When we were little, Jessica was nicknamed Jessi-Cat because she would write the first initial of her last name so close to her first. She would write JessicaT followed by one of those huge bubble periods that we loved to write in the 80's.
I met Jessica in either the third or fourth grade. The math at the moment escapes me. Her parents moved into town and she began attending my school and we became friends. My memories are random and spotty. I remember rollerskating in her driveway for hours listening to a ghetto-blaster that we used to continually play "Venus" by Bananarama. I remember her mom taking a gigantic black plastic bag to clean out her room. I remember her twisting her hair and leaving knots, much like my daughter does now, and I teased her about the similarity as an adult. I remember the day she hit a tree with her VW bug while on the way to church. I remember slumber parties, and birthday parties. My ups, my downs, her ups, her downs, our separate ways and our re-uniting friendship.
The memory we joked of the most, and which she continually teased me, was of eating dinner at her house for the first time and hearing my mother's words of being polite and eating whatever I was fed. I had never had a cold, mayonnaise and meatloaf sandwhich before. After about 8 glasses of milk to help me swallow, I was brave enough to ask if I could be done.
She made the best green bean casserole and barbequed the best garlic hamburgers. She loved candles. And what was that kick with all black dishes with Vanessa? :)
As I prepared for my marriage and Jason was stopped at the U.S. border and denied entrance from Canada, Jessica was the one I called at 2 a.m. for support and a shoulder to cry on. When I walked down the aisle I remember her sitting in the pew, smiling and saying hi, sharing in my excitement.
I remember as she prepared for her marriage to Matt thar she was so incredibly happy. And I remember conversations with her after, through many of life's events, and she remained so in love.
Jessica passed away last weekend, suddenly and MOST unexpectedly. And I miss her terribly already. Through the last few years we did not talk as often as I would have liked, but she remained a true, sincere and beloved friend. She was supportive and always willing to share a hug. She was funny, and always shared a laugh. And she was real. She was real in God's love and as a sister in Christ.
Throughout my adult life 'phases' I have tried to rely on knowing that even though life takes fantastic friends to different places all over the world, and even though life gets so incredibly busy and we never get as much relationship time as we would like, I have tried to find some solace in knowing that someday we will share a seat before the Lord and have all the time in the world to talk, laugh, and praise Jesus together. What more could one want from a friendship? Jessica was one of those friends. And for the rest of my God-allowed time here on this earth I will have a hole, for there were some memories I could only recall with Jessica. Grieving is truly for those of us left behind, because the irony is that she is perfectly healed, happy, and loved before the God who created her and knew of this day before she had been born. But in the end I look forward to seeing her laugh, giving her a hug, and eternally sharing a seat with her at the table of our Lord. And until then I will miss her.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Nasty Nasty Hotel
So a few weeks ago we headed over to Monterey to the Aquarium which was fabulous as always. On the way we stayed at an Extended Stay hotel in Morgan Hill, which was NASTY. This is my warning to everyone out there - never ever stay at an Extended Stay hotel.
The first room was so disgusting that I used up a travel pack of wipes in the bathroom and then said forget it. I went downstairs to the desk and asked them if they had cleaned our room. The response was "I dont know". After consulting the maid standing behind her who did not know if she had cleaned the room or not, the desk girl decided to move us to a new room two doors down.
After entering that room we checked the bed to make sure the sheets were clean (which they appeared to be), we then discovered the rest of the room was just as dirty as the first. It was too late to find a new hotel, so we drove across the street to Target and invested in clorox wipes and disinfecting spray. I had to clean hair from every surface in that hotel room - and I mean EVERY surface. Extended Stay hotels also have a mini-kitchen so you can cook your own food. We had brought some easy throw together stuff to save money. YEAH RIGHT. There was no way I was cleaning all those dishes and kitchen too. Hair in the dishes was more than I could take, so we went out.
Nasty nasty nasty.
You have been warned!
The first room was so disgusting that I used up a travel pack of wipes in the bathroom and then said forget it. I went downstairs to the desk and asked them if they had cleaned our room. The response was "I dont know". After consulting the maid standing behind her who did not know if she had cleaned the room or not, the desk girl decided to move us to a new room two doors down.
