Ready Or Not...

     Dave and I have been busy at work trying to adjust our lives for a new little one. He's getting bigger and the time is drawing near for him to meet the world. We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our little bundle of joy, Noah.

     January was a busy month for us. We had maternity pictures made at a beautiful spot on the island. Here's a few of my favorites...

     We've been busy getting Noah's nursery together. It's been a lot of fun picking out furniture and bedding for the little guy. I"ll post pictures of the nursery when it's finished. It's still a work in progress. Each and every day we are getting closer to having everything together. I don't know that we will ever be completely ready, but we are definitely ready to roll with the punches that a newborn will bring into our lives. Ready or not...

Dave and I are 21 weeks in to our pregnancy. It's been a long time since I've blogged about anything. So long in fact that I forgot how to log in to my account. Here's what we've been up to in the last few months.

We found out in early July that we were pregnant. We were so excited. Dave and I have been trying to get pregnant for over a year. We both were getting a little impatient waiting on the Lord. Finally, in His timing, He blessed us with this wonderful experience of pregnancy.

This is the night we found out we were going to have our first child together.

     We tried to wait until we were through our first trimester before telling anyone. We decided to make a baby announcement to mail out to our closest friends before telling the world on Facebook. We were able to last 9 weeks before the first card was discovered in the mail.

This was one of the pictures we used to tell our friends that we were expecting our first child together.  

     I only had four weeks of morning sickness. All of that was before school started. I was already feeling better when we started school. In fact, the only discomforts I've had to deal with are headaches (which have gone away now) and back aches. It is so worth all the pain when I feel that little one kicking inside my belly. 

My little crossfire would not do for a baby. That means it is time for an upgrade. Dave bought me this nice Lexus to cart our baby around. 

So many changes already and the baby isn't even here yet. We have been thrilled to experience pregnancy together. Dave has been super helpful with everything. I am finally getting to a point where Dave can feel the baby kick. I know he almost cried the first time he saw the baby on the ultrasound. Later he told me that was the first time (for him) that it felt real.

Then came time to found out if we were having a boy or a girl. My friend Kristina helped to plan our gender reveal party. She knew for 4 weeks what we were having. She did an awesome job keeping everything a secret. Here'e a few pictures from our party. 

The main table was split in half. On the blue side I had a picture of Dave as a little fella. On the other side was a picture of me as a little girl. It was hard to find a picture of just me. My mom always had our pictures taken together since we were triplets. 

Here we are able to reveal the sex of the baby. It was a surprise to Dave, me, and all our guests at the party (with the exception of Kristina). She had to know what we were having so she could bury the color leis in the sand. 

I have seen all my friends do gender reveal parties. I wanted to make our reveal unique to Hawaii. We decided that we would have Kristina purchase the correct color leis (blue for a boy and pink for a girl). We then put them in a box and buried them in the Hawaiian sand. We decided to make the sand castle a replica of a woman's baby bump. It turned out really cute.

  

So...IT'S A BOY!

The leis turned out to be blue. Our guest cheered and then congratulated us. We were even able to face-time in some family to see the big reveal.

Our little bundle of joy has a name!

His name will be Noah Kekoa Deitch. We wanted to give him a Hawaiian middle name since he will be born in Hawaii. Kekoa (Ka-ko-(w)ah) in Hawaiian means brave and courageous. It's what the Hawaiians call their warriors. I think the name is definitely fitting for the little fella. 

Thank you to all the family and friends that have supported Dave and me through our little adventure. We are so excited to be first time parents. Now comes the fun of getting to buy the baby stuff. Please continue to pray that everything goes well with little Noah. We love you all and God Bless!

Light Can Be Blinding

     I wake up at 4:50 am every weekday to get ready for school. I shut off the alarm, turn on some Christian music, have a quick stretch, and then it's off to the bathroom. Our bedroom is super dark, so turning on the lights first thing in the morning (always before the sun comes up) is often blinding. 


     The bible says in 1 John 1:5 "Now this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in Him. "


     God is light and sin is darkness. The two cannot co-exist. The light will overpower the darkness. 


     Paul wrote in acts 26: 17b-18 about his conversion experience. Jesus spoke to him saying, "I now send you to them to open their eyes so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that by faith in Me they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified."


     I can remember walking, for a lengthy period of time, in sin. It's painful. It was hard to see were I was and were I was going. God's light can be blinding when you've been walking in sin for a while. The promise is that God's grace is there for me and for you. Yeah the light can be blinding when we've been in the darkness for so long, but our eyes will adjust if we just step into the light. 

