Updates

Spend a day in the life of the Byxbes...and you may just get crazy! But it's a good kind of crazy (mostly). While I most enjoy blogging about ideas over events, I feel compelled to share a little about the events in our life.

Job

I'm currently teaching Maymester which is a fourteen day semester. And I am loving it! The students are lively, the pace is demanding, and the commitment is short-lived. In the fall, after returning from maternity leave, I'll work as a consultant with the CBC at USC (basically the business school's version of a writing center) before returning to the classroom in January.

Baby

Emma Kate seems to be doing great in there :) For the first time this week Ben has been able to place his hand over my stomach and feel her ever stronger kicks, punches, and somersaults. The next doctor's appointment is Thursday, May 20th - just another routine checkup. Our second trimester is quickly winding down, and by the end of June, we'll be entering the final trimester. We've decided to paint the nursery Pale Daffodil and use bumblebees as a fun accent theme.

Coke

I recently blogged about my concerns over soda consumption and shortly thereafter set a goal to drink no sodas for 21 days (I've heard you can form a habit in that many days). Well, I cheated. For my birthday a friend gave me a gift card to the movies, and on Friday when Ben and I went to see Iron Man 2, I ate buttered popcorn and drank some Cherry Coke. I made it 2/3 of the way to my goal, and despite the disappointment, there's good news! As I took my first gulp of soda, I prepared myself to enter into some soda-induced bliss and to realize that I missed soda terribly. Nothing of the sort happened. In fact, I ended up drinking as much of the bottled water I brought with me into the movies as I did soda. Currently I'm deciding on three options: 1) Reserve soda for certain, special occasions (like going to the movies, which we don't do often...maybe once every 4 months) or 2) limiting myself to one a week or 3) continuing an indefinite hiatus from sodas. The best I can say right now - we'll see!

Summer

We're moving. In fact, our condo currently has no living room furniture, books, winter clothes, and half of our pots, pans, and utensils! In preparation for Emma Kate and so our pups can have a back yard once again, we're moving back to the house that Ben owns. We're definitely looking forward to the new changes but will miss the good things about our current community - good neighbors (Toni, Travis & Lizzie), a maintenance free yard, and a swimming pool.

Church

Columbia Church is moving right along and we're anticipating a Fall launch! Ben's had a couple of opportunities to preach recently, which is a great outlet for him. Every day I'm more and more thankful for the family we have through Columbia Church, and I pray that everyone in this city will experience the same joy!

As life continues to unfold, we'll be thankful for the many, many ways God has provided a way for us through the good, interesting, difficult, and even normal joys of life!