Jack, Kate, and Sawyer are still confusing and it seems that maybe Kate is using Sawyer to get to Jack.

I did some research on this episode and picked up on some things I didn’t notice when I watched it.

1. The head monk (Campbell) has a picture on his desk of him and Ms. Hawking. You will remember her as the woman from the antique shop in Desmond’s previous episode. She seemed to know everything about Desmond.

2. The Catch 22 book that was found with the Sat phone was written in Portuguese. The 2 men from the very end of the season finale last year (that apparently work for Penny) were speaking Portuguese.

3. The picture of Desmond and Penny found in the book was in fact the same photo Desmond has. That is obvious. But….if you will remember back to when that photo was taken there was only one copy made!…..Hmmmmm….

4. Here’s a crazy theory that I found……If Desmond did in fact time travel in his previous episode, is it possible he told Penelope everything he could about the island while he was with her? Is she now searching for him based on that information? Crazy!!!!!!

This article goes into a lot more detail about all this stuff. Very interesting reading….

Well, as always I can’t wait for more. Who is this stranger that fell from the sky? She obviously knows Desmond. Maybe she works for Penelope..

“Hope I’m not interrupting. You two arguing over who’s your favorite Other?”
-Sawyer

We’re almost at 36 weeks and Angie and Madelyn are doing great. We are now going to the Dr. every week. Today the Dr. told us that Madelyn is now positioned head down. Of course I was thinking to myself, “Huh? Is that normal?”, being the clueless first-time dad that I am. She assured me that everything was normal and that put me at ease. The Dr. estimates that Madelyn is close to 5 lbs at this point. Heartbeat was normal…so far so good. Please continue to pray for both Angie and Madelyn over the next few weeks. Angie has to make some tough decisions about when to stop teaching soon, so pray for guidance for us in that area as well.

Since we’re talking prayer please remember to pray for all of those who are grieving and hurting after the Virgina Tech tragedy. During these difficult times it is hard to know what to do or say, but one thing we can do is ask God to comfort those who are hurting. God Bless….

Psalm 17:6
“I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer.” NIV

There’s a lot of things I don’t get. Take Nascar for example. Millions of people are obsessed with the sport, and for the life of me I can’t figure out why. I’ve even watched it in High Definition. Still puts me to sleep in record time. Watching someone walk 26 miles on a treadmill would be far more exciting.

Or how about those Bluetooth wireless ear pieces? I don’t get ‘em. Granted, I understand that they make driving while talking safer for motorists, and I gladly applaud anyone behind the wheel who uses them. But the dude in the grocery store walking around with one protruding from his ear….is that really necessary? Congratulations! You have a Bluetooth ear piece….and we all know it. (But just in case we missed it please talk loudly to yourself so we notice). I don’t hate you if you are one of the aforementioned Bluetooth flaunting grocery store dudes….I just don’t get ya.

Also, I really don’t get all you people out there who don’t watch Lost. How can you not watch the absolute best show on TV? You are an enigma to me……

But what I really don’t get is how someone can claim that there is no God. During our extremely LONG child birth class the other day, we were flooded with facts and information on pregnancy and labor. I was amazed at how many things I didn’t know and at how complex the human body is. All of the details of Madelyn’s development and growth are so fascinating. Thinking about the way a mother’s body changes and adapts throughout the whole process is simply mind-blowing. While on the one hand it all seems so complex, on the other there is an incredible sense of order that is so evident. It all points to a Creator.

Many choose to explain the miracle of life away as just an act of mother nature, or even an amazing accident. But every time we hear Madelyn’s heartbeat or feel her move we experience something different. We behold the beauty of God’s creation. How anyone could deny that I will never know. I just don’t get it…..

Genesis 1:1
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” NIV

Wow! Another great episode tonight. This was the kind of episode I love because quite a few things were revealed or explained. Here’s some of my observations in no particular order of relevance:

1. I love having another Juliet flashback so soon. Her character continues to intrigue me and she is such a great addition to the show. I couldn’t help but chuckle when Hurley asked her where she was when they were captured on the docks. “It was my day off..” Touche’ writers…

2. Now we understand what happened to Claire in Season 1, and we have a clearer picture as to what Ethan and the Others were doing. The fact that no women had been able to give birth on the island before Claire’s arrival is an interesting development that I didn’t see coming at all. Add that to Ben’s insistence that no cancer had been found in any of the Others (until it was discovered in himself of course) makes me wonder if these Others are a part of a “Utopian” group who have fled society and all of its “problems”. Is this one large medical/social experiment gone wrong?

