The month of June proved to be exactly how Andee and I had predicted it to be - incredibly busy and exhausting, but incredibly fun and rewarding! Along with our usual work schedules, we were busy setting up the house for our families to arrive, serving at the church, lots of fun Summer social events, and one particularly interesting development in the life of Baby Luke! We, of course, decided to find out the gender of our baby (I couldn't wait to find out!), and in mid-June we received the information we had been anticipating - It's A Boy!! While it may not have been what I was anticipating (I admittedly claim to know nothing about boys, and grew up with a family, extended family, and friends of mostly girls), Andee and I are very excited to have been given the opportunity to raise a strong and capable man of God! We consider this a significant and high calling from our Creator, and know that God has entrusted this baby boy to us for a reason. We are so looking forward to meeting him, cuddling him, and getting to squish his little face!
The last week of June culminated in a smorgasbord of activities and transitions that we had been anticipating for quite some time! We had both sets of parents in town, the Sturgis Falls Celebration that Andee and I were singing at, Andee's gradation from Residency, my transition from working at PLC to being a stay-at-home-mom, and reaching the half way point to meeting Baby Luke!
We had a wonderful time showing our parents around our little community here in Iowa, and hosting them in our new home! We visited a variety of fun restaurants, shopped around at some 'American' stores, attended the Sturgis Falls Worship Service and visited the vendors, and just enjoyed each other's company! It is always a treat to have visitors visit, *hint hint*, and now we have bedrooms for guests to stay over! We are so happy that our families were able to see us in our new habitat, and were able to participate in some of the things that have made us love Iowa so much!
It was also quite a mixture of emotions as Andee and I both transitioned from our places of work. Andee was absolutely thrilled to be finished up with Residency and transitioning into his 'real' job as a Family Doctor, and his Graduation sealed the deal that he was officially done! We are so thankful that God gave us the opportunity to move to Iowa, knowing nothing of what to expect, and to be able to complete his training in such a great place to live! We are also happy to be staying in the area for Andee's new job starting up in August!
I, on the other hand, was not so thrilled to be leaving my amazing job at Prairie Lakes Church. I absolutely loved working at the church and with all the staff, but knew I wanted to stay home with Baby Luke when he makes his appearance this Fall. Andee and I decided that it would be a good idea to finish up at the same time that he did, so that we could enjoy likely our last ever lengthy Summer Vacation together. With his new job starting in late August, it was definitely the right move. I am however extremely grateful for the time I spent working at PLC, and am planning on volunteering whenever I can to stay in touch with all the co-workers that I love!
July marked the start of our Canada Vacation, spending nearly 3 weeks in our hometowns! We were able to see almost everyone that we were hoping to see, and spreading the vacation over 3 weeks allowed for our time there to be a lot less busy then when we are only back for a week. We spent some time at the cottage with family, spent some time with friends, and despite the cooler summer weather that our area was experiencing this year, we enjoyed the nice days that we had!
A couple of highlights from our trip included the Baby Shower that Cassie hosted for us, and meeting our new nephew Jett! The Baby Shower was decorated beautifully, and Cassie worked really hard to make it special for us! We were able to see so many lovely people that we hadn't seen in a good while, and we received a lot of cute stuff for Baby Luke to use and wear! We are so thankful for that time with family and friends to celebrate our little guy!
We also were able to meet our new nephew, Jett, who was born while we were back home! There were a few minor complications with his birth that caused some stress and worry, but Jamie and Tiffany ended up with a beautiful baby boy! Andee and I had the privilege of meeting him and visiting with the new mom and dad, and he is just adorable! We were so glad that the timing worked out so that we could meet little baby JJ!
After we arrived back in Iowa, we spend the majority of August on a 'stay-cation' just Andee and I. Since we always travel back to Canada when Andee has any time off, it was refreshing to be able to have some time off here in Iowa as well! We had nothing major planned (pregnancy is exhausting!), and spent our time off setting up the nursery, doing some house and crafting projects, heading to the beach, and relaxing! We also volunteered quite a bit at the church, and spent some time with friends. And with Andee starting his new job in mid-late August, we were able to both get a lot accomplished as well as enjoy our time off together.
August 14th also marked our 7 year anniversary of marriage! I say this every year, but the older we get, the more and more it throws people off, especially here in Iowa! The dirty looks from strangers this year that are assuming a teen pregnancy are especially fun! Andee and I enjoyed a delicious Red Lobster dinner that I did not get a photo of since I gobbled it right down! I'm easy to please - just get me some shrimp and cheese!
On August 21st, Andee started his first 'real' job as a Family Physician! Hallelujah!! This job has been the result of 11 years of hard work and training, as well as moves within three countries and three different States in the US. It is the representation of God's faithfulness to us in allowing Andee opportunities throughout North America to push past the statistics, roadblocks, and hoops that this journey had lead us through. It is the culmination of a journey that has taught us so much about ourselves, our marriage, and what the purpose of our lives are by giving God room to change and challenge our preconceived notions about what our lives were 'supposed to look like'. It was a journey of faith that provided a great deal of challenge that was intended for our good. It was hard, and my naive, fearful, practical nature would not have agreed to it had I have know what it was going to entail. Knowing what I know now, I would not want to do it over again, but am so thankful that we went through it and would not change our story for the world. *disclaimer* Andee will NOT be happy that I am posting this cheesy picture of Dr. Luke!!
And the journey is not over. The 'medical school' journey may have ended, but our walk with God and in faith has barely begun! With the arrival of Baby Luke in just over 2 months, we are just starting a new chapter of something that will prove to be both difficult and beautiful, all at the same time. Different circumstances, but same God. And I know he will be faithful to us in this.
Until next time! As usual, I leave you with some cute pictures of Vera, as well as a bonus one of Baby Luke's 3D ultrasound! Look closely to see his little face!!
