Baby Pictures

Hey guys it's Will. Sarah's been after me to post something on here for a while so I figured I'd put up the ultrasound images from our last few visits to the doctor. Hope you all enjoy these as much as we do!

3-28-11 9 1/2 weeks

We were able to see the baby move for the first time on this visit. Ziggy (Justin nicknamed the baby Ziggy the Zygote and it stuck for me. I don't think Sarah likes it much, but since this is my blog I'll use it.) was kicking and waving his/her arms around and wiping his/her face. Mrs. Angie, our nurse practitioner, told us that it is a very good sign to see a baby moving at 9 1/2 weeks. There wouldn't be anything necessarily wrong if Ziggy hadn't been moving, but movement means healthy neurological development.

Baby's right profile. The head is on the left, if you look really closely there is a faint line in the bend of the "kidney bean" shape. That's an arm.



Baby's heart rate. I know that it's small but if you look at the baby you can see the arm much better in this one.


4-11-11 11 1/2 weeks.

Picture one is the Ziggy's heart rate. The round thing on the left of the picture is the top of Ziggy's head.


This is Ziggy's left profile. Ziggy looks a bit like an alien or even the Joker from Batman, but you can see an eye, nose and mouth.


This last one is the money shot. It's Ziggy's right profile, you can see the nose, an eye, an ear, the mouth, and is proof that Ziggy has five fingers on at least one hand.


There will be more pictures to come. Countdown to baby gender: 3 weeks and counting!

Love you all!

-Will

1+2=3

will, then me, and a baby makes three! it is official :) we are pregnant!

ho hum bum

i have been so lazy lately. i mean, at home that is. after working all day, i come home and take care of tucker, and then two days a week have been babysitting. the house this past week hit an all time low, however. the winter is breaking me down, and after v-day there's nothing really exciting to keep me going until easter arrives. it makes me just sleepy thinking about it.

we were blessed to have family here last weekend though. will hit the big 25, and his dad, mom, and older brother came for a visit. we had such a nice time catching up, eating lots of good food, and worshiping together! will and i also got to experience the bats museum for the first time after almost 2 years of living here together. we are hoping to have more opportunities to see some local attractions over the summer.

tucker seems to be recovered from his infected anal gland, and nobody could be happier than me! he was so pitiful and it was exhausting trying to manuever him with that ridiculous cone on his head. he wears me out, but is so precious to come home too. he is always happy to see me, and ready to get in my lap and snuggle :)

will and i are taking things a day at a time with his new schedule. we make a point to get up in the mornings and have breakfast together, so that we at least see a little of one another. if not, we don't get to catch up from sunday afternoon until friday.

i am excited to share that i will be starting my own business with premier jewelry as of the beginning of april. the extra income is going to be incredibly helpful, and this position will allow me to work wherever we end up in ministry! i am very hopeful, but am nervous, as change is always a bit scary to me. will has been such an encouragement as we have prayed through this, and we are both really looking forward to seeing what God does through this business. please pray for us as we add this into our already busy schedule, and that God would continually bring us back together to focus and re-focus on His ultimate plan for our lives.

pics to come so keep out an eye!

a new semester

and so another one begins. last week was will's first official week of the new semester, and we are both trying to adjust. he is taking more classes this term, and has cut back on work hours at starbucks. he is in class tues-fri, and works everyday except friday and saturday. his only real day off is saturday, and fortunately i'm home too. it is a stricter schedule than we are used too, but we are determined to stay organized and focused and ride out this year successfully.

i am still at necole's place, and love what i do. it is definitely emotionally draining on me at times, but until God tells me differently, i will remain there doing work for Him. i am also starting to keep two little girls, separately, a couple times a month. it will be good for me to get out on the nights will is working, and the extra money will help too. have i mentioned i NEVER thought i'd be doing childcare? yet another reminder from the Lord that i am so not in control of anything in this life.

on my evenings at home, tucker keeps me pretty busy catching black hair. now i have two boys to pick up after. and really, i wouldn't have it any other way :) tucker has brought me so much joy in the past couple months and has really been therapy for me while grieving. and of course i can't say enough good things about will. he keeps me laughing and encourages me in every way humanly possible.

