Our little miracle is here!

Not sure how many people know this, but about nine months ago Joel was struggling with medical issues in which the doctor warned us that we may not be able to have any more children. He said there was a very small chance before Joel received further treatment where we may be able to conceive. Even though I wasn't sure that I wanted to go through the whole process of pregnancy again, I was very sad that the chances were slim. Of course I cried to a few family members and friends and it turned out that as the tears were flowing my little baby was forming in my belly!

 Fast Forward nine months later: Luke Alexander Stewart was born on July 15, 2012. He was 9lbs 14.4oz. We named him after my brother Luke and Joel's brother Alex. He is such a cutie and we are so blessed to have him in our family! Praise God for his blessings!

God is Faithful! Woot Woot!

First I want to thank you all for your prayers. It's been really cool to see God orchestrate things by putting the right people in our paths to help with this situation. We are happy to report that the doctor who declared Joel "fit for duty" gave him two extra months to put together a Med Board packet. This is great news and means that we don't have to abruptly leave or sell the house. Joel also finally got a referral that we have been waiting for to the Autonomic Clinic. We are just so thankful that things are falling into place. Please continue to pray for Joel's healing. Also pray for a concrete diagnosis which would help out a lot with the Med Board process. The doctor warned us that since Joel doesn't have a real diagnosis that we might not get medically discharged like we are hoping. We are just happy that we are at least on the right path! Thanks again friends for your prayers and support!

Update on the Stewart Family: Please join us in prayer for what's next!

So much has happened since my last post. About a year ago Joel was going through the medical discharge process for his shoulder in the Navy. He was misinformed by his detailer that if the med board declared Joel "fit for duty" that he would be deployed to Afghanistan, so she instructed him to write a resignation letter just in case. Since then Joel has become ill and has been depending on military healthcare to go to a numerous amount of doctors to figure out what is wrong with him. The med board process was discontinued a few months ago and Joel was put on limited duty so he could continue to go to doctors to seek a diagnosis. On Friday we were informed that a doctor looked at Joel's record and declared him "fit for duty" (although one look at Joel and you would know otherwise) and therefore the resignation letter is in effect (last day will be July 31st). It feels like a punch to the gut when you find out that you will have no income and your husband is still ill and won't have the access to the healthcare he has now. We are blessed though that the delivery of our baby will be covered by our health insurance since Baby Stewart is due July 12th. We contacted the Navy lawyer but he said that writing that letter made things near impossible to fight their decision for Joel to resign. Our only option is to find one of Joel's doctors to advocate for him and convince the doc who declared Joel "fit for duty" to change his mind, but if you have any idea of the egos in the military the chances of that happening seems super slim. Our goal was to be medically discharged from the Navy so that Joel could continue his treatment/healthcare. The benefits are much greater through the medical discharge process. Plus we would have time to figure out what's next. We only have two weeks to get this sorted out. Due to Joel's condition he would be unable to watch the kids. So if we are in fact forced to resign, then our best option seems to be to sell the house here in Mississippi and move in with our parents in Connecticut (til we get on our feet again). My mom would take care of the kids so I could work full-time. It's scary to think of all the things that would have to be done to make this happen especially since we will have a newborn in tow. We know God is faithful! We also believe in miracles and prayer, so we ask you, our friends and family, to pray for our situation. We pray specifically for direction and that if it's God's will for us to stay in the Navy that He will change the heart of the doctor who made this decision. If it's His will for us to move on and to depend on Him for provision rather than the benefits of the Navy then we pray that He will give Joel and I the strength to do everything necessary to move on. Most importantly we want Joel to be completely healed. Our fear is that he won't be able to receive the healthcare he needs and that his condition will get worse. Also it's tough going through all of this being pregnant and emotional. Please pray for strength for me because Joel is unable to do a lot and I just need the strength and energy to run after a toddler and do everyday activities! We appreciate your prayers and will keep you posted on what happens in the next few weeks! Thanks so much!

Reli Belly's Growth Report

It's amazing to see how quickly babies learn. In the last few weeks Reli started to crawl, she dances (bounces and bops) to hip hop music, she experiments with different octaves while talking to mommy, she clicks her tongue, and she loves to explore every inch of the living room. She is like a lil' tornado..I'm always busy cleaning up the aftermath. She is also an amazing traveler. We went to visit my mom in Connecticut because she was in the hospital for a few weeks and many people told me that they would fly with my baby any day and raved how cute and delightful she was. I'm a very proud mama!

Scam or No Scam that is the Question?

