WARNING: this blog post may be explicit and potentially harmful for pregnant women to read
as a pregnant woman in an urban, highly populated environment, i have taken it upon myself to offer a suggestion to you inventors, patent-earners, and entrepreneurs out there. you can steal it fair and square, and i promise you it will be worth the steal. i won’t even request royalties.
here is my idea: stick-on nasal fresheners. ta da!
no, these fresheners are not for other people to smell you. they are for the sole purpose of aiding pregnant women in their march against nausea. and believe me, at times it is a fight for life.
you see, an urban mother-to-be starts every day with the daunting task of hiding a secret: the secret that everyone you come into contact with smells bad (except for jed or the occasional man on the train wearing curve – bless his soul). everything you pass by carries a distinct odor! no longer does the cigarette smoke from a chain smoker provide a welcome deviation from the typical body odor that can be sniffed, they are both equally repugnant and puke inducing.
one of my biggest fears is ralphing while i’m on the train. not only would i deeply offend every person on that train, but i believe a chain reaction would for sure ensue (think “cheaper by the dozen” levels). my solution has been to carry a plastic target bag in my purse, ready to whip out in a moment’s notice should the urge arise. fortunately, this has not happened yet, but i’ve come dangerously close. i’ve already figured out what i would say should such an event occur: “don’t worry, i’m just pregnant. i don’t have swine flu.” then everyone could breathe easy and even offer a little sympathy should they be so inclined.
back to the invention. hopefully by now you understand the necessity of such an invention. my vision is to have several different flavors on one set – kinda like stick-on earrings. maybe 28 pairs on a card, organized by smell or color. a variety pack is the only way to go in this situation due to the adhd nature of a pregnant woman’s tastes. (i can eat a bite of something because it’s what I HAVE TO HAVE at the moment, and by the time i’m done chewing it’s all i can do to swallow without gagging!) if you love the fresh smell of strawberries, put a strawberry sniffer in your nose while you cook. if you take a fancy to the smell of windex, put a windex sniffer in your nose for your commute. the possibilities are endliess!
no longer would i have to rely on a layer of vick’s vapo rub coating my nostrils in order for the dishes to get done. my gag reflex would get a break from the overtime shifts it’s been pulling, and jed would have freedom to open the fridge door whether i was in the apartment or not. can you imagine the worldwide success of nasal fresheners?!
i now hand over the baton. make it your duty to help the pregnant women of society. take the idea and run with it! it’s all yours.
ps: in case you haven't heard, jed and i are expecting a baby may 27th and we're very very happy!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
A Story by Jed
Yes. It's me. Jed. I'm finally writing an entry. For all of you Amy fans out there, I apologize if you're disappointed that this is not an entry written by her, but please read it anyway. I'll attempt not to bore you. I just couldn't help but be the writer of this entry.
Once again, God has proven Himself ever faithful at the perfect moment. We were floored by God's provision not a day late (particularly from a health insurance perspective) when He provided Amy her job back in May. Well, God did it again! Why am I surprised? I shouldn't be. But that seems to be the status quo for a sinner always in need of a Savior and in need of Holy-Spirit-given faith to believe in that Savior of mine. So here's the scoop of God's most recent out-of-nowhere provision for us.
Where do I even begin? Well, I’ll begin Tuesday, September 8. After a long, late, stressful (stressful in many ways upon which I will not elaborate in order to protect the identity of those who made it thus) day at the office, I got on the subway for my commute home. My stomach was in knots, my back was killing me, I was in atrial fib, my eyelid was twitching, and I knew something had to give, but I didn’t see a way out. I arrived home about 8:45pm, Amy was so lovingly preparing dinner at such a late hour, and I broke down in tears. Here we had spent 6.5 years of our lives in seminary, we had moved to NYC to be more involved in church ministry, and my sales job was turning out to be my life. I had very little family or church life, just work, work, work, sales, sales, sales, whatever it took to get the next student. I cried out to God that evening. I knew we needed the money I was making, but I also realized I only have one life to live, and every day that went by was another day less that I had to live (thank you, John Madden). That night, Amy gave a good old-fashioned spiritual pep talk to me (I definitely had an intense “woe is me” Jonah syndrome at the time), I tried snapping out of it, and I went to work the next day trying to trust God that He had led us to this valley and would lead us through and out of the valley at the appropriate time. I also knew that God would not give me more than I could handle. If I had this job, then that meant that God knew I could handle it for the time being.