we are both dedicating ourselves this year to being more spiritually and physically fit. i mostly do the fitness part, but he will get drug into it once it warms up again. right now we are reading through joshua together, as well as doing a book study with our sunday school class. it is creating great time for us to be still together and study God's word.

we are so looking forward to spring and all that is coming with it, as well as summer. we have two precious friends getting married, and one of our dearest friends having their first little one! God is so good, and continues to bless us through these relationships.

continue to pray for us, as we seek God's plan for our lives and ministry. we have been preparing our hearts and minds for change since last year in march, and we continue to feel that change approaching. pray that we would remain open to wherever God would lead us. pray that we would seek to glorify God in all we do, and let nothing be about ourselves. pray that God protects us individually, and in our marriage.

we love to hear from you, so write us or call us anytime! OR just come visit :) love to all

what's in a year?

alot actually. they come and go, often without much notice. well, unless you're a woman, and then perhaps you wake regularly to find a new wrinkle or sun spot where there wasn't one before. in my short 23 years, i can't really say one year stands out more than another. of course there are milestones: 2004 - when I first went into treatment, 2005 - high school graduation, 2009 - college graduation, and 2009 - will and i married. those are just some of the more recent ones.

then there was this year: 2010. it began at a fast pace, with me working two jobs, and will immediately taking a jan-term course, followed by the spring semester. by may we were both feeling drawn closer to home. God opened some doors for that, and then closed them, or maybe just postponed them. work for us both has been difficult at times, for various reasons. we prayed for direction, for answers as to where and what the Lord would have us do. we did so separately and together, putting our own hearts desires on the back burner. we felt passionately that He was guiding us one way, still do, but know His timing is the best timing - and that just isn't right now.

so we pressed on, and began to pray about family. we ultimately decided to leave it in God's hands. on november 7th we found out we were pregnant. we were filled with a new kind of hope for our future, for our family to be, for this precious child we desired to know the Lord in the way we did. almost as quickly as this blessing was given to us, it was taken away. on november 25th i miscarried at a couple days shy of 8 weeks. worst day of my life, hands down. again, we felt confused and our hearts ached, but we know His timing is the best timing - and that just isn't right now.

i don't say any of this lightly. i can't begin to express the emotional ups and downs of this year by simply writing about it. you'd have to be inside my head and my heart to know the depths of anguish and brokenness i have felt. but i am reminded that "to whom much is given, much is required."

God has protected me and blessed me through my 9 year battle with anorexia and bulimia. He has guarded and guided my footsteps, provided perfect positions for me to work in, given me resources in times of need, and been my unwavering source of strength, when i was anything but deserving. through any and all heartache - i have been given so very much. above all the ultimate gift of redemption through His son Christ Jesus. so yeah, he's got some requirements for me too.

He continues to refine me through my greatest weakness: patience. it is His timing, not my own. so when i think about 2010, there is a big part of me that reflects in sadness, but the rest of me rejoices in knowing that this is just preparation for all the years to come.

Meet Tucker

So here is our newest addition, and boy is he trouble :)

Come let me hold you, child.

"Two months is too little. They let him go, they had no sudden healing. To think that Providence would take a child from his mother while she prays is appalling. Who told us we'd be rescued? What has changed and why should we be saved from nightmares? We're asking why this happens, to us who have died to live. It's unfair. This is what it means to be held. How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life and you survive. This is what it is to be loved, and to know that the promise was when everything fell, we'd be held."

These words from Natalie Grant's song, "Held," have been resounding in my head for the past several days. It fits in many ways to what Will and I are walking through at this very moment. Days shy of two months, we lost our precious baby. Maybe only a dream to some at such an early stage, but she was ours (I say she because I dreamt of her three nights). She was our surprise and miracle all wrapped into one. I never once panicked or had fear about her. I thought about bills and space, and lack of family and friends to support us here in Louisville, but when it came to being a parent to this child, I knew it would be okay. I believed, and still do, that God would take care of us, that he would see to it that all our needs were met if we trusted and followed after him.

