Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow...please

Present time...3:30am - night shift....sooo tired. All my children are snuggled in their beds as
my eyes get heavier and heavier.... So ready to get off and curled up in the car, while my sweetie drives us to Staunton!
Counting down the hours until we leave- just 4 1/2 more hrs :)

Forecast for Staunton:
80% chance of 10 inches of SNOW :) we just might get a white christmas after all.
It will be a wonderful repreive for both of us to relax with my parents and sis.
Mom always showers us with whatever we want seeming that we don't see them
as much as we would like. It is always special to come for a visit though! This
will be my families first time seeing me since we found out we're expecting. So we
have lots to catch up on!

"Bless us Lord, this Christmas, with quietness of mind; Teach us to be patient and always kind."
Helen Steiner Rice

Brother Out- Law

I lived with an amazing family in Charlottesville a few years ago while I completed an externship at UVA in Labor and Delivery :) Though I did not fall in love with L & D, I did fall in love with this family! Each one of them has made such an impact on my life!!

Chris, who I like to call "my charlottesville brother" is involved in acting. He just finished starring in a short film for the Virginia Film Fest....

Not only is Chris an actor....he has been battling leukemia for almost three years now! He is doing amazing and is in remission! He is such a FUN guy! Proud of you Chris!

If you have a little extra time check out his latest film:

Brother Out-Law

Me, Chris, & Darcy

Chris and I :)

You can follow Chris's story and his mom's story, who is also battling a rare form of cancer, at

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/chrisalimenti

Beauty Will Rise

A must have CD!

Steven Curtis Chapman wrote these songs in dedication to his daughter Maria who passed away tragically this year. The songs will make you cry, encourage your heart, and remind you of the faithfulness of God's promises! This family is a true testimony of an unshakable trust in the God they know and love.

http://www.stevencurtischapman.com/

Its Our Wonderful Life

What's new with the little Hunt family:

~ Busy busy BUSY buSY with work! Though I work full time, I am blessed to only work 3 days a week. My work days are definitely filled with lots to do for 12 hours but I usually have a few days to recoup. My sweet hubby stays busy working part time at Veritas Christian Academy teaching PE. He is always coming up with fun things for the kids to do...I think he likes playing as much as they do! He also works full-time at Verizon. He has a wonderful boss that is flexible and fun! All that to say, we stay busy working and cherish the moments we get to just sit on the couch together.

~ Our baby boo is 12 weeks!! My nausea has, for the most part, subsided. I was bracing myself the past 2 months for being very sick...seeming that my mom threw up her entire pregnancy everyday. BUT, much to my surprise, though I was nauseated, I only had a couple of "throw up days." :)

One of my favorite stories thus far in my pregnancy occurred around week 8. I was very nauseous, Ray was up with me at 5am helping me to get ready for work. I finally made it to my car, he was waving at the door, still in his boxers (haha), when I jumped out of the car and finally got some relief from my nausea....all over the front yard! He ran outside to rub my back and make sure I was ok. So...we put on a nice show that morning for the neighbors :)

Oh, and p.s. our baby is as big as a LIME this week! Hehe :) CUTE!

~ We got out christmas tree! We went out to a tree farm in pungo... we had plans to cut one down, but my favorite christmas tree is a frasier fir...they don't grow around here. So, we bought one at the tree farm! ha! :) It was still a special memory.... driving with the tree in the back of the El Camino. Our first tree as a married couple! yeah!

~ Wrapping presents for the cutest boy in the world, snuggling on the couch watching football and christmas movies, finishing christmas cards, and talking about when the baby comes....

~ Reading an AWESOME new book... I was will occasionally read the girl talk blog. The other day they mentioned a blog that they enjoy reading that peaked my attention. I would highly recommend it...I have been very encouraged by reading it....

START YOUR FAMILY BLOG

Anyway, The couple that writes the blog also wrote a book... that I also highly recommend. It has made me super excited about having a baby :) I know that you will be encouraged...and beware you will probably want to start having children once you start reading it!! :)

START YOUR FAMILY: INSPIRATION FOR HAVING BABIES

(photo from website: www.startyourfamily.com)

~ Celebrated our 5 month Anniversary on November 27!!! The most Amazing 5 months :) So thankful for my husband...who puts up with all my whining (haha), makes me laugh uncontrollably at least 20 times a day, listens to me, holds me, cooks for me, holds the trash can when i'm sick, never complains about working so much, loves our families, is super excited about being a dad, and always points me back to Jesus. I LOVE YOU, RAYBO BABY :)

~ Already receiving presents from GIGI (Ray's mom) & GRAMMY (My mom)...

~ Planning a visit to Staunton next weekend... have not seen my family since we found out we are having a baby...so I am VERY excited to spend some time at the little Barrett cottage. It will be wonderful to catch up with my sis since she will be home for Christmas break! I am also looking forward to my first christmas not working in the past 2 years! Yeah! My family will be coming to our house December 26th. I will be so FUN to have both our families together! We all LOVE making memories! So grateful for such supportive families! :)

~ Baking cookies with Grandma Hunt! All the cousins gather every year to bake christmas cookies from grandma's home-made dough... yum!

Ray, Ash, & Baby Boo Hunt :)

~ So, all in all, through the business and craziness of life, we are loving our life together! It truly is A WONDERFUL LIFE!

Journaling through the seasons...

"Trust in the Lord at all times, O peoples;

POUR OUT YOUR HEARTS TO HIM,

For God is our Refuge."