Let’s jump two days (only two days) later to Thursday, September 10. I was mentally digging my feet into the ground for the long haul at my current job. If nothing else, I knew that God had given me this NYC sales job to help me fulfill one of our desires in moving to NYC (i.e., understanding the life [and trials therein] of a person working in the cut throat NYC corporate culture). Midday on that Thursday, I looked in our gmail account as I often do, and out of the blue, there was an email in my inbox from a permanent hire job recruiter I hadn't had contact with in 4 months. And unless you don't understand how odd this was, I hadn't sent my resume to anyone since I began my current job 2 months ago! And, until I received this email, I also hadn't heard from any companies in those 2 months either. In the email, the recruiter presented me with a potential job opportunity that was more amazing than any other job opportunity that any recruiter had ever come close to presenting to Amy or me. And let me tell you, Amy and I (especially Amy though) had been given the run around from a bunch of "helpful" recruiters. This particular job opportunity presented me with suitable pay, full-time 35 hours per week, daytime weekday hours, the best health benefits on the market (even better than Amy’s current health benefits), 16 vacation days, 4.5 personal days, and 12 sick days per year, plus holidays. I told her I’d definitely like more details, and she got me an interview with the company on Tuesday, September 15. I interviewed that morning, and had no idea what they thought about me coming out of the interview (especially because I was with my current company for under 2 months). It was then a waiting game. God caused the children of Israel to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. How long was I going to have to wander, I thought? I would go from getting my hopes up to trying to keep my hopes in check so as to not have a “hope deferred” situation on our hands. This past Friday afternoon I got a call from the recruiter. She said the company really liked me, and 30 minutes later I had the job offer. I immediately accepted, gave my 2-week notice at my current job this past Saturday, and I’ll be working here through the end of today. I’ll then begin at my new job October 5, and I'll have many, many more hours per week to devote to family and church. Wow! And for those of you out there who are curious, I will be working in Manhattan 2 blocks from Penn Station. My title will be Benefits Rep for a company called the Committee of Interns and Residents (i.e., medical doctor interns and residents).
Just another NYC situation that has grown me/us and shown us that God is going before us and has been since we moved February 14. Tears of pleading changed to tears of joy! I had the opportunity to preach at a church out on Long Island this past Sunday. I preached from the Book of Habakkuk (great study), and in that sermon, I read the following William Cowper hymn (wish I had the worship leader talent like Bob Kaughlin so we could've sung this, but oh well):
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds you so much dread
Are big with mercy and will break
In blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.
Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.
The words of this poem have been the happenings of our lives since we moved here on Valentine's Day 2009. God is so good to us, even when we can't always make sense of what His good Hand is working in and through us!
Once again, God has proven Himself ever faithful at the perfect moment. We were floored by God's provision not a day late (particularly from a health insurance perspective) when He provided Amy her job back in May. Well, God did it again! Why am I surprised? I shouldn't be. But that seems to be the status quo for a sinner always in need of a Savior and in need of Holy-Spirit-given faith to believe in that Savior of mine. So here's the scoop of God's most recent out-of-nowhere provision for us.
Where do I even begin? Well, I’ll begin Tuesday, September 8. After a long, late, stressful (stressful in many ways upon which I will not elaborate in order to protect the identity of those who made it thus) day at the office, I got on the subway for my commute home. My stomach was in knots, my back was killing me, I was in atrial fib, my eyelid was twitching, and I knew something had to give, but I didn’t see a way out. I arrived home about 8:45pm, Amy was so lovingly preparing dinner at such a late hour, and I broke down in tears. Here we had spent 6.5 years of our lives in seminary, we had moved to NYC to be more involved in church ministry, and my sales job was turning out to be my life. I had very little family or church life, just work, work, work, sales, sales, sales, whatever it took to get the next student. I cried out to God that evening. I knew we needed the money I was making, but I also realized I only have one life to live, and every day that went by was another day less that I had to live (thank you, John Madden). That night, Amy gave a good old-fashioned spiritual pep talk to me (I definitely had an intense “woe is me” Jonah syndrome at the time), I tried snapping out of it, and I went to work the next day trying to trust God that He had led us to this valley and would lead us through and out of the valley at the appropriate time. I also knew that God would not give me more than I could handle. If I had this job, then that meant that God knew I could handle it for the time being.