Rejoice, Be Patient, And Pray

     Dave and I were enjoying a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Hawaii last Sunday. I checked my phone after waking up from a nap and noticed I had a missed call and voice mail from my realtor. I thought it was just him calling to touch base with me about my house and how things were going at his end. I checked the voice mail and to my shock, excitement, and relief someone had made an offer on my house. It is such a blessing to be in God’s grace. My house has been on the market for almost a year. That means Dave and I have been making two house payments since then.

     We both have been trying to live out Romans 12:12 lives. “Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.”

     It hasn't been easy. I know there is a lot that could go wrong before the closing date. Still I will forever rejoice in the Lord and give thanks to Him for everything…good or bad.

 “Rejoice in hope”

Have peace in knowing that God will do what He says He will do for you. One of God’s many promises is found in Jeremiah 29:11. He wants to give us a future and hope. Put your hope in the Lord. He will provide the perfect future for His will for you. 

“Be patient in affliction”

Trails are God’s lessons. Sometimes it is something little like trying to sell a house, and sometimes it is something as devastating as the loss of a loved one too soon. James 1:2-3 says, “Consider it GREAT joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trails, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”

     I am a teacher myself. With that come tests. One cannot learn if he/she is not growing through the measurement of tests. An exam (trial) helps you to evaluate where you are, what you know, and what you still need to learn.

“Be persistent in prayer”

Prayer-it is your time to be alone with God. Even if you are praying with someone else or in front of a whole church, it is you talking to your heavenly Father. Prayer is so powerful. It is so intimate. The Holy Spirit works through it. People can be changed by it. Lives can be fulfilled through it. God’s presence can be so real when you speak to Him through prayer. Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your prayer be known to God. God tells us to not get anxious (Don’t take things into your own hands.) just pray!

Dave and I did not get enough time off work to travel home for Thanksgiving. We decided to travel instead to one of the other islands. He booked us a room at the Westin in Maui. We arrived late Wednesday night. On Thanksgiving morning we had a nice breakfast at the resort. Dave had scheduled us a surfing lesson. 

Neither one of us has ever been surfing before. We were both ready to get out there. I know I was excited. Here's a few pictures from our surfing lesson.

Here we are getting some land instructions before getting in the water.

Dave catching a wave

I think this was after one of my many wipe outs.

He's trying...

Almost there...

Looking good Dave!

I got really good at the paddling part. 

Here's a few waves I was able to catch.

Look at that form... Casey my instructor was proud.  

Here I am trying to turn on the wave...I soon fell. 

After I caught my wave, it was official. I could now give the Shaka. 

Casey (our instructor), me, the surfboard, and Dave 

We will definitely try this again. Surfing was hard but fun. After the lesson was over Dave and I had a massage at the spa. Later that night we had our Thanksgiving dinner that the resort. The food was awesome. I missed my family but man we had a great Thanksgiving in Maui.

On Friday we went on a snorkeling trip. We were sitting on the boat wait for it to take off, and there stood a naked lady on the second story building. No lie...she was at least 75 and was just standing there naked as a jaybird. She then proceeded to sweep in front of the window. We asked the people who owned the boat if this was an everyday thing or were we just that lucky. They told us that she does it all the time. LOL...That was a weird start to our day. Here are some pictures from our snorkeling trip...no pictures were taken of the lady. 

On our way to do some snorkeling

You got to try and get that under water picture. 

So many fish.

Our boat had a slide off the back. You know us young ones had to give it a go. 

Eric and Dave in the water after coming off the slide. 

Eric, Leslie, me, and Dave on our way back from a fun day of snorkeling.

Maui was awesome. Dave and I missed our families, but we made the best of a bad situation. We will definitely come back to Maui for another visit. 

If you are what you eat…is your life what you speak?

Give me the words to speak Oh Lord. Not so they will think I’m great, but so they will know you are. 

Does your life reflect what you speak? Take a moment and think about that question. Go on…I’ll give you a little more time if it is needed. I’m a teacher, and we have inherited flexibility through our environment.

Here are a few things that the Lord has taught me in the last few days.

#1. Matthew 12: 34b

                “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”

We've all said things that we “think” we don’t mean. It comes out of our mouth and we are like, “What was I thinking?” Or you may have thought, “Did I just say that?” Perhaps you said something and immediately wished you could have taken it back, say you didn't mean it, or hit the backspace button of your life. The truth is you cannot reverse the damage that words do to your reputation and your witness. So maybe we should clean our filters. Just a little maintenance is needed to make sure junk does not come out of your abundant heart and pollute the people around you.  Don’t worry it’s not as harsh as washing your mouth out with soap. The key is to start at the heart and work your way out.  