Today my mom and I were leaving a thrift store. In the corner of the parking lot in a pile of leaves I noticed a small pile of cash. I quickly picked up the bills and thought to myself "it's my lucky day". I started to count the money, facing all the bills in the same direction and realizing that it was way more than I suspected. I decided to put the pile of cash in my pocket and wait til I got to the car before I started to flaunt my new found loot for anyone to see. I felt an ounce of guilt. Although I found $111, I felt sad for the person who lost the money. I called my husband to tell him the news. He said that I should go back inside and ask if anyone had lost money but that I should not disclose how much I had found. I fed the baby and went back inside about fifteen minutes after I found the money. I asked the woman at the desk if anyone had claimed that they had lost some money. She said "no". Home free! I did my good deed and now I have lots of cash! "Not so fast" I thought to myself, I was compelled to ask more people if they had lost cash. One second later, ring-ring, lo and behold it's the woman who lost the money. I talked to her and she said that she lost about $50 but wasn't sure exactly how much she had lost. Then she said for me to leave the money there and she would get it later. I thought to myself, "Really? How do you not know if you lost $111 and why wouldn't she drop what she was doing to get her cash back right away? I reluctantly left all of the money. She wasn't as thankful as I thought she would be. The rest of the day I kept obsessing about different scenarios of how I was scammed and that someone probably saw me pick up the cash but didn't know the exact amount, waited til I went back inside, and called and claimed the money to be theirs. I just have to hope that wasn't the case and that I was just dealing with a woman who wasn't as grateful as I would have liked her to be. I mean I could have pocketed $60.00 and she wouldn't have even known. It's sad when you live in a world where you think everyone is scamming someone.

What is this World Coming to?

I was shopping with my baby and there was a sweet old man who came up to me and instantly struck up a conversation with me. He told me all about his grandkids and great-grandkids. We went our seperate ways and I continued to browse through the aisles. A little while later he approached me again. He said "I know your baby is too young, but is it okay if I give you candy?" He handed me a butterscotch and a Werthers candy. He later showed me that he had his coat pockets filled to the brim with butterscotch candy on one side and Werthers on the other side. I LOVE butterscotch, but with all the crazies running around these days I took the candy and quickly put it into my coat pocket. How sad is that? He was a sweet old grandpa who is probably so lonely that he strikes up conversations with random people and comes prepared with candy in his pockets for the kids he may encounter on his visit to the store, yet I am too scared to eat the candy, thinking it may be poisoned. I decided I will eventually eat the candy, but I have to make sure my husband is around. Still too paranoid.

Real Housewives

I hate to admit it, but being home all day I have been suckered into watching TV. Unfortunately we only get three channels here in Mississippi, so we don't have many options. The only show on at noon, that is somewhat interesting to me, is Real Housewives. I have recently become a full-time housewife and let me tell you it's a lot more work then going out with friends, drinking martinis, and hanging out in a hot tub. Come to my house and I will show you the life of a REAL housewife. I should have my own show, but the reality of it is who wants to watch someone scrape off dirty dishes, scrub out poop stains, and fold mounds of laundry? My hat goes off to all the REAL housewives out there! Kudos to you!

I'm Back

It's been over a year since I posted a blog. I no longer work full-time because I stay at home with my beautiful baby girl, so I decided to get back into writing blogs. Stay posted!

Fried Squirrel and other Southern delights

After talking to some students in the school I work in I have been told that people here like to hunt their own squirrel and then they fry them up into tasty treats. I asked one kid what it tasted like...he thought it had it's own distinct taste but one girl said it tasted like deer meat! In another class a kid was passsing around a zip lock back of grilled rabbit. I've seen kids share food...like a bag of chips or some cookies...but rabbit...this was a first. I am definitely a city girl living in the country...but it's fun finding these things out!

Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make Me A Match!

Joel was talking to his friend from college yesterday. His poor friend dated this girl for a few years...bought an engagement ring and the day before Valentine's Day she broke up with him for another guy and is now engaged to the other guy. He is so depressed and brokenhearted. My natural response is to go into yenta-mode and fix him up with someone.

It got me thinking. I have so many super cool friends who are single and Joel has nice (somewhat dorky) friends who are also single, but younger. I tried to rack my brain and decide who might be compatible, but it seemed like quite a hard task. I remember when I was single it was hard to meet guys my age and although it took some convincing at first I was more open to people setting me up...hence how I met and fell in love with Joel.

My good friend from high school is my age and is single. Last summer she finally decided that she should try E Harmony. She filled out the lengthy personality (compatibility) form and was in complete shock when in essence she was denied. We both couldn't believe that she was denied from E Harmony! (She is such an awesome girl and obviously a dumb computer test can't figure that out).