Though miscarriage is always a possibility, I did not allow myself to go there. If I had, it would have consumed me, and the days I experienced so much joy over this life would not have been. Needless to say, it came as a horrible shock, and one we won't ever forget.

All of this I say because it is easy to trust and follow after the Lord, when He blesses you, or when life is good. When everything falls apart and questions arise from within, not so easy.

God has brought me out of many dark places in my life, and this one should be no different. It has been through this very situation that I have recognized my own lack of faith. I was so encouraged and unshaken by my pregnancy, and so broken and defeated at its disappearance. While many of the emotions Will and I have been feeling are normal, my unbelief of God taking care of everything has been a sobering reality.

I may never know why this happened. I do know that God IS totally and completely in control, and that I am no one to question who he is and what he is doing. While the hurt and sadness remain, I'll reside with my Father. Trusting and following after him, when it isn't easy. And he will hold me.

Fall 2010

as we now live in the north, Fall can be felt just around the corner. the days have grown shorter and leaves are already browning and starting to fall from the trees. i am so happy for this after the blistering heat we've experienced over the summer. and because fall is simply my favorite season. what's not to love? cooler weather, sweats, bonfires, colorful leaves, soul food, and of course . . . pumpkins and pumpkin products!!!!!!!!!

i will try to not completely go bananas here, but i do have a slight addiction to this plump orange vegetable. while will's parents were here at the beginning of the month, mrs. nebbie bought me some wonderful pumpkin scone mix :) we ate them all this weekend :( i returned to the store where she'd bought them ready to buy more, but was derailed by my purchase of pumpkin coffee! it was hard for me to make sense of this purchase seeing that will works at starbucks and we get a pound of coffee each week free. i fell victim to my obsession though, and bought it anyways.

as i mentioned, mr. bill and mrs. nebbie came into town over labor day weekend and we had such a good time. they lavished us with yummy food and treats, and we gave them a blow up mattress and overly strong coffee in return ;) hehehe! really it was an awesome weekend with beautiful weather for us to walk in and enjoy, and nice to just be able to visit and catch up without feeling rushed. we are so blessed to have family that loves us and takes care of us.

it is funny how much changes and how much stays the same in a year. it is crazy that i have lived away from clarksville for a year. i never dreamt i'd leave in the first place. God has been ever faithful and cared for us when we were undeserving. we both have jobs that pay the bills, good health, and are living debt free. i hope to be able to say all of that another year from now. will is in school part time right now, but loving his semester and the more hands on classes he is in. we have had great ministry opportunities over the summer through will's work and by a chance meeting. i am getting better at being on my own, and have found creative ways to fill the time. most importantly, we continue to love and serve the Father above all else, and our love for one another is tried and true.

i can honestly say that i love my husband more today than i did yesterday, and certainly more than from a year ago. just when i don't think it is possible, i am proven wrong. he has grown me and stretched me into a better person, and is a constant source of encouragement and comic relief. he always tells me he is the lucky one, but as i sit here, and he is working yet another closing shift without complaint, i know i really am.

pics and mini update

here are the pics i've been promising . . .




those were just a few from our anniversary trip in grand rivers, ky. we had such a good time just relaxing and slowing down from our typically fast paced visits home. since coming home, we have jumped right back into our regular routine, and been seemingly busier than before. it always feels like you pay for going on vacation doesn't it? it has been terribly hot here and we had been coming home and literally doing nothing. we've had a little rain here and there recently, and that has given us a minor reprieve, but overall the heat continues. it has definitely made me more appreciative than ever to have AC!

as another semester begins for will on monday, we have been busy getting school books, and rescheduling things at work. we are both looking forward to all that God has in store for us this coming fall. we both have many things we want to accomplish and new goals to achieve, but there is much work to be done.

we are so grateful to have family and friends who love us and pray for us regularly. we love you!

