October 2012

Current Weather:  73 degrees and cloudy
Current Gas Price: $3.09 per gallon
Total Cockroach Count:  Holding steady at 7...


WHEW! Well October was certainly a month to remember! The best thing that happened to us this month is of course the news of our precious little Baby Halderman! We are so excited and blessed to be moving into this new stage of parenthood.  This month has been filled with roller coaster feelings from being elated at the thought of our sweet baby to wondering what kind of crazy child the two of us may make together!  Haha, we've thought about kissing it's cute little face to hearing it cry loudly in our ears to sleepless nights! And above all those things we have thought a lot about how it will change our relationship.  We have so enjoyed being married and have grown closer and closer each year...its hard to imagine having someone else around the house.  So as much as we feel excited about this new phase of life we feel sad to be leaving a phase of life that has been so joyful!  But we know that these are normal thought patterns (or so we've been reading!) and we are sure that God will prepare us (as much as we can be) for the arrival of our son/daughter!

One of the best parts of living in a small town (and being married to a doctor) is that we've had VIP treatment so far! Usually your first ultrasound is around 8 weeks but I had two ultrasounds by 6 weeks! Awesome! We are so surprised at how fast Baby Halderman is growing (and so proud!) Check out the ultrasound pics! My OB probably won't do another ultrasound until 20 weeks but Wesley will do more in between then! He's going to do one before we come home for Thanksgiving so we'll have an updated picture to show you!

Hooray! We're pregnant!

Baby Halderman at 4 1/2 weeks!

Baby Halderman at 6 1/2 weeks!

Please continue to keep us and Baby Halderman in your prayers! We are praying for a happy, healthy baby!

Ok, well the other exciting that happened to us this month is that we got to see Libby, John, and Kim! We met them in North Carolina for a few days of camping/hiking in Pisgah National Forest.  The weather turned out to be pretty gorgeous even though it was cold at night! Wes kept a hot fire going and John kept hot beverages coming so the ladies stayed plenty warm! (Thanks guys!)  Check out our pics!

We kind of kept stopping to shed or add layers of clothing.    It was hot in the sun , cold in the shade, and really cold when the wind was hitting us directly!  Overall, a great day for hiking!

Yay Twins!  Libs and I were rocking the flannel on this hiking trip.   I was actually wearing one of Wes' flannel shirts because I can't seem to find a thick flannel shirt for women that isn't super fitted.  Any help, anyone? 

John stuck a fallen rhododendron branch in his hat so that he could move among them without being undetected.  Very stealth-like.  

It was somewhat bittersweet for us to be here because we realized that we probably won't get to do any camping/hiking trips next summer as we'll be busy with a newborn at home! We had some great times together at Pisgah this past summer! 

The colors were really pretty this time of year! We weren't sure  what it would look like because Greenwood has still not started turning very much....we're getting there though! 

Heading back! 

I was pretty surprised by how tiring hiking was, especially since we go hiking so often!   I was only 6 weeks at the time but boy I could just not keep up! (Haha, notice how far away we are from the others!)  I was super out of breath, kept getting cramps, and my hips were aching terribly!  Haha, if that happens in only six weeks then I have lots to look forward to over the next 7 months!  Worth it...

The best part about the camping trip was simply spending time with Libby, John & Kim! What a great bunch they are!  Thanks for coming down! We feel so blessed to have them in our lives!

Only other thing of note that happened during the month of October was Wesley's debut as the "Strongest Man Alive" for the Montgomery Center's Employee Appreciation Day.    Each year, the doctor's have a themed luncheon for the staff who work at the Montgomery Center.   This year's luncheon had a circus theme and all the doctors were supposed to dress up in some sort of circus costume.  Haha, Wes had mentioned this several times but it ended up that we still didn't have a costume as of 6:00 the morning of.  Luckily, I found this costume on the internet and had it ready for Wes by the time he got out of bed! Not too shabby for a last minute costume, right?

 So that's it for October but I actually realized that I forgot to mention a couple of things from September in last month's blog so I am going to share them now! First thing is that we went to our first "Low Country Boil" ("boil" is pronounced "bowl" in true Southern dialect).  This is a Southern tradition and we were excited to experience it with our authentic Southern friends, Payton & Clory Foust.  Here are the pictures:

Wes and Josh helping Payton scoop out the food!  I guess you just boil  everything in a large pot  of water with plenty of salt and some Old Bay Seasoning. 

