Happy News x 2

Well my friends. When I said at the beginning of this year that 2008 was going to be big, I had no idea how B-I-G! Got two fantastic, incredible, mind-blowing pieces of news to share with you:

1) Not only did I get into their nursing school...but they are going to pay 100% of my expenses!!! A full ride baby!!! I am the proud recipient of a 2008 Providence Scholarship to attend the University of Portland's nursing program...http://nursing.up.edu/default.aspx?cid=3501&pid=208

Amazing, thrilling, humbling, a great sense of relief and pride...all these things are running through my head and heart right now only 60 minutes from removed from opening the letter in our mailbox today. We live in an apartment complex and so it's a long line of a bunch of boxes. Did that stop me from yipping and yelling and doing a little impromptu celebration dance? Hell no! I made quite the scene...me in my bike helmet, pants tucked into my jeans and goggles. I swear if there was anybody standing there with me, I would've hugged them on the spot!

So I guess this kind of decides where I'm going to nursing school. It was between U.P. and Linfield College. But Linfield doesn't have scholarships and that would mean more $$ in debt (and considering big news #2, that will not be a good thing). This means 100% tuition (which is a lot) & books AND a guaranteed job after graduation (The scholarship is merit based but I also have to commit 3 years to them in their system - not a big deal).

WOW WOW WOW WOW! SO EXCITED! I always felt like I was good....but this good? Damn it feels good to be a gangster! The shirt I was ironically wearing today says it best - "Pimpin' ain't easy."

And now for the REALLY REALLY BIG news...

2) If you haven't already heard (and I do apologize - sort of - for announcing to the world via my blog) but in a little more than 6 months, Leigh and I will be welcoming one of these into the world:


Yep...that's right...WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A BABY!!!

Woooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhoooooooooooo!!! We are totally psyched. Off the hook psyched. And of course quite a bit freaked out. Life is coming, life is happening, DNA is replicating, genes are getting passed on, organs are forming, bones are calcifying, the beautiful cycle continues. And we're going to help it into the world. Totally humbling and such a blessing.

This has to be the most exciting thing that's ever happened to us. The wedding was one thing...whoa...that guy running around offering everyone moonshine at our reception...that was cool and all but nothing like this. I mean much bigger than the first time I rode the Mindbender at Six Flags. Much bigger than losing my virginity - though that was pretty cool. Much bigger than jumping out of an airplane - again, pretty cool but sex is better. Much bigger than learning to tie my shoes - who needs shoes?. This is HUGE! And awesome. I can't wait to have this little naked being running around our lives, crying, pooping, smiling, laughing, eating and loving. Can't wait.

But we'll have to because the little bugger has to cook and simmer for another 6 months until he/she is ready. We have been given a window of end Oct/beg Nov. So Libra/Scorpio...not bad, not bad at all. At least it won't be a LEO! :0)

Anyway, Leigh is doing fine (and so am I, thanks for asking!). Very healthy. Growing little by little. Not much showing yet, just a little bity pooch...and the boobs are blowing up like balloons (HELL YEAH!). We've been to our first two prenatals and our midwives (hopefully no hospital birth) say everything is great. Leigh is the picture of health and at this last one (Monday) we got to hear the lil' bean's 145 beats/sec heart beat on Doppler. So freakin' cool! That sound was definitely NOT Leigh, but someone altogether new and unique...it was like finding out we're pregnant all over again! Eyes wide, big grins...

So there you have it...I'm getting paid to become a nurse and Leigh's got my prodigy in her belly. Man, it just doesn't get any better than this...(sound of a tall boy PBR being cracked open).