After entering that room we checked the bed to make sure the sheets were clean (which they appeared to be), we then discovered the rest of the room was just as dirty as the first. It was too late to find a new hotel, so we drove across the street to Target and invested in clorox wipes and disinfecting spray. I had to clean hair from every surface in that hotel room - and I mean EVERY surface. Extended Stay hotels also have a mini-kitchen so you can cook your own food. We had brought some easy throw together stuff to save money. YEAH RIGHT. There was no way I was cleaning all those dishes and kitchen too. Hair in the dishes was more than I could take, so we went out.
Nasty nasty nasty.
You have been warned!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Educational Philosophies
One thing the world is NOT short on is educational philosophies. This year as a part of my professional development I set the goal of becomming more familiar with the various popular educational philosophies. This is very appropriate for the charter school I work for since it is highly parent choice and I come across many different homeschooling perspectives. What I soon found out is that one could spend a lifetime reading books and attending seminars on the various ways of teaching reading, writing, and arithemetic. And that would not even begin to touch on History, Science or the Arts.
This week I made another exciting realization. There are a LOT of philosophers, teachers and other professionals out there who are quick to say that late reading and writing is normal. No need to rush things! Some dont think there is a need to teach reading until a child is 11 years old. The one thing I have found fascinating is that I have yet to find a single book that says 'wait until a child is 11 to teach counting'. English you say? Delay, delay, delay! Math? Well we need to teach that immediately!
Now, I am far from an expert on educational philosophies, but does that not seem a bit bizarre to anyone else? Does one not need to READ to do math?
Another discovery I found is that many of the prominant philosphies do not adhere to Biblical principles. Ok OK. Before you answer with a 'duh', let me explain. By this I mean that the concept of student driven learning can be very extreme, forgetting that our human nature is to not be disciplined at all, and why in the world would that lead to a child waking up one morning and saying 'today I think I will read a 500 page novel!'. I find this to be proven true, time and time again, when parents attempt to teach the love of learning through unstructured freedom of exploration and without any guidance other than 'what would you like to learn about today'. Once these children are given structure and even the tiniest of goals, they begin to excel. Isnt that the real world?
This week I made another exciting realization. There are a LOT of philosophers, teachers and other professionals out there who are quick to say that late reading and writing is normal. No need to rush things! Some dont think there is a need to teach reading until a child is 11 years old. The one thing I have found fascinating is that I have yet to find a single book that says 'wait until a child is 11 to teach counting'. English you say? Delay, delay, delay! Math? Well we need to teach that immediately!
Now, I am far from an expert on educational philosophies, but does that not seem a bit bizarre to anyone else? Does one not need to READ to do math?
Another discovery I found is that many of the prominant philosphies do not adhere to Biblical principles. Ok OK. Before you answer with a 'duh', let me explain. By this I mean that the concept of student driven learning can be very extreme, forgetting that our human nature is to not be disciplined at all, and why in the world would that lead to a child waking up one morning and saying 'today I think I will read a 500 page novel!'. I find this to be proven true, time and time again, when parents attempt to teach the love of learning through unstructured freedom of exploration and without any guidance other than 'what would you like to learn about today'. Once these children are given structure and even the tiniest of goals, they begin to excel. Isnt that the real world?
Sunday, February 22, 2009
The Ultrasound!
Due to my impatient nature and the fact that my OB said there was no need for me to have my regular ultrasound for another 4-6 weeks, I forced Jason into scheduling a private ultrasound session. Yesterday we went to the same place we went to find out Moriah's gender. The pictures are not great, but they are cheap and guarantee gender determination.
After much poking and prodding and getting the baby to finally move both feet and a hand out of the crotch, the 'goods' were revealed! We are having another GIRL!!!
Jason was a bit disappointed I am afraid. He was sort of wanting a boy this time. But we are both extremely happy and excited, and I am so happy for Moriah. Our family is full of boy cousins, and not a single girl, and not one anywhere in sight.
Yippee! Now on to figuring out a name. A very hard conquest for me I am afraid since we have such significant meaning behind "Moriah Grace".
After much poking and prodding and getting the baby to finally move both feet and a hand out of the crotch, the 'goods' were revealed! We are having another GIRL!!!
Jason was a bit disappointed I am afraid. He was sort of wanting a boy this time. But we are both extremely happy and excited, and I am so happy for Moriah. Our family is full of boy cousins, and not a single girl, and not one anywhere in sight.
Yippee! Now on to figuring out a name. A very hard conquest for me I am afraid since we have such significant meaning behind "Moriah Grace".