A low country boil consists of boiled corn, potatoes, sausage, and shrimp.   It looks like it  would be pretty bland but it was delicious! We definitely enjoyed our first low country boil! 

The second thing that happened in September that I forgot to mention last month is that I got in a car wreck at the beginning of the month.  It was a Friday afternoon and I was in a terrible mood because of this disrespectful middle schooler that I work with and I was almost home when a car pulled out in front of me.  I slammed on my brakes but was unable to stop in time! I can tell you more of the story in person sometime but for now I'll just sum it up! It was an elderly lady who pulled out in front of me and she was faulted with the accident.  Allstate was absolutely fabulous and they took care of everything for me! There was almost $3000 damage done to my car and the only thing I paid was $10 to refill the rental car's gas tank! Overall, the best case scenario for a car wreck.  Here are some pictures of the Fit:

Ok, that's about all fam! We CAN'T WAIT to see y'all so soon! Just a few weeks and we'll be hanging out together! Woo hoo! Love you!

September 2012

Current Temperature: 72 degrees and sunny
Current Gas Price:  $3.42 per gallon
Total Cockroach Count: 7

Howdy fam! How are all of you? We are getting very excited about seeing y'all soon for the Thanksgiving Holiday.  September was a fairly uneventful month...so I'm afraid the post won't be too exciting to read!  Wes finished with his medicine block and has been on PEDS for most of the month.  It has been a really welcome change and we've enjoyed spending more time together!

In fact, the only thing that we actually did was go camping in Pisgah National Forest again.  This was our third time visiting and we've had a great time each time we've been there! We're so excited for Libby and John & Kim to join us there next weekend! Here are some pictures:

Checking out the scenery with my new binoculars that Wes bought me as an anniversary present! 

Me by a lovely little waterfall!

Happy campers :)

View from Art Loeb Trail...

Eating lunch off trail!

Maybe someday we'll stop hiking this trail...but we just love it! We've  hiked this trail three times now!

Wesley enjoying a relaxing moment!

I guess in the summer time people will swim in this spot.  It was really deep  at the base of the waterfall! 

I thought this little fence was so charming! It got us excited for fall seeing  the leaves scattered on the ground! 

Honestly, other than that it was just a normal month! We have made a few changes...we're switching bible studies.  We've decided not to go to the c-group that we were attending at church and start going to the resident bible study instead.  We enjoyed the c-group at church but we have been really missing some community with people our age! So we've been attending the resident bible studies for a few weeks and have really enjoyed it! Also, they cancelled the 11:00 high school groups that we were leading (due to low attendance) so we've joined with the 9:30 high school groups.  This has been a really welcome change as we were really leading groups comprised mainly of middle school students and believe me when I say that there is a BIG difference between middle school and high school kids! Haha, so we've really enjoyed getting to know more of the high school students! Please pray for these new groups and pray that we would be intentional in getting to know the students!

We love you and are SO looking forward to seeing you soon!

August 2012

Current Temperature: 88 degrees and sunny
Current Gas Price:  $3.53 per gallon
Total Cockroach Count:  7 (reminder that is a count of cockroaches inside the house...they are everywhere outside.  YUCK!)

Greetings loved ones! We hope you are doing well and miss each of you dearly! As we get back into the swing of things with us both working we are anxious for the fall weather to arrive! But...oh wait...it won't arrive here until November and then it will only last a week.  Bummer! Haha, we got an email from Mom & Dad Halderman this week that said they were getting excited about the "crisp fall air" and it started a conversation that we've had many times already about how much we miss Ohio weather! Haha, I know that most people think the opposite (and it is nice in January-March) but the seasons are just so disappointing here.  So y'all enjoy that crisp fall air for us!

Ok...so August! It was a busy month with lots of random things stuck here and there.  This may be one of the posts where my captions need to tell the story because we did so many little things (and some big ones)! First thing we did was take down the wallpaper in the master bathroom.  Because of our issue with the vents in the bathrooms the paper was peeling off the walls.  This was my last "summer project" before heading back to work! It was pretty smooth sailing honestly! Check out the pics!