3. For awhile now I have assumed that the Others knew of the Survivors before their plane crashed. After Ben sees the plane crash he orders Mikhail (eye-patch dude) to obtain all of the passenger information. It seems that the plane crash was just as much a surprise to the Others as it was to the Survivors. (This also sheds some more light on just how much power and ability the Others have. They must have some serious connections to get detailed passenger information that quickly).

4. Just when Juliet has fooled us all (including Jack) we find out that she is working as a double agent….or is she? Is she fooling the Survivors or is she fooling Ben? If she really wants off the island (the flashbacks seem to support this) maybe she has decided it’s time to double-cross ole Ben. I sure hope that’s the case, but I won’t be surprised either way. Ben says he will see her in a week, so I guess we will find out soon.

Well I’m hooked again and pumped for next week. 5 more episodes to the big finale. Can’t wait..

“O look! It’s 3 men and a baby………I counted Hugo twice.”
-Sawyer

Well…..I’m back. I have regretfully neglected my poor blog for a couple of months. I hope this isn’t a precursor to what kind of father I will be…..I’ve decided to jump into this blogging business again and see where it takes me. I’m still chasing that writing dream, and they say the best way to become a writer is to write, write, and write some more. So here we go…..

Life is good and every day I am reminded of just how blessed I am. Madelyn Grace (yes we picked a name) will be here very soon. May 18th is the due date, and gasp…that’s just over a month away! People ask me all the time if we are ready. Honestly, I don’t know if there is anything I can do to be ready for this next awesome chapter of my life. But I am so excited and at the same time so terrified. Excited because very soon I will hold my precious daughter in my arms. This little girl that I am already totally in love with. Every time she kicks my hand I am wound tighter and tighter around those little fingers. Terrified because of all the unknowns. I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t worry about health complications and such things that plague the mind of any parent. I worry about being a good dad and the daunting task that lies before me. I’m scared she will have my ugly feet. (If you’ve seen my feet you no doubt are shouting AMEN at this moment.) Despite the fears and worries, I wouldn’t trade this for anything in the world. I already feel like the luckiest dad ever and I haven’t even seen her yet.

I love my wife. I always have, and throughout this pregnancy I have fallen more and more in love with her. She is amazing. We attended a 9 hour childbirth class (yes….9 hours!) last Saturday. Yes, of course we waited until the last minute to sign up. If you know us you shouldn’t be asking ridiculous questions like that. The class was informative, helpful, eye-opening, and extremely loooonngggg!!!!!! As we watched videos and studied charts and diagrams, I began to look at Angie in a whole new light. After seeing all that, and processing all the information, and beginning to realize exactly what is coming, she is determined and focused and ready. Sure she is scared, worried, etc. I wouldn’t exactly say that she is looking forward to labor either. But I think she is seeing what a beautiful and unique experience this is, and her faith in God is strong and pure. She has strength without measure and she blows my mind. She is an awesome mom and an incredible wife. See…I told you I was blessed.

We’ve done all the normal things new parents do at this point. We’ve worked on the nursery. Angie and her mom painted a beautiful mural on the walls. Here’s a picture:

We have a crib that is currently lying in pieces in the nursery. (It’s on my To Do List. I just need to find someone TO DO it. ) We bought a new video camera so I can document all those precious moments. (By the way, if anyone knows how to post video on blogger please let me know. I don’t want to overload everyone’s emails with pictures and videos). We’ve been so blessed with family and friends that have given us so much, and we have 3 showers coming up soon. We can’t thank everyone enough for all the material and spiritual support we’ve had. We pre-registered at the hospital (Denton Regional) last week, and that was a bit surreal. We have a stroller and a car seat ready to go, and we really had fun putting that whole contraption together. We changed the office into the office/guestroom. (Something tells me Madelyn’s grandparents are going to be making a few visits.) And most importantly we have been praying. Every night we pray for Madelyn and Angie, and for God’s strength and guidance for us as parents. It is our goal to always pray with Madelyn (and all of our children) every night, so that they will grow up seeing the value and importance of prayer. It is a challenging task for sure, but one that we feel is vitally important.

As I said earlier…life is good. It’s not perfect or trouble-free or even easy. But it is good. I can’t complain and I would be a fool to try. It is my hope and prayer that no matter what the future holds, my focus and strength will always be found in the One who blesses me eternally.