another year

i thought it was fitting that i update our blog physically and literally with the passing of mine and will's first year of marriage. we were lucky to be home the week of our anniversary and spent a wonderful time celebrating with family and friends, followed by our own getaway to grand rivers, ky. for a night. we are still trying to process that it has been a year since we wed, a year since i moved to louisville, and the year of changes we have experienced. we have had so many ups and downs between dealing with my car accident issues (finally resolved!), jobs, outside pressures, living in a new city on our own, and just the little nuances of everyday life that neither of us were used to when it came to each other. ha! like his laundry piles and scattered chip bags or my hanging up clothes on the inside of doors and constantly washing his pjs after only a night of wear. what can i say, he knew i had OCD :)

on the flip side of those things, we have learned the city together, had lots of great dates and late night conversations, watched ridiculous amounts of movies, learned new games, celebrated holidays, making our own traditions, but more than anything learned to fully trust and rely on God. we have recognized more than ever that we can't do things on our own. without Him, our twosome doesn't operate at its optimum level.

a new semester begins in august, and things will be settling down for us. we ask your prayers as we wade through everyday life, and the stressors we face, but mostly we beg your prayers against Satan's attacks. we have a lot coming up in the next few months, and desperately want the Lord to remain at the center of it all, casting out any and all distractions.

we have sorely missed our families this summer, seeing as it hasn't felt the same not being at home for all of the many festivities. we hate missing out on all that is going on in your lives, and love hearing from you! thanks kiddos ;) you always make our day with your letters! we pray for you, love you, and hope you are all doing well.

*pictures from our trip to be posted in a couple weeks!

april to may

already another month has come and gone, and i've been very unsuccessful at keeping on top of my blogging. the following pictures should help explain some of that.











i know . . . we are so redneck letting him run around in his diaper, but he thinks he's so funny doing it! i cannot tell you how much will and i LOVE this little boy! we have been blessed beyond belief to get to have him come a few nights a week every couple weeks. it is given us a taste for parenthood, and what an especially beautiful thing that has been. unfortunately for will, he is no longer the only man in my life ;)

we have had lots of beautiful and rainy spring days here in louisville. will and i have been able to take lots of long evening walks and enjoy all the beautiful trees and flowers in bloom. here are a few of our favorites in the neighborhood:





as well as enjoying the gorgeous weather together, we have also been getting out and exploring the area a bit more. we have found a few new places that i love to shop at, and some really good new places to eat. our favorite has been impellizeri's. it is a pizza place that's been around louisville for a little over twenty years or so. it is outstanding, and a personal favorite of my dad's :)

this week will and i will be celebrating 4 years together and our 10 month wedding anniversary! it is amazing to me to have been with one person for four years, and then i think about both of our parents and how long each of them have been together and realize this is just the beginning. makes me tired just thinking about it.

will has another semester behind him, and we are so thankful for the rest summer will hopefully bring. my seasonal work at bridal warehouse has been done for 3 weekends now, and i am loving the freedom it has afforded me to go home, rest, clean, watch television again, and have my dad visit.

we were both devastated by the news of the flood and are praying for everyone involved back home. selfishly i am thankful i made it home the weekend before and was able to see my beautiful cousin karleigh head off for prom. she should still have ribbons in her hair and play with barbies in my mind, but we all grow up. it meant alot to me to be there, since she feels more like my sister than anything.



well, that's all for now. i've got laundry to fold, and meals for the week to plan. Happy Mother's Day! love you all!

spring has sprung

it is beyond me how we are already in april. where is the time going!?!?!?! the sun is shining again in kentucky, and i am so thankful for the warmth it has brought. i am officially two weekends away from my last working weekend at bridal warehouse. so excited to have some free time again! however, i will really miss the gals i have grown to know and love while spending the last few months working alongside them. my job at necole's place continues to thrive, and i love the work i am doing there. my kids mean the world to me. God has shown me i have a greater threshold for patience than i ever knew was in me. glad to know i won't be that screaming parent who can't hold it together. lol. we'll see :)

will is coming to the close of another semester pretty soon, and is working hard all the while. he has been racking up a's on his papers, and i have to say i am super proud of him. although, i'm pretty sure it is my mad proofreading skills that bring those a's home in the first place ;) i'm trying to get him to take over on some of this blogging business, but he isn't being too cooperative. he is on spring break this week so perhaps he will make a guest appearance in here.
i am sure you all get tired of my ramblings and would appreciate the change in writing.