Thursday, February 19, 2009
This Baby
Several of you have asked about the 'story' behind this pregnancy and how it compares to my pregnancy with Moriah. With Moriah we had this constant feeling that the Lord told us there was a baby girl out there for us to find. This baby has been very different.
Jason and I finally were in a place where we were considering adding another where we found Moriah. We were able to get an appointment in about two weeks, and went in expecting to get basic information. Would the process be the same? What tests could we pass on this time? Has the cost gone up? And most importantly, do you have any available embryos? While at the meeting the doctor said:
'Well the last one went very well. We could try it with your natural cycle this time if you would like which would keep some of the costs down and you would not have to have quite as many shots of hormones. If you wanted to, we could start in about two weeks and plan the transfer in about three or four. Its up to you.'
We about fell out of our chairs. Uh.....
We said that we would have to talk about it and let them know. The doctor took that as a yes. And so we started the process. I went in for some blood work and then we had another appointment. At this appointment we discovered that I actually have some of my own fertility issues, and the doctor said that blood work showed I do not make sufficient progesterone to maintain a pregancy. Using my 'natural' cycle was out. So the plan changed and we began the process very much the same as with Moriah. EXCEPT, on our way out the door, the doctor mentioned that he did not have any embryos for us yet. Again..Uh.....say what?
We went home and started praying. We started the hormones and went in about two weeks later (I think) for an ultrasound to check how my body was preparing for the transfer. Everything was great and the transfer was scheduled for the week before Thanksgiving. But most importantly, what about embryos? We asked. Any profiles for us to look at? And between our previous appointment and this one, the doctor had received some embryos transferred from another clinic in the area. The other clinic did not offer the right to life option, and his did, so the donors chose to send their remaining embryos to his office. Wow. Goodness. As is the story of our life, God is never late, never early, and always amazing. And our prayer of supporting someone's choice for life was answered again.
We had the transfer, and just like with Moriah the doctor transferred two embryos. Only one survived to our current pregnancy. No other embryos were used (or thawed) this time. And within about 24-48 hours I knew I was pregnant (and have been barfing every since).
Lastly, with Moriah, we were sure it was a girl long before we really KNEW. This one we have no clue. I have some motherly type feelings that it is a boy, but that could just be derived from sheer FEAR. Tomorrow we go in for an ultrasound to find out, so we will see!
Jason and I finally were in a place where we were considering adding another where we found Moriah. We were able to get an appointment in about two weeks, and went in expecting to get basic information. Would the process be the same? What tests could we pass on this time? Has the cost gone up? And most importantly, do you have any available embryos? While at the meeting the doctor said:
'Well the last one went very well. We could try it with your natural cycle this time if you would like which would keep some of the costs down and you would not have to have quite as many shots of hormones. If you wanted to, we could start in about two weeks and plan the transfer in about three or four. Its up to you.'
We about fell out of our chairs. Uh.....
We said that we would have to talk about it and let them know. The doctor took that as a yes. And so we started the process. I went in for some blood work and then we had another appointment. At this appointment we discovered that I actually have some of my own fertility issues, and the doctor said that blood work showed I do not make sufficient progesterone to maintain a pregancy. Using my 'natural' cycle was out. So the plan changed and we began the process very much the same as with Moriah. EXCEPT, on our way out the door, the doctor mentioned that he did not have any embryos for us yet. Again..Uh.....say what?
We went home and started praying. We started the hormones and went in about two weeks later (I think) for an ultrasound to check how my body was preparing for the transfer. Everything was great and the transfer was scheduled for the week before Thanksgiving. But most importantly, what about embryos? We asked. Any profiles for us to look at? And between our previous appointment and this one, the doctor had received some embryos transferred from another clinic in the area. The other clinic did not offer the right to life option, and his did, so the donors chose to send their remaining embryos to his office. Wow. Goodness. As is the story of our life, God is never late, never early, and always amazing. And our prayer of supporting someone's choice for life was answered again.
We had the transfer, and just like with Moriah the doctor transferred two embryos. Only one survived to our current pregnancy. No other embryos were used (or thawed) this time. And within about 24-48 hours I knew I was pregnant (and have been barfing every since).
Lastly, with Moriah, we were sure it was a girl long before we really KNEW. This one we have no clue. I have some motherly type feelings that it is a boy, but that could just be derived from sheer FEAR. Tomorrow we go in for an ultrasound to find out, so we will see!