This makes me want to start my own Yenta Website. Where I get a group of people who has friends, family, co-workers etc, who are single...and I put them all on this website where they can meet and have at it. I wouldn't even be doing the matchmaking per se...I would just provide the opportunity for people to meet.
Hey..ya never know...it could be a success. I definitely wouldn't have thought that I would have met someone in Connecticut (through our parents setting us up), have a long distant relationship, and then move to Mississippi of all places, but it's the best thing that ever happened to me.
Plus it would be really cool to be an actual yenta!

Traditions

Joelie and I went to a wedding last weekend in Connecticut. Joel was a groomsmen and he looked so cute in his tux. I realized throughout the night how there are some wedding traditions that I despise. This is the story about the one I despise the most;
The bride and groom were dancing their first dance when the DJ invited the wedding party to come to the dane floor to dance with the new couple. I watched as this petite pretty little blonde in her perfect fitting bridesmaid dress ran up to my husband in a heartbeat and started dancing with him. As I am watching my sister in law is explaining how she hates this tradition and how awkward it is for most people involved. Well let me tell you, this girl didn't feel awkward at all. She was twirling herself and shaking her hips...and I thought...my god...you are dancing with a married man...can you cut us some slack? As I continued watching, my heart sank into my stomach and I decided I despise this tradition...it is awkward watching another chick dance with my husband. It was just as awkward when I was single and I had to dance with married men...or weird single men who people were usually trying to set me up with. Either way...I DON'T LIKE IT!

Later on everyone was mentioning how that bridemaid was totally hitting on Joel. At first I thought that maybe it was my jealousy that was making me analyze every move she made...but it was confirmed by quite a few people. The happy ending to the story is that Joel felt so super awkward that he switched out and started dancing with his male cousin, Cord, who was also a groomsmen and they made a big silly dance out of it.

One more thing and my ranting will be over. If I was single and I was dancing with a married man I would dance as simplistic as I could out of respect for the man and his wife (who is most likely watching). I can't believe that girl (who definitely without a doubt knew that we were married)had no problem shaking her booty and hitting on a married man. In her defense...I think she had a few too many beers in her but still...no excuse!

Okay...done ranting now! :)

The Good ol' State of Mississippi

Missippi has the most number of strokes and heart attacks in the nation..the highest obesity rate...the highest teen pregnancy rate...the worst educational system in America...BUT on the positive side, Missippi produces the most famous people per capita...who knew? Famous people like Oprah, Morgan Freeman, Brett Favre, Three Doors Down, Lee Ann Rymes and many many more are from Mississippi!

My List

I am in a book club and we read a book called "The Next Thing on My List". It was an easy read about a woman who was driving a person who she had just met home...they got into a car accident and the passenger died. The woman found a list that belonged to the passenger and decided to finish the things on the list in her honor. The things on the list were things like run a 5K, dare to go braless, try boogie boarding along with seventeen other goals on her list.

This book has inspired me to make a list. I haven't actually written out an entire list yet..but my first idea so far, is to learn a belly dance and perform it for my hubby. I got a practice dvd for my birthday, so I am hoping I will be able to learn it...but I am not that coordinated...so wish me luck.

As I think of new things on my list...and I complete them, I will be sure to let y'all know!

Accents

I went to Subway a few weeks ago and ordered my sandwich. Not even five words later the Subway worker asked me if I was from Minnesota. I was so surprised that in just a few words..she was able to detect an accent and was able to pinpoint it to the exact state. Wow! I definitely think I am going to have the most unique accent ever..a mixture of NY, MN, and southern belle accents. Oy Vay! Oofta!
Bye Y'all I'm fixin' to go to bed! :)

Hotel Horror Stories

11:00 PM- Joel and I just drove six hours on our way to Texas. We had a late start and were ready to call it night. We pulled up to the nearest hotels in the GPS and pulled into the first hotel... the Red Carpet Inn. We walk in...pay $55 dollars...and make our way to our room.

11:15ish- Got the pj's on...pulled down the covers...Eeeek! All I see is three pieces of hair (that does not belong to either of us) and a small brown thingy that looked like it could be anything from feces to moist belly button lint. Packed our bags...made our way to the front desk...was told we couldn't get a refund but could get another room. We had no choice and took the offer. We made our way to our new room....checked every inch of the sheets...put the AC on and got into bed.

I laid there...thinking about the dirty sheets and feeling totally grossed out. Joel was so tired he was in and out of slumber...the AC started to make this high pitched sound. I tried to ignore it...then Chugga Chugga Choo Choo...it felt like the train went through our room it was so close. I knew at this point that there was no way on God's green earth that I would be able to fall asleep. Joel agreed, and we made our way back to the front office...she finally gave us our refund.