recently, my parents were able to make a trip to louisville and spend a few days. we had such a nice time, and found some new places to eat and shop while they were here. mom helped me make my spring wreath, and "Easter-ized" the apartment :) i will have to post some pics, but our camera battery is dead :(

this past friday will and i were both off, and it was just a great day. due to no air conditioning yet, we have had the windows open at nearly all hours. the constant incoming breeze makes for very good sleeping conditions, and sleep i did until 2 pm. when i got up, there was a beautiful flower arrangement on my nightstand from mr.bill and mrs.nebbie! again, i wish i could post pics, but it will have to wait. needless to say, my day started great with such a sweet surprise. will and i lounged around and watched tv, then went out walking for about an hour. when we got home i fixed us dinner, and we watched my favorite friday night show, ghost whisperer. we didn't do anything majorly special, but it was just a really wonderful day. mostly because we didn't have to work and we got to just hang out and be together. i told will i want to go back to hawaii and do that for a week again. he laughed in my face. i'm guessing that's a "yeah right" in boy language.

this week begins another 13 day work week for me, so say some prayers for me! will is hopefully going to get some down time, and rest up during his spring break, and i'm looking forward to him being around a little more :)

today was a great Easter service at our church, and we were able to have a little time together for lunch this afternoon before work. we both agreed that it isn't the same though. we miss our families so much, and long to be nearer. however, we fully trust where God has placed us, and know He is in control, and knows best. it's not easy to claim that everyday though. (i've had lots of hard days lately, and ask for your prayers for me personally. loneliness isn't a friend of mine, and it has a tendency to drag me under at times.)

love and blessings to you all!

*alert*

* as a post note - i just re-read my last blog and there are several mistakes. it drives me insane, and i just had to get it out that there were errors. i don't know how to go back and fix them so this is my way of making myself feel better about the fact that they are there. yes, i am crazy for now posting this.

rewind . . .

the month of february, and this first part of march has been the hardest time for me since moving to louisville this past july. there have been lots of ups and downs, and i'm finding that the Lord is continuously trying to remind me how little i control, and that doing things alone inevitably resuly is my own personal disasters.

we were blessed to get to have mr.bill and mrs.nebbie here in mid february. i secretly invited them up to surprise will for his birthday and was ever so pleased to get away with it! it was so good to have family here and get to share in our lives here with them. though i had to work a great deal of the time they were here, will was able to catch up, which meant a lot to him :)

my physical therapy had come to an end and we are now in the process of working things out with the at fault party's insurance company. can i just say nightmare? it may be quite a road ahead of us, so please pray negotiations go over well when we meet in the coming weeks. the ugliest part of my nature has emerged from this situation and God be with the adjuster if he tries to pull one over on me. i may be blonde, but i assure you i'm not a dumb one :) he will know this, too.

the winter has been long and cold and snow filled. sunshine is promised in the future, and i beg its return! i've been in a funk with all of the dreary weather, and could really use a good dose of vitamin d.

one bright spot in my winter has been working with my beautiful children. in fact, will and i have had the privilege to provide a safe place for one of my children, by bringing him home with us for a few nights a week. it has truly blessed our lives. there is nothing like the love for and from a child, and let me tell you, this little guy will always have a place to hang with us :) please pray for him and his precious mother and siblings. God has done an incredible work in their lives, and i feel honored to have been able to be a small part of their journey through my job. these are a few pics from his sleepovers with "nanny." haha! that is what he actually calls me. i have no clue where it comes from.





God is good, and has provided in so many ways, when we are so undeserving. i will be finishing up with my second job at the end of april and am so looking forward to having some down time again. will has mid-terms approaching this week and we can hardly believe another semester will be done before long.

our future here is uncertain. we never know the next step. i wonder where God will take us often. pray for His way and not ours. pray that we may decrease so that He may increase in our lives. pray that the demonic forces around us would not gain footholds in our lives because we know they are constantly at work against what we are trying to accomplish for His glory. pray for our marriage. that it would remain strong and that it would bring honor to our Father.