*I haven't actually finished decorating the bathroom (work started!) so there are no "finished product" pictures yet!

Another before picture...

I am getting really good at taking down wallpaper! After doing the other two rooms last summer, I've got a groove going and this paper came down in no time! 

Wes putting primer on the walls!

The paint color is called "Ancient Olive" and we were really happy with how it looked! I don't have any pictures of it without the blue tape! Sorry! Once I decorate I'll send out finished pictures! 

It certainly felt good to have that project done! Afterward, I had a few days to relax before heading back to work! We took two mini-trips to Greenville before work started too!

First we went to a baseball game with Brandt & Mackenzie Weininger.   I forget what Greenville's mascot is but they were playing the "Hickory Crawdads!"  Haha, some of the sports team's names crack me up around here! I just thought that was hilarous! We had a great time and were totally surprised by the fireworks after the show! We knew that it was "Firework Friday" but we were not expecting such a great performance! Wes and I were not able see any fireworks on 4th of July so this sort of made up for it! We left feeling proud to be Americans after watching a baseball game AND fireworks! Yes!

Haha, the Chick-fil-A cow made me laugh so much! I just think mascots dancing is the most hilarious thing ever!  I think I would enjoy being a mascot for a day...

Us with Brandt & Mackenzie

The following weekend, Wes took me to this really nice restaurant called High Cotton to celebrate the new school year.  The food was amazing and we had a great time just talking, eating, and taking in the sights!  High Cotton is in this Easton-ish part of Greenville but it has a river running through it so it's pretty cool!

Dinner at High Cotton

We thought this place was kind of cool for a wedding venue.  They had those old fashioned lights hanging in it! It looked pretty cool at night...you can't really see but there is a reception starting! 

Checking out the sights of Greenville!

Then (after eating in a nice restaurant) we went to this dumpy dive bar to see our friend Doug Main's band play.  Haha, they are just starting to tour and we were really excited that they came to Greenville so we could see them! Wes has stayed in fairly good contact with him over the years (especially since he was only at OSU for like one year, I think?).  If you recall, he was one of the guys playing at our wedding while the guests were arriving.  Ring any bells?

Doug Mains & The City Folk ( http://www.dougmainsmusic.com/ )

Wes & Doug after the show!

We enjoyed our visits to Greenville and seeing old Ohio friends! It was a great end to the summer as I headed back to work.  This year I have three schools, Woodfields Elementary, Northside Middle, and Brewer Middle.  These are actually the same schools that I had last year but Brewer did not have any students receiving speech last year, so it was sort of like I "didn't work there." Haha, so I went from two to three schools this year! Its not too bad but I have to travel 4 out of 5 days a week which gets tiresome after a while.  But...it has to be done! So I'll do it :)

Here are some pictures of my room! Our theme for this year is "Woodfields is WILD about Learning."  So everyone had to create a bulletin board to go outside their room that was "WILD" themed.  Haha, I thought mine was fairly unoriginal but it got the job done!

My "Bulletin Board" for outside my room.  You can't really see but the bananas have my kids names on them. 

I was moved to a new room this year which I LOVE! It is smaller and the perfect size for me! I still have a  Smartboard too! It does not have a bathroom or sink but I like that because now the kids can't ask me to use the bathroom :) 

My Desk

This is where I spend most of my time.  The thing on the wall is our "slogan" for this year.  I am trying to  get the kids to have more responsibility for their speech and realize that they are working on it because it will help them.  I'm honestly not sure that it's going to sink in but I'm giving it a try! We'll see...

My "Back to Work" flowers & chocolates! 

So yeah, that's work...its going well and I am getting back into the swing of things.  Wes is currently on his first of two and a half months of Medicine.  It is WAY better than medicine as a first year but he is still pretty busy! Just less overnight call...which I love! He'll be starting Peds in two weeks!