Psalm 62:8

Since I was a little girl I have loved to Journal. My first "diary" ever had bright pink ballet slippers on the front and it had a lock and key :) I wrote all about the things I did everyday with my parents and how my "sissy" annoyed me. I also wrote about the boys I thought were cute in my first grade class and how my favorite music group was my dad's worship team! After a few years I graduated to writing in cursive. My dad encouraged my to write down my prayers to the Lord, things that I felt God was speaking to me, and to write out Scriptures that meant something to me. In Highschool I probably filled 10 journals with all my thoughts, emotions, likes, struggles, and learning to how to listen to God's voice. Then college came, my best friends loved to buy me journals for every occasion. :) I love reading back through the thing that I wrote the past 15 years... seeing God's constant faithfulness and care over me through every season is evidence of a real, true God!

It seems crazy that I have most of my life documented...but the more I grew in my relationship with the Lord my journals became filled with prayers. I guess all along I was learning to "pour out my heart to God." Since I moved and the crazy fun college days seems long gone I have drifted from sitting down to write out the things that fill my heart. Where did the days go when I was able to sit down for a couple hours and just write...all the ups and downs of my emotions, the little things that God blesses me with everyday, the times he speaks in that still small voice, the patients and families that I meet at the hospital, the ways that God is teaching me to grow in my love for my husband, and now to the million emotions I feel about being a mom! I love talking to my friends and I call my dear mom just about everyday to tell her when I'm sick, when I'm sad, when I'm scared, or when I'm excited. But when do I sit and tell the Lord, the only one that TRULY understands me anyways. He made me...He knows me....He formed me in my mother's womb...He knows my heart...my fears....insecurities...He knows it all and understand too. He has what I need no matter how I feel or what I am going through- His Word.

So just as Hannah "poured out her heart to the Lord," so will I "pour out my heart to the Lord." He is always waiting; He always has time; He never tires of my ups and downs; He longs to hold me, fill me, comfort me, encourage me. The Love of my Jesus...there is nothing like it!

SURPRISE!!!

SURPRISE

So it all started with this.... (its kinda hard to see...but it CLEARLY says PREGNANT) haha:)
Ray gave me the option of going to get a pregnancy test or getting icecream... I voted pregnancy test. He thought I WAS preggo; I thought NO WAY! After we saw these results...He said, "Do you wanna go get icecream now?" hahaha!

We were both (well mainly me) shocked at first...but obviously knew it could happen :) Ray has been my rock...He has been excited, happy, encouraging me with Truth, making me laugh, and being there for me since the minute we found out. It has only been about 8 weeks (we think), but we have both been overwhelmed with God's love and grace carrying us. We kept it a secret until a few nights ago.

Since I had kinda gone crazy when I first saw the first positive test...I decided I needed to take another one so that I could have a little calmer reaction :) So I took another one while Ray was at work. It was once again loud and clear with the results... PREGNANT!!! So here are some pictures from when I told him we DEFINITELY were gonna have a baby... :)

I made a nice dinner and several little things sitting

around his plate...

One of his favorite books from when he was a kid...

Where the Wild Things Are...

The Baby Name Book...

Which we already have names that we really like :)

(I love that we agree on most things... or I win!!)

SUGAR BABIES :)

Then he had to read the story aloud at the table...

and he said he needed to hold the book like the teachers

in school holds it so the kids can see the pictures... haha!

I can already tell he is gonna be a GREAT dad...CRAZY, but GREAT!!

So here we go...onto the next step of the journey....

An unexpected gift and the best surprise I have ever had....

We are going to be parents... Sometimes I just have to let the words sink in...

But I know that there is grace upon grace upon grace in the arms of our Savior...

Sooooo.... Lets get the party started... :)

Psalm 139:14-16
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Laughing in the Wildflowers....

Fear...

Distraction...

Confusion...

Frustration...

What does the Enemy use to take our gaze off our beautiful Savior? This past week I have felt my gaze dropping from heaven to earth. Thoughts of the future mainly... regarding money, our families, our house, etc. The Lord clearly tells me to stay focused on today and not worry about tomorrow.

Matt. 6:25-43 (The Message)

"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.

"Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

How often my mind drifts to what i must do next with the house, what I will fix for dinner, what new clothes are out... though these are all good in and of themselves.... i must remember that one day it will all burn. I will not take my house, clothes, food, or job to heaven. I enter heaven with my gaze fixed upon the most beautiful treasure... Jesus Christ. "All my crowns will fall down before him." What a gift!

I have been trying to apply this to my life... Laying down each day and surrendering to the Lord to use me and every aspect of my life as he wills. I was reading through Proverbs 31 the other day, just reminding myself of the precious precepts in that passage. One verse, that has never previously stood out to me, jumped out at me when I read it this time....

Proverbs 31:25- SHE IS CLOTHED WITH STRENGTH AND DIGNITY; SHE CAN LAUGH AT THE DAYS TO COME.

WOW!! Lord, how can I laugh at the days to come...I don't know what is going to happen???? The woman that trusts in God can surely LAUGH at the future...nothing is going to take her by surprise because she is steadfast. She is firm in her grip on her faithful, loving, sovereign Father. Her Abba will not give her anything she cannot handle...and the same goes for me! I can handle anything!! :) Because my Savior is TRUSTWORTHY.... ALWAYS!

May we just try to forget all our cares and worries just long enough to run through the wildflowers and admire their beauty, laughing as we hold the hand of our Father... I bet we will never go back to our worries...