a wintry mix

snow, 7 month anniversary, snow, v-day, snow, will's b'day . . . you get the picture. there has been a lot of snow in this city. more snow than i've ever experienced anyways. and i am a fan. while everyone else complains, i am at peace, in our apartment, off work :), and drinking coffee while watching one tree hill marathons. does life get any better? i think not. the only downside to these stretches of days inside is that my hands get bored. so, i cook alot. and then eat alot. makes for a not so happy girl :( thank goodness for will, who tells me i am beautiful after eating an entire box of triscuits in a day. that is love. and so is the night following. let's just say no person should eat that much fiber in 24 hours.

i don't know that we officially celebrated our 7 month anniversary, as we have done with all of the others. we did acknowledge it, but didn't make plans to go out for it this time. i fixed a really nice dinner, and we used the china, and then we hung out watching a movie and eating ice cream for the rest of the night. valentine's day was another story. this being our first married, and our first in the same city, we had fun with it. we went and saw a movie, had dinner, and then finished the night with donuts :) will bought me a desk, as motivation to get me working on my book, and we put it together in our office/guest room the next day. now we have desks side by side!

will's 24th birthday is this thursday, but we are celebrating over the weekend since we are both working. i'm working on a cake for him to take into work thursday. he swears he doesn't like cake, but i am determined to make one he will like. i'll let everyone know how it goes. as of now, i'm making a multi-layer, strawberry filled, cream cheese frosted yellow cake. crossing my fingers that he will enjoy it!

i'm a the end of my physical therapy, and what a blessing to be finished as of tomorrow. my weekend job at bridal wearhouse ends in april, and i am really looking forward to having some time to sleep, clean, and hang out with will again. he is in full swing back at school and work, and i am so proud of him. i wish i had a good fight to share with you, but honestly we really don't. mostly because he makes me laugh and i can't stay upset about anything for long. it is so frustrating when you are trying to be mad, and can't. he truly is my joy!

pray for us. the next couple months will seem long without any visits home to see family or friends. we love and miss you all! xo -sarah laughren

to catch up a bit . . .

let me rewind. alot has been going on in the binkley household. the year began with a great deal of mourning on my end. i am always sad after christmas has passed, and this year it was even worse because the end of christmas also meant leaving clarksville. fortunately, well, kind of, i had a glorious box of chocolates (thank you to the meadows) and a sackful of homeade cookies that i was able to lean on during such a difficult time. almost 4 weeks later, i'm still trying to repair the damage of my massive sugar intake.
on the 11th, will and i celebrated our 6 month anniversary with a visit from my uncle lynn, who delivered to us a beautiful oak china cabinet, once belonging to my grandmama. we enjoyed spending some time with him at one of our favorite eateries, and then came back to the house to catch up. since then, i have been filling up the cabinet, and re-organizing all of our kitchen/dining room stuff. pictures to come soon! will also used our anniversary to surprise me with the boxed dvd collection of my favorite movies: anne of green gables. poor thing has already been subjected to four hours of it. i'm sure he's wondering what he was thinking ever getting it for me :)
while will has been off from the regular school semester, he decided to take a jan-term class a few weeks ago. he did great, and absolutely loved the class. the final project is due next week, and he is working ever so hard to finish it up, as the new school semester begins this coming monday. in the meantime, i started a second job at bridal warehouse on the weekends. while i've been enjoying the social interaction and extra income, the lack of rest and sense of chaos going on in my household is about to push me over the edge. thus, i have decided will and i need a vacation. i will begin planning it when i get some free time to do so. :)
on another note, i am hopefully coming to an end with my physical therapy. i have made huge strides in my recovery, and am making some days with no back pain at all! this is a big deal considering a month ago i had the posture of an 80 year old woman - no offense grandmother :) now, we just have to face the pains of dealing with the settlement over all of this. pray for me to not be ugly. this situation has brought out an anger and bitterness in me that i have never in my life experienced before. will has on more than one occasion had to settle me down. it is just not a good thing for either of us.
as the month of january comes to a close, we will be returning to clarksville for a weekend of fun. we will leave here this saturday, and see my brother's band play that night at home. sunday night will is preaching in springfield, tn. monday we will come back. though it is a quick trip, we are both really excited and ready for it. me probably a little more than will - i've already started packing :)
this blog would be incomplete if i didn't give a shout out to one of my most faithful readers, to which i have been informed happens to be miss emily meadows. i am so happy to know that someone besides my mother and mr. bill get excited to read this! haha :) i'm sure others in our families do as well, i just only get to hear about it from them. thank you to both amy and emily for our sweet letters. without kids, i don't have refrigerator art, but now i have some from you two! we loved hearing from you both, and hope to get to see you girls next visit.
love to our families and friends back home, especially mr. ray and mrs. sherri (thinking of you!). pray for us in this new year, and that we would be open to whatever GOD would have us to do. xo