12:15ish...we start driving and figured we would stop at the first Hotel we see (that we have actually heard of before unlike the Red Carpet Inn). I see a big sign for $49.99 at Days Inn...so we make our way there...it was a room with two beds but we were so tired at that point that it didn't matter. Finally...we park the car...get out all our luggage once again and locate our room. Joel opens our room with a key card...he back up freaked out...I peek in and see two people sleeping in each of our beds...we close the door as fast as we could trying to figure out if we had made a mistake...but we were at the right room...and we obviously had the right key..but it was already occupied. So with our luggage we schlep to the front office in the rain...explain the situation...and we get another room!

1:00 AM- Ahhh....finally...two hours later and we have a place to rest!

My Summer in a Nutshell

There were very boring lonely parts of my summer... but as I reminisced about the last few months I realized that I did a lot and I had a lot of fun.

June- I went to Minnesota for a week. I hung out with all my buddies and went to a wedding in WI. Then I flew to NY/CT and hung out with Jessie (my sister) and her family. My brother was there as well. We had a blast...but it was super sad when I had to say goodbye to Jessie, Rob, Sidon, Adia, Roan, and Tidus. I am going to miss them a lot...I am hoping to save up money so I can visit them in Jordan within the next year!

July- I went to Texas for a week and hung out with my cousins and aunt. We had so much fun. We basically went to every thrift store in a 25 mile radius and I bought a whole new wardrobe for super-dee-dooper-dee cheap! Just an FYI...Texas is waaaay more hot than Missisippi...woooweee...I thought I was going to melt!

August- I went to Connecticut to celebrate Joel's mom's 50th birthday! I was a grump because I was not feeling well at all the entire time. We went to his mom's camp...it was nice but I was surprised at how super cold it was for August. I flew back on a Sunday..went to the ER (cause I had a bladder infection)..and the next morning had to wake up at 5:15 to start my new job. I've been working and enjoying it ever since.

So there's my summer in a nutshell...I am happy that I am blessed to be able to travel so much so that I can see all the people who are special to me...I am a lucky/blessed girl!

Telephone

We've all played the game telephone at some point in our lives; where one person whispers a message in the ear of the person next to them...who does the same and down the line the message goes getting twisted and turned all the while. I've played the game before but never until now did I really experience it happen in real life.

I was talking to a friend from New York. She said "I heard your sister and her family had to come back from Jordan because your bro-in law's father is very ill" and "they might not be able to get back into the country for some reason and may have to move back to the states". Half of me was mad that Jessica, my sister, might actually be in the states but I heard it through a friend who heard it from a friend who was a former roommate of my bro-in-law's sister...instead of from my own family telling me. Then another part of was thinking this can't be true, but how in the heck can a story get so far from reality?

I called my parents, I emailed my sister (instead of calling, because it is seven hours later in Jordan) and lastly I emailed my bro-in-laws sister. It turns out the only part of the story that is true is that my bro-in-laws dad is sick...but where did the rest of the story come from? Here I was getting all worried that my sister and her family wouldn't be allowed to move back to Jordan when they know that it is their life goal to do so...and then part of me is thinking...Yeeha my sister will at least be in the same country as me...and all these feelings well up in me...and somehow it was all just a big game of telephone.

Yards

Joel and I have neglected our yard for quite some time. Mainly because we didn't have a lawn mower for the longest time nor did we have the money to purchase a new one. Due to this we decided to hire our teenage neighbor across the street to mow our lawn every other week. Long story short...he did it twice and just stopped. That's when our yard started to look like a jungle. We bought a lawn mower off of Craig's List for $35 but it's not in good shape.

I finally got on a kick and did some yard work. I was able to coerce Joel to mow the lawn w/ the crappy mower. Well...while he was mowing he noticed that someone mowed a message in our lawn. But now it's so over grown that we can't tell what they wrote and he mowed half of it before he noticed it. We are assuming it said something like "Cut Me" or "Mow Me". Our neighbors (on the side where the message was) are trying to sell their house so we're wondering if they are annoyed with us and perhaps they are the culprits. I want my house to look pretty and I don't want to be the annoying neighbors who don't take care of their property but it's just not a priority. We don't have the money to buy a mower quite yet...I hope our neighbors don't hate us too much!

Soon the boredom will end...

Woot Woot...I have a little less then three weeks before I start my new interpreting job. I am excited for many reasons!
1. I will be working with a student who relies on an interpreter.
2. I will be getting paid way more more than I ever have.
3. I will have a job and the boredom will end!
4. I am driving to Texas to see my cousins. It will be a blast.

Can't wait!

Mayfest

In May, Joel and I went to Mayfest. It was a small festival in a nearby town. It was so hot, so we sat under a tree and drank lemonade. A woman took a picture of us for a local magazine called Southern Mississippi Living. Joel's co-worker told us that they saw our picture in the magazine. Not only are we famous...wink wink... but I guess this officially makes us "southerners" as well! Heehee! Above is the pic!