Ups and Downs

Well, I think I will reiterate this verse from last week:

Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.

Job 1:21

And then post this link:

http://www.ufl-football.com/news/depth-question-gruden-shuffles-roster-again

Phew. Needless to say, it has been a tiring week. But we are extremely thankful for another opportunity. Steve got a call last Sunday at 3PM, while I was at the gym. When I got done working out, I saw that my phone had 8 missed calls from Steve. I freaked out because I thought something was wrong with Hannah. I called him immediately, and after he scolded me for not having my phone on me (yeah, because I carry my phone in my pocket while I do pull-ups ;-)), he told me that we needed to make a decision about him going to Florida that evening. The Tuskers wanted him back. I was excited, confused, hesitant....but after we discussed it shortly and paused for a moment to seek God's guidance, we decided that he should go. He was on a plane at 6PM. God opened a door, and we went through it.

Because Steve's departure was so last minute, I was unable to arrange childcare for the week. It was definitely time to hire a nanny so that we can keep our business going in Charlotte. Even when Steve comes back, we plan to put all of our efforts into training, so we really need the help. I was able to get some training in on Monday evening, thanks to Meagan and Justin Porterfield - God Bless them! I decided to drive down to Florida on Tuesday evening since I couldn't work anyways and because I still had a flight scheduled to come back to Charlotte this coming Monday. Confusing, I know.

Hannah, Dallas, Daytona and I left Tuesday evening at baby's bedtime (7 PM) and arrived in Port Orange at 1AM. Grams and Pops were excited to have us back! They gave me the best birthday present ever by allowing me to spend the night with Steve in Orlando on Wednesday night. It was my first night away from Hannah - not easy, but I had total trust in Grams and Pops. Of course I left them a full page of instructions. What can I say? Hannah is a scheduled baby and I am kind of Type A, ha! Steve took me to my favorite place EVER to eat (duh, Whole Foods) and I had approximately 3 lbs of the best cold and hot bar food in the world. Yes, my dinner was about $20. Then we went back to his resort and relaxed in the hot tub. It was perfect. We had some much needed quality time together amidst the chaos. I got to meet his giant roommate (seriously, he makes Steve look tiny at 6'6'', 330 lbs) and some of his other very nice teammates.

On Thursday morning, I was able to sleep in (wow) and workout without a rush! The weather is super here, so I swam some laps and lifted at the resort's super nice pool and gym. Grams and Pops brought Hannah down to Orlando around noon and we spent the day at the resort with Steve. Hannah got some laps in at the pool too :-).

When it was time for Steve to get ready for his game, we went to the Mall of Millenia which is very nice. Then Grams and Pops obliged me by taking us back to Whole Foods on the way to the game. Another 3 lb meal for me. Aunt Denise, Uncle John, her brother Steve, and the Jowers' family (excluding Buddy) met us at the game. They were great Tusker supporters! The game was really fun, actually. A much better experience than last year. Everyone got free hats and they had a ton of events going on around the concourse. Steve got to play the entire second half at left guard, and did awesome. It was amazing to see him play again! We never know when his last game may be, so we have learned to fully appreciate each snap that he takes. Hannah was a trooper and made it to halftime. I felt really bad to keep her up 2 hrs past her bedtime. Grams and Pops kindly took her back to PO while we watched the rest of the game and rode home with Stevo.

Jess and Lindsay's HUGE Corndog. Ewwwwwww.

Sorry for the detailed account, I usually don't do that. But it made me feel good to recap the craziness over the past week so that I could make sense of it! We are now enjoying Steve's days off as he has to be back in Orlando Sunday evening. Hannah and I will fly out Monday morning and I will try to conquer a week at work as a single momma. Oh, and we have found a wonderful nanny to help with baby during my evening clients. Her name is Brooke, she is our age, and she is a high school Spanish teacher! I have asked her to speak only Spanish while she is with Hannah so that she can learn another language! Her little brain is a sponge now, and research says that they can easily learn 2+ languages before the age 5. We are still working on finding help for my afternoon clients. Nana and Papa Jaco come in town the week after next for Thanksgiving, so they will be a huge help. Hopefully Steve's team will beat Omaha next Friday and go to the Championships (in Omaha). Then, he will be home a day or two after Thanksgiving.

Hannah has reached a huge milestone. She is crawling everywhere! While this presents SOME challenges, they don't compare to the fact that she can entertain herself now and is much happier for longer periods. I think she has been trying to get to this point since she was born! She eats like a horse and wants to chew on everything that is not baby-friendly. Her smile is bigger than ever. It is awesome.

Thank you to everyone for the sweet birthday wishes. I am sorry I have not had time to respond yet. I really want to get back to everyone soon. Thank you also for all of your love and support during these past months. You have been such a strong shoulder to lean on. God bless you!

Yet if you devote your heart to him
and stretch out your hands to him,
if you put away the sin that is in your hand
and allow no evil to dwell in your tent,
then, free of fault, you will lift up your face;
you will stand firm and without fear.
You will surely forget your trouble,
recalling it only as waters gone by.

Life will be brighter than noonday,
and darkness will become like morning.
You will be secure, because there is hope;
you will look about you and take your rest in safety.
You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,
and many will court your favor.

Job 11:13-19