In other news, I had a suspicious mole removed from my back! Haha, I really liked my dermatologist but he's getting up there in years and he kind of has the shakes...so him cutting my back open was rather nerve wracking as I could feel his hands shaking on my back! Haha, but he did a great job! Check it out:

We also celebrated a big achievement this month...we finished our bible reading plan! HOORAY! Wes and I have been reading through the entire bible on a two year bible reading plan.  We started in August of 2010 and just finished this month! I felt very proud of us for staying committed to it all that time! We certainly had our low points but we always stuck with it! We both feel that we learned so much about God by reading his story all the way through! What an accomplishment we felt to know that all of God's words to us have at least gone into our head at some point...haha most of them didn't stay there but many did! Now that we are finished with scheduled readings we are getting more time to go slowly through whatever books we want and that has been even more amazing! We're actually getting to study and reflect on His words as opposed to just reading them...does that make sense? I've been using this thing called a CAD-VAD that Debbie Splaingard gave me a couple years ago....it is actually a reading plan as well but I'm not doing that part.  But what I like about it is that is has blank pages with the same questions on it for recording your thoughts, etc.  Haha, that probably doesn't make sense.  Here are the questions:

1) What has God spoken to me about today through the reading of this chapter/verse? Concerning Himself? Concerning my life?
2) What am I going to do about it today?
3) What don't I understand?
4) Other insights (repeated words, cross references, comparisons)
5) What verse am I going to take with me today? List those with whom you shared yesterday's verse.
6) What can I pray back to God from this chapter? 

Haha, it makes more sense with the questions written out! I feel like it causes me to think about scripture in many different ways and its helped me to start memorizing verses too! What do you use to study the bible? We'd be interested to know!

We're so happy to have read the whole bible! YAY! 

We ended the month on a great note by celebrating our anniversary! Thanks so much for all the cards and well wishes! Haha, our actual anniversary was not the greatest day as we had only seen each other for four hours in the three days leading up to our anniversary and we both weren't in the greatest mood...but that's the best part about marriage because that doesn't seem like such a big deal anymore! We still had a good evening and felt more connected after that! Our real anniversary celebration though was that weekend, Wes took me on a surprise weekend getaway! I was so excited about it and we both just loved the place he picked! He took me to a horse ranch in Georgia...haha, well it was a Bed & Breakfast but they had several hundred horses that you could ride if you wanted to! I'm not a huge horseback riding fan (hurts my knees like crazy) and Wes knows that so we got the "no horses" package...but what was great was that the horses were still everywhere and you could go up to them and pet them and they were just beautiful out in the distance! Anyway, check out the pictures:

On our way there we ate dinner at place called, "Yesterday Cafe" in some small town in Georgia.  The food was so-so but we LOVED this buttermilk pie.  Have you ever had buttermilk pie? We had never had it before but it was SO good! 

The view from our room at the Bed & Breakfast, called Southern Cross Ranch.
http://www.southcross.com/

Our room! It was really comfortable! I loved the leather couch and the bed was so cushy you felt like you were sleeping on a marshmallow! Overall, this was my favorite Bed & Breakfast that we've been to yet! 

Another picture of the room! 

Here I am watching some deer in the field with my new binoculars! Wes bought me magenta binoculars for  my anniversary present! Now I can be a real bird watcher :) I love them and they are so me! 

The best part about this place was that there was tons of seating for meals! Haha, not that we hate talking to people when we go to Bed & Breakfasts but sometimes you just don't feel that talkative and we were trying to "get away."  

This is the room that we ate in every morning...it was so cheery with all of the windows  and I just loved the chicken decorations! So cute! 

We spent a lot of time sitting on this porch swing thing that was actually not on the porch but underneath two trees.   We drank our cups of coffee and just talked for hours! With Wes being on medicine and me starting work again it felt like we hadn't really talked for a long time, so it was good to really catch up on each other! 

We had a friend come over and visit us! 

Or so we thought...turns out she just wanted to scratch her butt.  Haha, we were waiting for the fence to break...

Three wonderful years together! 

On Sunday we headed to Madison, Georgia before heading home.  This is the "big" city in Madison County which you may have heard if you've read (or just heard of) the "Bridges of Madison County."  It has a lot of old homes, cute restaurants, and TONS of antique shops! We were pretty bummed because most of them were closed on Sunday but did find an awesome antique shop that was still open! 

Taking the "old homes" tour!

Wes bought me these earrings at the antique shop.  You can't tell in this picture but  they are hearts. 

The awesome antique shop that we went to...it had like row after row of these little display rooms  filled with antiques! It was really fun to look around! 

Well that's about all folks! We are missing you and looking forward to the holidays already! Love you!