Friday, February 13, 2009
No Matter the Size, Some Things Dont Change
We love Southport Community Church. It is a church that has represented a family of believers that have been supportive, loving friends for over 6 years. We are so excited that they have finally seen a dream become reality as they moved into their own building and have begun a new phase. As hoped, this establishment has helped the body to grow as well, and certain long term congregational stresses have been left behind. With that said, after over a year of prayer, we as a family have finally felt the Lord telling us it is time, and OK, for us to move on. We are said to see that chapter of our lives end as well, but know that we have made several lifetime friends that will still be in touch.
We have been living in Davis now for about a year and a half, and feeling the pull to start looking for our next permanent home and community. Due to things such as house prices we are 90% sure we will not be staying in Davis but have felt the pull to get involved in a church body in the meantime. SO, we have unofficially attended and joined University Covenant Church which is the same church where Moriah goes to Nursery School three days a week. The same week that we made this official decision we found that they were starting a session of 40 Days of Community - wow, we were just in time to do a Rick Warren study! WHOO HOO! (kidding). But it was a good chance to get involved, so following the Sawatzky tradition (what a better way to get to know the church current quickly then getting to know the leaders?), and me wanting to answer the question 'can a church so huge really do what it is supposed to do?', we joined a small group that included the senior pastor and his wife along with the adult ministries pastor and her husband. HA!
The first two weeks were a bit weird as we discovered that this group had been meeting since the fall and we were the news ones. But by the third week the tension had begun to relax and people were joking.
There are several people in the group who are heavily involved in the church worship team, and when they finally got around to asking questions about the Sawatzky's, of course Jason's work with the worship team at SCC came out. Within SECONDS of it leaving his mouth the adult ministries pastor says "REALLY? Are you interested in joining the worship team at UCC??"
I about peed my pants laughing. Some things just don't change. First, who would think that such a giant church would be so eager to add people to such an established ministry. Second, I have spent the last how many years listening to Jason ask that same exact question to people as they began coming to SCC. NOW, he was on the other side. It was so ironic and so funny!
We have been living in Davis now for about a year and a half, and feeling the pull to start looking for our next permanent home and community. Due to things such as house prices we are 90% sure we will not be staying in Davis but have felt the pull to get involved in a church body in the meantime. SO, we have unofficially attended and joined University Covenant Church which is the same church where Moriah goes to Nursery School three days a week. The same week that we made this official decision we found that they were starting a session of 40 Days of Community - wow, we were just in time to do a Rick Warren study! WHOO HOO! (kidding). But it was a good chance to get involved, so following the Sawatzky tradition (what a better way to get to know the church current quickly then getting to know the leaders?), and me wanting to answer the question 'can a church so huge really do what it is supposed to do?', we joined a small group that included the senior pastor and his wife along with the adult ministries pastor and her husband. HA!
The first two weeks were a bit weird as we discovered that this group had been meeting since the fall and we were the news ones. But by the third week the tension had begun to relax and people were joking.
There are several people in the group who are heavily involved in the church worship team, and when they finally got around to asking questions about the Sawatzky's, of course Jason's work with the worship team at SCC came out. Within SECONDS of it leaving his mouth the adult ministries pastor says "REALLY? Are you interested in joining the worship team at UCC??"
I about peed my pants laughing. Some things just don't change. First, who would think that such a giant church would be so eager to add people to such an established ministry. Second, I have spent the last how many years listening to Jason ask that same exact question to people as they began coming to SCC. NOW, he was on the other side. It was so ironic and so funny!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Where have I been?
I am very happy to announce that after at least 9 weeks of horrendous vomiting around the clock, I have now gone 4 days without! At one point I had resigned myself to the hope that I might at least be building my ab muscles, which had to be good for pregnancy. Alas, here I am, finally able to tend to my cravings and large bouts of hunger...as long as I dont eat too much, dont wait to long in between meals, and pay attention to the time of day. Ha!
No, I had no problems of the kind when pregnant with Moriah. And yes, everyone under the sun seems to be convinced that means I am having a boy. I am not sure of the logic, but we are very excited to go in for our routine ultrasound in a couple of weeks to find out what gender we are indeed having!
No, I had no problems of the kind when pregnant with Moriah. And yes, everyone under the sun seems to be convinced that means I am having a boy. I am not sure of the logic, but we are very excited to go in for our routine ultrasound in a couple of weeks to find out what gender we are indeed having!
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