Our big basement project has stalled for a bit.  As I previously mentioned, we were awaiting some better bids to do the needed plumbing and electrical work downstairs before we can install drywall. 

Thank you READERS!  We ended up going with one of the plumbers you suggested.  He is set to begin work this week.  Tonight, we’re planning to make a trip to the home improvement store to pick up our shower, toilet, and fixtures for the new bathroom.  So the project is moving along! 

We’re still working to secure an electrician so if you have more recommendations–I’ll take them!  And since Floyd will be going back to teaching SO SOON, (crazy how fast summer flew by!) ALL of the drywall likely won’t be finished for a while.  But it’s great to see progress picking up again, and I’ll look forward to seeing the finished product.  I’ll be sure to share more in-progress pictures as more things get added!

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This weekend, the humidity really made my fingers get poofy.  (Thank you pregnancy.)Saturday morning, I could barely get my wedding rings on.  There have been many days where this has not been an issue.  But the past week has been a bit challenging!  I feel kind of naked without my rings on.  So I refused to just leave them in the jewelry box without figuring out an alternative.  So I went to the mall and purchased a very inexpensive ($10) sparkly ring to adorn my left finger. 

My new fake bling

Even though it’s not “my” wedding and engagement set, I still like looking down at my left hand and thinking about the day I married my best friend, Floyd.  So even if it’s not the real deal, it will do its job for the time being:  keeping a smile on my face and letting the world know I’m “off the market”!

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Floyd is one of those “morning people.”  During the school year, he usually gets up around 5 a.m. to get ready, have coffee, watch the news, and head off to work.  But even during the summer he’s up pretty early, usually before 7 a.m.  So that leaves me waking up alone.  The past two days however, I’ve woken up to a nice surprise:  Floyd laying right by my side cuddling up!  After the first day, I told him, “I really enjoyed having you by me when I got up!”  So it was super sweet when I found him right by me again this morning.  It’s a small thing, but it really meant a lot to me.  I enjoyed every minute!

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I was so anxious from the moment we found out we were having a baby to know if the little one was a boy or girl.  Now that we know we’ll be welcoming a boy, I couldn’t stand waiting to complete our baby registry to pick out all the cute goodies that will adorn his room.  Floyd was a trooper.  He especially enjoyed scanning items into the list that included outfits saying things like “I love my daddy,” or “My dad is awesome”.  I can’t blame him.  I was all over the cute “mommy” adorned stuff too!  We found a ton of cute sports items to decorate his room in.  And I couldn’t resist adding all the items online I could find that were St. Louis Cardinals baseball related.  (GO CARDS!) 

At any rate, I could tell that as we were finishing the last few items on the check list, Floyd was ready to be done with the whole “shopping” thing.  So I volunteered to take him to his favorite Chinese place for dinner.  It was a nice evening to celebrate the little boy in my belly.

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A BOY! 

Our baby boy, Drake

Multi-dimensional picture of our son

It’s official.  Floyd & I were able to see some amazing images of our son today.  He’s growing right on target and everything looks healthy.  Floyd, of course, was grinning ear to ear.  And I loved it when he said, “Just think:  It’s great to have a son first.  Then he can be the protector of the daughter we hope to have one day.”  He’s going to be such a great daddy. 

Posing with his fist on his chin

We had an awesome morning of making all the phone calls to share the news with our family and closest friends.  The KWWL news staff also enjoyed some cupcakes I baked topped with light blue frosting.  There’s a lot to do over these next few months:  finish the basement, start the nursery, have a shower, attend baby classes, and the list goes on!  But this is certainly an exciting new chapter for us, and we’re happy to share the joy!

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This week, my husband and his twin brother, Vaughn, turn the big 3-0!  Vaughn’s wife, Shannon, and I have been working on plans for a big birthday bash for a few months now.  We’ve got a hall and DJ booked, food and beverage arrangements made– now we’re just ready for the big day to arrive! 

Floyd & Vaughn with Vaughn's twin sons, Lane & Xander in 2009

Over the years, I’ve thrown Floyd a variety of different birthday parties.  The first few years we were a couple, we had pool parties for he & Vaughn at my family’s property.  The biggest one was for the 21st birthday.  We had a Hawaiian theme and decked out the whole pool area with tiki torches, grass skirts, leis, you name it!  The last few years have been more quiet celebrations at home with friends, often around a barbecue and some cake!  It will be nice to get together with all of our family for this year’s big 30th celebration.