Let’s jump two days (only two days) later to Thursday, September 10. I was mentally digging my feet into the ground for the long haul at my current job. If nothing else, I knew that God had given me this NYC sales job to help me fulfill one of our desires in moving to NYC (i.e., understanding the life [and trials therein] of a person working in the cut throat NYC corporate culture). Midday on that Thursday, I looked in our gmail account as I often do, and out of the blue, there was an email in my inbox from a permanent hire job recruiter I hadn't had contact with in 4 months. And unless you don't understand how odd this was, I hadn't sent my resume to anyone since I began my current job 2 months ago! And, until I received this email, I also hadn't heard from any companies in those 2 months either. In the email, the recruiter presented me with a potential job opportunity that was more amazing than any other job opportunity that any recruiter had ever come close to presenting to Amy or me. And let me tell you, Amy and I (especially Amy though) had been given the run around from a bunch of "helpful" recruiters. This particular job opportunity presented me with suitable pay, full-time 35 hours per week, daytime weekday hours, the best health benefits on the market (even better than Amy’s current health benefits), 16 vacation days, 4.5 personal days, and 12 sick days per year, plus holidays. I told her I’d definitely like more details, and she got me an interview with the company on Tuesday, September 15. I interviewed that morning, and had no idea what they thought about me coming out of the interview (especially because I was with my current company for under 2 months). It was then a waiting game. God caused the children of Israel to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. How long was I going to have to wander, I thought? I would go from getting my hopes up to trying to keep my hopes in check so as to not have a “hope deferred” situation on our hands. This past Friday afternoon I got a call from the recruiter. She said the company really liked me, and 30 minutes later I had the job offer. I immediately accepted, gave my 2-week notice at my current job this past Saturday, and I’ll be working here through the end of today. I’ll then begin at my new job October 5, and I'll have many, many more hours per week to devote to family and church. Wow! And for those of you out there who are curious, I will be working in Manhattan 2 blocks from Penn Station. My title will be Benefits Rep for a company called the Committee of Interns and Residents (i.e., medical doctor interns and residents).
Just another NYC situation that has grown me/us and shown us that God is going before us and has been since we moved February 14. Tears of pleading changed to tears of joy! I had the opportunity to preach at a church out on Long Island this past Sunday. I preached from the Book of Habakkuk (great study), and in that sermon, I read the following William Cowper hymn (wish I had the worship leader talent like Bob Kaughlin so we could've sung this, but oh well):
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds you so much dread
Are big with mercy and will break
In blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.
Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.
The words of this poem have been the happenings of our lives since we moved here on Valentine's Day 2009. God is so good to us, even when we can't always make sense of what His good Hand is working in and through us!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
sidewalks of brooklyn
the sidewalks here continually intrigue me, so tonight on my grocery run (jed works late) i decided to bring along my little olympus and tell you about it. maybe you'll find the hilarity in it all as well.
first of all, let me just tell you about the dangerous unevenness of the sidewalks. many times have i gone propelling forward in what could've been a fatal trip, thanks to my tendency to watch the sky, not the ground. some would blame distracted concrete pourers, while others would blame the weather. i blame it on the preservation of just one more attribute that i love about the city: it's quirkiness.
here we have a sure-fire way to stub your toe in sandals.
next, a stroller's nightmare.
at times, walking down the street is like eating popcorn out of those huge, variety pack, christmas tins. three flavors available - the first two are nice but the third tastes like tin.
as i mentioned before, you'll end up in an underground storage unit if you're not careful. caution signs are so early 90's, man.
i almost died of fright one time walking in heels across one of these subway grates. i thought i was tip toeing but i wasn't tipping enough, and the only thought in my mind for a millisecond was "she's going down people."
once in a blue moon, you'll come across a 21st century wonder - pavement. call me crazy, but it's boring, flat, straight, and clean from lack of wear. pppshhht.
there is one thing about the sidewalks here that jed and i can't seem to figure out. see those black dots? this is a shot of a very young and pale piece of sidewalk that hasn't yet been around the block, mind you, but it's still pretty full of black dots, right? well i say it's careless tar workers. jed (with the more likely possibility) says it's decades of gum users. the black dots are ev-er-y-where. seriously. i guess it's impossible to have that many careless tar workers, but on the flip side jed has a chip on his shoulder against people who spit out their gum on the sidewalk as a gift for your shoe.
no matter the story, it's a distinct sidewalk character here.
and you know, it's so funny to me sometimes that this
can be next to this.
who plans this?
one more thing.
does anyone need a bed frame?
first of all, let me just tell you about the dangerous unevenness of the sidewalks. many times have i gone propelling forward in what could've been a fatal trip, thanks to my tendency to watch the sky, not the ground. some would blame distracted concrete pourers, while others would blame the weather. i blame it on the preservation of just one more attribute that i love about the city: it's quirkiness.