The first Christmas to come

So this Thursday marks mine and Will's first Christmas as a married unit. Wow. I can hardly believe it is already here. So much has changed in such a short amount of time.Thanksgiving came and went, and now the end of another year is approaching quickly. Last year this time, I was working at Ruby Tuesday, had just finished up school, and was baking with my mom and grandmother for Christmas Eve. This year has been quite different. I have done everything on my own this year, and in some ways it has been sad not to have family around to bake and decorate and shop with, but it has also forced me to go out on my own and get things done. Will and I are looking forward to creating our own traditions, and since we leave on Christmas Eve afternoon, we are having our Christmas on the night of the 23rd. We are making our own homemade pizza, baking cookies, and opening our gifts from each other :)

As many of you know, I work at an extension center for A Woman's Choice Resource Center, which is an anti-abortion clinic. At Necole's Place I get to work with moms and their children, as they come to get their GED, take parenting, pre-natal, stress management, or relationship classes, and basically encourage and walk life with them. Will was off the afternoon of our Thanksgiving Banquet, and helped chronicle the day for me. Here are a few pictures from the day:








You can't begin to imagine some of the circumstances these moms and their children come out of, but they are the reason I get up every morning. I want to bring them all home with me!

On a more recent note, Will and I came home this afternoon and took a few Christmas pictures to document our first Christmas, so enjoy!


These are from my sweet mother in law! Aren't they gorgeous!
They have brightened my last 2 weeks every time I've walked in the door :)






3 more days and we will be in Tennessee!

I've been away from the blogging scene for awhile, but no worries - I am alive :) Some might be wondering, if they happened to see me on Thanksgiving. It was a great day followed by a horrible night. Thank goodness for my sweet Mom#2 and Dad#2 because without them, I don't know what I would have done. Apparently I caught some type of stomach bug and spent the drive from Will's family in Cookeville, Tn. to Clarksville, Tn. with my head in a bag. Oh how I love the holidays! :) Truly though, sincere thanks go out again to Mr.Bill and Mrs. Nebbie. Oh, and thanks to the boys too for not losing their cookies over me losing mine :( Sorry.

Since then, Will and I have both had a clean bill of health, and we intend on keeping it that way. I've been working more at Necole's Place, and staying busy at the house as usual. It has been so much fun decorating for Christmas in my own home this year! I'm working on getting some pictures up real soon. Will finished finals a week ago, and it has been so good to have him around a little more! Praise the Lord for another semester behind us! He is taking a class in January during Southern's Jan-term so be praying for him as he spends a solid week, 9-5 everyday, in a classroom. I also Will be starting a new venture with a second job. I will be working weekends at Bridal Warehouse, taking in brides and setting up their appointments. Pray for me not to go crazy :)

One of my dearest, oldest friends from home came to visit last Saturday with her other half Jonathan, and the four of us had a great time running up and down Frankfort Ave. and catching up on life. Here are a few pics from their visit!




We just celebrated our 5 month mark, and continue to feel God's grace and blessings falling upon us daily. Will and I are both looking forward to seeing our family in just a matter of days, and are even more excited about his upcoming Sunday at Grace Baptist Church in Springfield, Tn. It will be a great time of fellowship with our dear friend and minister Bro. Steve Freeman, but also a great time of worship, and allowing God to use Will as he preaches. Lift him up as He prepares for their evening service January 31st.