#2. Psalm 40:2-3

                “He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. “

God is so good. He is way better than we deserve. He pulled us out of hell to stand with Jesus. You know Jesus, that friend of yours that picked up the cross, bled, and died for you. Our sin caused His death, but could not keep him from rising out of the grave.  WOW! I definitely want Him on my side. When Jesus became real to you and you allowed the Holy Spirit into your heart, a change took place (at least it should have…right?). Well maybe if you are like me the lessons (changes) of the Lord are ongoing. Still a change should have started at the moment God pulled you out of the bondage of your sin.

Your feet were given a new path. Your heart was given new life. Your soul was washed in righteousness. Your mouth was given a new song. YOU HAVE BEEN CHANGED! God wants you to remember that your path is His. He wants you to remember that your life leads to Him. Live your life in a way that reflects this thought. Know that you are a citizen of heaven. Your heart now has that little spark that goes to your brain to convict, right any wrongs and love like never before. Your soul has eternal life in heaven.  You are whiter than snow because of Jesus Christ. Your mouth now reflects the love of the Lord. The moment you became a Christian all others were looking at you and watching what you say. Are your words showing that you love the Lord and want to do everything in your power to see that other people come to know God for His greatness? Are your words that of a changed Christian? Are your words so powerful that non-Christians want what God has to offer? 

If you are like me and you still need a little tweaking, then here’s an excellent way to get started.

#3. Psalm 141: 3

                “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!”

Boy do I need to say this daily. It is wonderful to be a child of God and to have this opportunity. God will keep a watch over our lips if we just ask. Be mindful of what you say. Let God protect the things that are coming out of your mouth.  Allow him to clean your heart so that out of your mouth will flow the awesome power of the Lord.

How do you keep from going backwards? How can you make sure that you will always be a good representative of what God can to for a sinner? Well I’m glad you asked!

#4. Psalm 19: 14

                “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”

The cleaning process begins when we spend time with God. We must first know who He is in order to speak of Him. Meditate on His word (The Bible). If you fill your life with things of this earth, then things of this earth will come out of your mouth. If you fill your life with Jesus, then you will equip yourself with everything you need to be a positive representation of a Christian. Make God a part of everything you say and do. Don’t give in. Don’t lose focus. Pick up your cross daily and choose to set an example. What are your words saying about you? What does your life say about you? What do the things that you put on the internet say about you?

God can change us all and it can start today.

If you are what you eat…is your life what you speak?

Reacting Like A Christian

It's been so long since I've written something on here that I almost forgot my log in information...almost.

     Well Dave and I are doing well. God blessed me with a wonderful job. I was starting to wonder if God might have something else in store for me. His timing is perfect. I kind of wished I would have relaxed a little more instead of worrying about getting a job. I could have saved myself a lot of stress by just knowing that He will provide even if it's not the way I wanted.

    Anyways we are both doing great and enjoying life on the island. Things sure are slow in Hawaii. I had someone tell me that they once had their household goods scheduled to move and the people didn't show up because they said it was a good surfing day. Well that's how it is out here. It will drive you crazy before you get use to it.

     My dad is having issues with his blatter. There's a mass growing in there that won't let him go to the bathroom on his own. He has to have surgery Wednesday. Hopefully they can remove it and everything will be okay. My family is pretty positive about it. My dad is in his mid 70's so you tend to chalk it up to old age right? Still it's hard to think of my dad as old. Every time I think about him he's that dad I had when I was little. Parents aren't suppose to age right? We are trying to keep it positive and support him in anyway that we can. I'm so proud of my family. We have always been close. Still I believe this has brought us even closer (if that's possible). For example...my sisters and I have been sending texts to each other just to say I love you. Everyone is checking up on each other and working together to provide whatever the family needs. I think a crisis has a way of doing that...bringing people together. How can you look at a crisis as negative if it's so powerful to do that?

     I was on my way home from work today and I heard a man say this on the radio.

"Acting like a Christian is easy...it's reacting like one that shows maturity." Ding, ding, ding! A light went off. What a great saying. Thank you man on the radio. I needed that! I'm sure you all did too so I wanted to share.

     There's a lot of people here and only 3 major highways. They are the H1, H2, and H3. I have to take the H1 to work. This is the busiest highway on the island. Isn't God so good to teach me some patience everyday with my 45 minute drive to and from work? Before this would have driven me crazy. For those of you that don't know I am so impatient when it comes to driving. I tend to think I'm in a race and everyone should look out for me (not the other way around). God has used this to teach me some spiritual maturity. Now I use it as a time to talk with God and worship through good Christian music. It really does help me to be kind and let others in. It has helped make my 45 minute drive enjoyable everyday.  Now I'm not perfect. I still get a little anxious some times and want to run into the back of someone that cut me off...it's called a safe following distance...I'm not making room for you to come into my lane...I'm still a work in progress. I think that's how God wants it...us actively moving forward and growing.

 "Acting like a Christian is easy...it's reacting like one that shows maturity."