here we have a sure-fire way to stub your toe in sandals.
next, a stroller's nightmare.
at times, walking down the street is like eating popcorn out of those huge, variety pack, christmas tins. three flavors available - the first two are nice but the third tastes like tin.
as i mentioned before, you'll end up in an underground storage unit if you're not careful. caution signs are so early 90's, man.
i almost died of fright one time walking in heels across one of these subway grates. i thought i was tip toeing but i wasn't tipping enough, and the only thought in my mind for a millisecond was "she's going down people."
once in a blue moon, you'll come across a 21st century wonder - pavement. call me crazy, but it's boring, flat, straight, and clean from lack of wear. pppshhht.
there is one thing about the sidewalks here that jed and i can't seem to figure out. see those black dots? this is a shot of a very young and pale piece of sidewalk that hasn't yet been around the block, mind you, but it's still pretty full of black dots, right? well i say it's careless tar workers. jed (with the more likely possibility) says it's decades of gum users. the black dots are ev-er-y-where. seriously. i guess it's impossible to have that many careless tar workers, but on the flip side jed has a chip on his shoulder against people who spit out their gum on the sidewalk as a gift for your shoe.
no matter the story, it's a distinct sidewalk character here.
and you know, it's so funny to me sometimes that this
can be next to this.
who plans this?
but alas. at the end of the day, our sidewalks are merely foundational stories describing the people who pound them.
we just happen to think its a privilege to read those stories.
one more thing.
does anyone need a bed frame?
Friday, August 28, 2009
let the games begin
flat screen tv in possession (jed's well-earned "mancheivement"), slight hints of fall already in the air (yay for the north!), and the newest member of the eagles' family recently welcomed to the flock. as espn so nicely put it, a "new eagle has landed."
our jerseys are clean, we've been practicing the fight song, and every press conference has been analyzed. it's going to be a good season. possibly the season. only first downs will tell. what do we have to lose? nothing. what do we have to cheer for? philadelphia history, familial and brotherly love, the most riveting sport of all time.
all we can say is:
GO EAGLES!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
"normal"
normal is so relative, subjective, original, abstract, illusory, all of the above. it can change at the dawn of every day, and even throughout the day. it's one thing that i, as a somewhat letter-of-the-law person on the inside, am okay with being fluid in the area of "normalcy." i'm okay with the fact that one person's pink hair can be a completely normal thing after last month's purple shade, but for another person, only brown can satisfy them. one person can think it's okay to sleep in the day and use the night as a work day, others shun the thought of seeing the sun rise. some couples are double-income-no-kids families, and some couples are more flexible in their definition of income, living from show to show or job to job.
jed and i have recently achieved (by God's kind grace) a state of "normal" life, albeit somewhat temporary. (and when i say temporary i do speak in the term of years. i just had to say temporary for the people out there who plan in ten year segments.) it's kinda weird to be here because we've only thought about it for so long, but yes, we're here.
we both have jobs, and we live in the city we love. it's a wonderful normal for us. we're so thankful for jed's job. he's finishing two weeks tomorrow at devry college of new york as an educational advisor in the undergraduate admissions office, and monday he leaves for a week-long training session in chicago. (side note: if you want to come to the city and keep me company, you're more than welcome!!!) it's such a great job for his background, our intentions for the future, his desire to have a job that works with people, and even the field that he's intended to work in. how good God is to give him a job that is a "first choice" job and not a "settle for" job. we're amazed!
consequently, this called for celebration. (you may think we look for a good excuse to celebrate, and if you do - you're right.) we decided an afternoon in brighton beach would be the choice for this particular celebration, and wow did it end up being fun! we started out at the beach right as the sun and heat had calmed down a bit, followed it up with a delectable and fantastic russian meal at a restaurant we found on yelp called cafe glechik, enjoyed a nice time watching the moon over the ocean, and then ate skittles on the train ride home. when we celebrate, we include the commute because it's usually a good part of the trip. below are some pictures from our most recent celebrations (walk in the rain to a newly found mexican restaurant, pics of li'l russia)
Saturday, July 25, 2009
the mindset formerly known as "inflexible"
at least i hope to undergo a permanent change into the "flexible" world. i read last week that being inflexible is a sign of pride because it's a demonstration of our need to control circumstances and situations, assuming that our way is indeed the best way. the funny part is i've always said "oh, i'm flexible" or "sure, whatever you think" and "i really don't have a preference." but who are we kidding? when i said those things it was more or less in the understood parameters of a certain situation, not a wide open, literal, true-by-definition flexibility. if put in a crowd of i-don't-have-a-preference people, i can easily persuade them all to have my preference. sometimes that's good (when running for a public office or following some views of parenting), but it's been something i've been pondering as of late.
