Summer Vacation!

Today is September 1st, which typically marks the beginning of the transition between the seasons, from Summer to Fall.  The weather here in Iowa has been absolutely beautiful this Summer, and looks to continue in the next few weeks.  I am currently sitting out on our balcony on the most pleasant of days enjoying the beautiful weather and nostalgically remembering the Summer Vacation that Andee and I were so fortunate to have this year!  Let's reminisce together!

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!!

All Things New

Happy Spring!  At this time of year I usually make some sort of sassy statement that 'nothing exciting happens in the Winter' and that is why I have been so MIA in terms of blog posts and photos.  However, this year has been quite the opposite!  This Winter has been quite busy and exciting for Andee and I, and we have been welcoming in 'All Thing New' here in Iowa!  New Job, New House, and new adventures for the Lukes this year!  Let's start at the beginning!

The New Year started out pretty rough, with Andee and I participating in a seemingly endless pattern of getting each other sick in the midst of a pretty bad year for colds and flus.  We ended up with three lengthy sicknesses each that culminated with a trip to the ER for Andee in the middle of one of his night shifts for a very high fever that we couldn't get down.  He ended up okay, thank goodness, but not without a dictated week off from work for some much needed recovery!  Vera took it upon herself to take care of the 'boy human' while I was at work.  Good kitty!

In the middle of all the sicknesses, we somehow managed to squeeze in some opportunities for Worship, including a Worship Night!  This is the first Worship Night at PLC that Andee and I have been in Iowa for, and it was a lot of fun!  Unfortunately, Andee was only able to be a spectator for this event since he was still recovering from his ER stay.  It was a very impactful night where the congregation really stepped up in surrendering their lives to the amazing and good Father that loves us so much.  It was wonderful to be a part of, and I hope we get to be a part of another one soon!

And, it's official - we will be staying in Iowa for at least the next three years!  Back in the Fall, Andee accepted a position with Covenant to work as a Family Physician in an outpatient setting!  He is finally graduating to having a 'real' job as a 'real' Doctor - Haha!  The job will be 5 days a week, no weekends, and regular office hours!  After all the crazy work and study schedules with both Medical School and Residency, it will be such a wonderful change to move to a more regular schedule with only 40 hours a week!  Andee will be finishing up Residency at the end of June, and will be starting this new job in August!  PTL!  Along with the acceptance of this new job, Andee and I started the subsequent and lengthy visa paperwork to be able to stay in the United States for this work position.  There are only 30 spots available for each State with the particular visa that we applied for, and praise God, we received one of the spots! We also just received news that our new visas have come through, and so we are all set to come home for a visit to Canada in July!  Hooray!

We are Homeowners!  This year Andee and I purchased out very first house, and it is a beauty!  Houses here in Iowa are about 3-4 time cheaper than back where we are from in Ontario, and so buying a house was actually a lot of fun!  We shopped around for a few weeks, and just knew instantly that this was the house for us!  There are even a couple bedrooms in the basement for when we have our families come to visit us, which will be happening soon when both sets of our parents come to visit in June for Andee's Graduation from Residency!  We will have a good couple of months to get their bedrooms and the rest of the house ready for guests to visit from Canada!  Andee and I had a lot of help from our Small Group moving into our house, which we desperately needed!  If any of you are currently trying to picture me attempting to move a large piece of furniture, you can understand why the help was needed!  Everyone was so strong and efficient, that I would look away for a minute and stacks of boxes would already be in the moving truck!  We are so grateful to our amazing friends for helping us out whenever we need it!  We also ordered some new furniture for the first time ever, and are slowly getting everything where it needs to go!  We are very very happy with this new house that we can call our own!

So there you have it - New Job, New House, New.....did I forget something?  As a matter of fact, I did!

In November 2017 we will welcome the arrival of Baby Luke to our family!  That's right - we're pregnant!!!  Somehow in the midst of all the business of this Winter, we managed to grow our little family by one!  Andee and I are very excited to fill up our house with a new addition this Fall!

New Job, New House, NEW BABY!  2017 will certainly be a year to remember!!

A Very Very Late Christmas Blog

So, it looks like I may have dropped off the face of the earth - or at least Iowa!  So I'm playing a bit of catch up with my writing!  Now that Spring has sprung and Easter has come and gone, what better way to celebrate than with a very very late Christmas blog?

