Getting back to normal

Emotional trauma...pain, heartache, sadness...it's just that "trauma". Zack and I have been dealing with a miscarriage this last month and a half (7 weeks to be exact). My heart still hurts over the loss of our baby, but God's goodness shines in the midst of it all. And I would say that we are both beginning to feel "normal" again. Normal is relative, but in this case I think it means that we are ready to be around people again, ready to relate to others who have no clue what we experienced. At first we just needed a bubble of separation from the world in which to hurt and heal. I am sure many people didn't understand our withdrawal. I have often not understood when others needed time alone, so I am not faulting anyone. It is difficult to know what to do or say when we don't understand the pain of others. So to all our friends and family, please be patient with us, but know that we love you deeply.

Flowers!

Like all of my family, I love flowers. But I have never had a place to plant them and learn how to grow them...until now. I have a ton to learn, but it is really fun to see things grow.

I love Arkansas!

Arkansas...when you hear the name, you think barefoot and pregnant teenagers with five kids under the age of five running around underfoot and an unemployed husband with a huge beer (or should I say moonshine) belly sticking out from under his too short dingy white "wife-beater". Admit it...you know I'm right. For me, coming from Mississippi (a state with a worse reputation than Arkansas), I thought it would probably be similar to what I grew up with (a love/hate relationship). Although there are some similarities, there are many differences as well. Arkansas has a natural beauty all its own! It is rugged and serene. It is a subtle beauty that takes you by the hand and pulls you along and makes you feel at home. At the same time, it pushes and teaches you to be bolder, more adventurous. And if you are already a grand adventurer, it smiles and cheers and laughs joyously as it welcomes you to its repertoire of playgrounds. But the best thing is that this natural beauty is undiscovered by most of the rest of America (who simply think of Arkansas in the terms I mentioned in the first sentence of this blog). With a few exceptions, most of the 52 state parks and 2 national parks in Arkansas are not even close to being "touristy". I love it!

Learning to Sew

My mother-in-law is a gifted seamstress. I believe she can sew absolutely anything! Sewing is something I have wanted to do for years. The problem is that I have never touched a sewing machine or taken a sewing class or in any way learned correct sewing skills. Not letting this deter me, I asked for and received a sewing machine for Christmas. So now what!? I stumbled along as best I could, learning bits and pieces here and there. And then my mother-in-law decided to visit us for a week just to teach me how to sew. We had a lovely time together. I learned a ton about sewing and enjoyed getting to know Mom more. And this is what we made:

Thanks Mom!