maybe it's because we were vagabonds for 93 days (or was it 97?), or maybe it's because our name tags have said "hi, my name is floater" since february of this year, or maybe it's even because i'm learning that i'm not inherently entitled to a 9-5 job ("sure, my hours are flexible. what time should i come in?"), but today is a big think-it-through day. actually, the last two weeks have been big thinker weeks. it's a good thing to re-evaluate, reminisce, plan, meditate, ponder, etc. it keeps life real; it makes you aware of why you're here; and it reminds you what you're supposed to do each day.
thinking it through has meant several things for me: the fresh wound of learning true humility over and over again, breaking every single inflexible bone in my body until i'm as flexible as gumbi, remembering that happiness and joy are dead if i look for it in my circumstances, and keeping in front of my mind the love that Jesus has for me and jed. in this way, life is amazing. one part of me hates those days where tears are fresh, i feel like a wimp, and my head is a whirling chat room. but the other part of me is addicted to those kinds of days because the reality that can come from those days, by God's grace, is a fresh and fabulous reality.
thankfully, for jed's sanity and for my sanity, they don't come regularly. but when they do, i wake up to a clearer understanding of this whole big picture and man that's awesome!
maybe it's because we were vagabonds for 93 days (or was it 97?), or maybe it's because our name tags have said "hi, my name is floater" since february of this year, or maybe it's even because i'm learning that i'm not inherently entitled to a 9-5 job ("sure, my hours are flexible. what time should i come in?"), but today is a big think-it-through day. actually, the last two weeks have been big thinker weeks. it's a good thing to re-evaluate, reminisce, plan, meditate, ponder, etc. it keeps life real; it makes you aware of why you're here; and it reminds you what you're supposed to do each day.
thinking it through has meant several things for me: the fresh wound of learning true humility over and over again, breaking every single inflexible bone in my body until i'm as flexible as gumbi, remembering that happiness and joy are dead if i look for it in my circumstances, and keeping in front of my mind the love that Jesus has for me and jed. in this way, life is amazing. one part of me hates those days where tears are fresh, i feel like a wimp, and my head is a whirling chat room. but the other part of me is addicted to those kinds of days because the reality that can come from those days, by God's grace, is a fresh and fabulous reality.
thankfully, for jed's sanity and for my sanity, they don't come regularly. but when they do, i wake up to a clearer understanding of this whole big picture and man that's awesome!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
summertime!
summertime in brooklyn is the best in the whole world! (except maybe the beach on a really warm day, but fortunately we haven't had but a handful of really warm days in the last 2 months) there's just not much wrong with this city as far as livin' life here goes. i know it's the same 'ol story, but we do just love it here. in the last month we've had three sets of visitors (jed's brother joe, jed's sister mel and her family, and my sister abi), made several trips to the donut shop, enjoyed fireworks on the manhattan skyline, jed has had surgery on his right knee, and we've only used our air conditioner for about 5 nights. quite a successful month!
our time hasn't been without struggle, however. amongst other trials, God has, in his wisdom, not yet given jed a job. we both wrestle with this problem in different ways, but it's a burden on both of our hearts. our minds vascillate between understanding that God is completely wise and sovereign and we have only to learn patience and endurance, to really growing impatient and discontent with the circumstance we're in. in his goodness, God is allowing us to still pay for our bills each month due to my blessing of a job, so we really have no immediate worry. life is best if tackled one day at a time, and we pray for grace to be able to do that!
here's a smattering of pics from the last month.
trip to the park
a house full of guests!
with my sister abi
jed folding laundry even in his post-surgery state
our favorite place in the city
our time hasn't been without struggle, however. amongst other trials, God has, in his wisdom, not yet given jed a job. we both wrestle with this problem in different ways, but it's a burden on both of our hearts. our minds vascillate between understanding that God is completely wise and sovereign and we have only to learn patience and endurance, to really growing impatient and discontent with the circumstance we're in. in his goodness, God is allowing us to still pay for our bills each month due to my blessing of a job, so we really have no immediate worry. life is best if tackled one day at a time, and we pray for grace to be able to do that!
here's a smattering of pics from the last month.
trip to the park
a house full of guests!
with my sister abi
jed folding laundry even in his post-surgery state
our favorite place in the city
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)