Some people dread birthdays, but I think they’re a great time to celebrate and reflect on personal milestones and accomplishments.  For Floyd & I, this will be the first birthday as parents-to-be.  For Vaughn & Shannon, they’re now parents of twins and expecting their third child next month.  All of us have gone through a lot of professional and personal changes.  And one thing I’m grateful for–we have each other!  I’m pretty blessed with amazing in-laws, and I love the relationship Floyd & Vaughn have.  They’re as close as brothers can be.  So cheers to 30  years boys– and let’s celebrate!  (Details on the shin-dig and photos to come!)

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I never cease to be amazed by the ways that families, friends, and communities come together in a time of need.  Today, I was in Vinton covering the clean-up efforts of massive storms.  Friends, family, and neighbors of storm victims came together to do anything they could to help make a dent in the clean-up process. 

Home toppled with trees in Vinton

I was struck by the same sense of community while in Cedar Rapids Sunday night.  We had just learned  a soldier from the city had been killed while on active military duty in Afghanistan.  As we talked with folks that lived in his neighborhood, one woman explained how she’d have conversations with his wife often just to see how she was doing.  And her husband kept the couple’s lawn mowed to help out while the soldier was away.  The couple had even been clearing out some old bushes to spruce up the lawn to make things look beautiful before the soldier was set to come home from deployment next month.

I think it’s awesome when people step up to the plate to help each other out in a time of crisis or need.  It makes me think of how we each do that in our friendships, families, and marriages, too.  It’s something unique to the human spirit:  when we see our fellow mankind down and out, we are compelled to help.  It should also be an encouragement for us to look for small ways to step up to the plate in everyday situations that often go unnoticed, perhaps  an elderly neighbor who just needs someone to chat with once in a while.  It’s food for thought.

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Our BIG project before the baby arrives is to finish our basement.  We will be converting our guest suite upstairs into a nursery, of course.  So the guest bedroom will be moving down to the basement.  A couple weeks ago, my brother-in-law Vaughn and one of he and Floyd’s good friends, Tony, came up from St. Louis and framed out the new walls.  It was a great start to what is going to be a major undertaking!

But now the rest of the work begins.  Floyd has been so great lately about takin’ care of business!  We have needed to get estimates from electrical and plumbing folks to add extra outlets and run plumbing to the new basement bathroom area, and he’s been getting that all lined up.  (We’re still looking for good bids– if you know someone that does this stuff, let me know!)  Today, we went to a home improvement store to start looking at bathroom fixtures.  We found a great vanity and sink ON SALE!  (Pictures to come!)  And we got prices on the shower and toilet for future purchase when we get to that point.  Floyd’s working to arrange a vehicle swap so we can make drywall runs to get the walls installed in the basement.  And then we’ll be done!  (But that’s quite a list!)

Of course, Floyd has the summer “off” since he’s a teacher.  But our busy social schedule, coupled with a grueling summer course he’s taking, have kept him pretty busy.  So I’m impressed that he’s stayed on top of the needed work for our basement makeover.  I know we’ll both be glad when it’s finished.  It will just mean it’s getting closer to the time we bring our new bundle of joy into the world!

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Last night, Floyd and I spent a few hours volunteering with the Waterloo Jaycees at the Fireworks Festival downtown.  When I stepped out of our volunteer station for a few minutes to watch the fireworks show, I looked around at how everyone was just standing still, staring at the sky to watch these man-made explosive wonders.  I started thinking about the reason we celebrate the Fourth of July.  That night, when I was laying in bed, I was just thinking about all the incredible reasons we have to be thankful for our country’s independence.  We are SO LUCKY to have the privilege to live in a country where we can speak our minds, have our own beliefs, elect our leaders,  and have virtually unrestricted access to information (particularly when compared to some highly restricted countries abroad).  I think it’s important on this holiday weekend, that we all take that second to think about the freedoms we enjoy.  All too often, we tend to take these things for granted. 

Firefighter Combat Challenge in Cedar Rapids

I was further reminded of the freedoms we enjoy today while covering the regional “firefighter combat challenge” in Cedar Rapids.  At the start of the day, these “hometown heroes” came running out of a tunnel, alongside a few members of the US Army.  And they all stood together as we listened to the National Anthem.  It was just another one of those moments when I thought, “Wow.  I’m blessed to be an American.” 

(On a side note–check out my story on the firefighting challenge later tonight on KWWL.com.  It’s a pretty incredible display!)

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