Let's start at the beginning!  The Christmas Season in Iowa was both busy and very fun!  Many potlucks and Christmas parties with delicious seasonal flavors, as well as spending some social time with friends!  We also had a lot of fun trying to track down two of the 'in demand' gifts for Christmas this past year - Hatchimals (for kids) and the NES Classic (for bigger kids).  Auntie Anne was on the hunt for Hatchimals for the grand kids, and Cassie for the NES Classic for Trevor, but neither came close to the coveted gifts due to the high demand and high population in the Durham Region.  Andee and Iowa to the rescue!  Andee found an app on his phone that would track when the gifts were due to arrive at the Target stores in Iowa, and waited patiently for a shipment to come to Cedar Falls or Waterloo.  And low and behold, at 6:30AM one very cold December morning, four NES Classics and four Hatchimals appeared in the Cedar Falls Target!  Andee bolted out of bed to wait in line outside of the store, and braved -17°C (0°F) temperatures for nearly an hour to acquire the popular gifts!  I joined him for about 15 minutes outside, and together we were able to snag two NES Classics and two Hatchimals for Christmas gifts!  Auntie Anne's grandkids were surprised with the cute toys on Christmas day, and we were able to surprise Trevor with a NES Classic!  This was the second year in a row we were able to surprise Trevor with something that couldn't be found in Canada, and it was so much fun!  And the hunt was fun too!  

We were also able to take a week of vacation to head back to Canada for Christmas!  We surprised Dave and Arielle by showing up a day early for our vacation week and making it to their Christmas party!  It was so great to see a cute (and pregnant!) Arielle, and see a few of our friends that we hadn't seen in a while!  We also spent a lot of time with family, and it was especially fun to have Jamie and Tiffany announce that they will be having a baby in July!  They announced it to Carol and Bill by giving Carol a Christmas gift of a little pacifier charm for a bracelet, and they caught on right away!  We now know that they will be having a little boy, and we are very excited to meet him (hopefully!) when we head back home in the Summer for vacation!  A wonderful Christmas gift!  Here is a photo of their public pregnancy announcement!

And as usual, we took our Aldridge Family photos, and were able to spend some time on Christmas Day with both families.  Delicious food and wonderful company!  We are always happy to see our immediate and extended families when we head back home!  

Vera also had a fun time traveling to Canada, if by 'fun' you mean panicked meows and howls for a large portion of the car rides.  She was, however, a little better than last time, so, I guess we'll call that a win?  Once she arrived she was very content to explore my parents house and spend time with 'Grandma and Grandpa' and 'Aunt Cassie'.  It may have been the other way around.  Either way, she was well loved and enjoyed in Canada!

We had a great time visiting home, and knew that we had a lot on the horizon in the coming months back in Iowa.  Job and visa applications, moving plans, Worship Night, and lots more!  Stay tuned for a Winter/Spring blog headed your way in the next couple weeks!

Tacos and Turkey!

Happy American Thanksgiving!  Andee and I have been spoiled with Turkey this year, as we enjoyed a Canadian Thanksgiving, and soon to be two American Thanksgiving feasts this year!  YUM!  It may be cold outside, but I am toasty warm as can be with the warmth of the oven cooking delicious Thanksgiving veggies, and a warm beverage and kitty nearby.  Just as Fall should be!

Just a few weeks ago, however, we were toasty warm in a very different way!  Joined by Cassie and Trevor flying in from Toronto, we decided to take a vacation to Mexico for a week to enjoy some much needed relaxation and fun in the sun!  Since most of our vacations entail a long drive and a busy week with friends and family, this vacation was special to us, as we were able enjoy a relaxing week while spending time with two of our favourite people!  And of course, enjoying one of our favourite activities - the beach!

It was a wonderful week filled with lots of conversation, water, and sun!  Our favourite spot was lounging in our reclining chairs at the beach next to the beach bar where Miguel (our favourite waiter!) brought us mango tangos and pina coladas while we soaked up the sun!  We spent many hours snorkeling among the beautiful coral reefs where we saw starfish, an eel, rays, and tons of different kinds of tropical fish!  We also enjoyed playing catch with our water skimming ball, and swimming in the ocean where we fed pelicans, seagulls, and a terrifying number of hungry fish!  We also lounged in the pool, took a walk to the Port to see beautiful dolphins, manatees, and sea lions, and enjoyed some fantastic food!  The buffets breakfasts and lunches were fantastic, amazing crepes and ice cream during the day, and delicious a la cartes including a steak house and a teppanyaki Japanese show!

Speaking of shows, the evening entertainment was fantastic, with shows like Aladdin, The Lion King, and a special Halloween show!  Speaking of Halloween, they decorated the buffet with really fun and spooky decorations to celebrate Halloween!  The four of us got into the Halloween spirit by dressing up as the Ninja Turtles - and we looked great!

All in all, we had a fantastic week with Cassie and Trevor in Mexico!  I hope we get to go back soon!

With Thanksgiving weekend coming to a close pretty soon, it is officially socially acceptable to start the Christmas festivities!  Our Christmas tree is decorated and lit, and our little Miss Vera has been enjoying her new toy!  This year will also be the first year we will be in Iowa to attend the Christmas Eve Eve Eve service, and we are excited about heading home to Canada to see our family during the holidays!

Have a wonderful Holiday season everyone!