Thinking of you all this Christmas season! God Bless!

marriage pains and money strains

tomorrow starts the second official week of november, and before i forget, i wanted to post a few pics of our "fall friendly" decorations that will be gone in a matter of weeks:


Mom and I made this! I LOVE these placemats. A gift from Mom :)

This was our pumpkin. Will picked it out :)


Enough about that. I have recently discovered that making things rather than buying them is WAY more fun. Last night, after a long day of dishes, errands, and police interrogations, (I was pulled over because I didn't have my headlights on. Apparently, I've been driving without them on for almost 4 months now. Oops. Must be a blonde thing.) I decided to wrap a few Christmas gifts I bought earlier in the year. I realized I needed a couple of bags, but only had wedding ones.

Here, my project began. I raided the top of my closet for all of my scrapbooking papers and tools, and went to town on some of the bags. I've started on three now, but don't have them completely finished yet. Here is one I've almost got done:


Front Back


Bottom - It says, "This bag was made especially
for you by: Sarah Laughren"

I was obviously very excited with the results, and even moreso because it didn't cost a dime! I couldn't wait to show Will, but he just laughed and said, "You're cute." What the heck?!?! I'm learning just how very different man is from woman DAILY. Speaking of which, I decided to document his end-of-school-semester-disaster that has become the office/guest room. I wish I had thought to do this long ago, so you could have seen what the room looked like pre-disaster. This is it's current state:





At this point, I have given up, and simply shut the door.


This Wednesday makes 4 months, and it truly has flown. Will and I talked last night about how it seemed like just yesterday we got married, and now here we are nearing the half year mark. God has blessed us over and over again in the short time we have been here together. Will was promoted to shift just 3 weeks after we got home. I got the job I wanted a day after interviewing for it, and only a month after being here. We have an amazing church that we have both become members of, and recently found a Sunday School class that we are already making new friends in, and getting more involved.

While my health has been poor for the majority of October, and we were dealing with several medical bills we hadn't planned on, God took care of all our needs. Thursday night I layed in bed and prayed for a long time, and told Jesus I wasn't going to worry about the money we were having to put out, and that I knew He had full control. I told him I was okay with eating pb&j for the next few weeks until we got our next paychecks :) Friday afternoon as I left work, one of my co-workers asked if we wanted any food. She explained that she and her husband were moving the following weekend and they had doubles and triples of items that they needed to get rid of. I told her that we'd take anything she didn't want. That evening she arrived with two boxes and three or four bags of canned goods, frozen items, toilet paper, hair products, boxed items, etc. Nearly everything she brought was on our evergrowing shopping list that hangs on the refrigerator. I didn't know what to think, other than my God is the ULTIMATE PROVIDER!

These are only a few things God has taken care of, but know that there are innumerable blessings He pours on us each and every day, all the time. I know it is easy for blessings to begin to feel normal, as if they are expected. Thus, we lose sight of their magnitude and often forget to praise God for the works He is doing in and around us, but I am learning more and more to fully appreciate the beauty of His generosity and graciousness, when we are so incredibly undeserving.

Now, not to go all "soon to be preacher's wife" of any of you, but as a believer, I would not be doing what God has called of us all, if I didn't say what is on my heart in this very moment. I know most of who reads this are family and close friends(even more a reason to share this), and it is my prayer that you already know the Savior I know and love, but if not, I pray that you would come to walk in His light. Life can be so dark sometimes, even as a Christian. I cannot imagine going through it without Jesus as my flashlight. I say this because of the warmth and guidance I have felt from the Lord while being away from our families and friends, and so desire the people in mine and Will's lives to know the peace and comfort found ONLY in the arms of God.

So 4 months, and life only gets better, and the laughter is endless. I've discovered making me laugh is Will's way of getting himself out of trouble. He's pretty good at it too. I've always known he had many wonderful qualities, but this one takes the cake. It's how my Daddy-O diverts my frownie faces too :)

I love him a little more each day, and while he says I am "hostile," I think he loves me a little more too ;) To top it all off, we love each and every one of you, and hope you know just how precious you are. We are so looking forward to the holidays, and the time we will get to spend with you. Pray for us in the meantime. And pray an extra prayer for me because this is what I have to go home to:



ughhhhhhhhh.