The search for a church (why is it so intimidating?!)

Chad and I grew up going to church and both profess to be Christians, however since we've lived in Denver we've never found a church to attend. There are lots of reasons for this ranging from lack of knowledge about churches in Denver to just being too lazy. No reason is good though. Over a year ago we started our mission to find a church and we sadly only visited two churches before we got busy and let another year pass before we visited any others. We know how blessed we are and we believe it is through God we are so blessed so our mission to find a place we belong has started again.

Unlike back home, there isn't a church on every corner. We've actually had to go online and Google and research churches to attend. The past two weekends we've attended two great churches but we're not sure we fit in at either place so our quest continues. I don't know why but attending a new church is personally one of the most intimidating things I've ever done. Here are just a few examples of why:

• Dressy or Casual. The 1st time we went to a church in Denver we got dressed up just as we would to a Sunday service in the south to find that Denver does things much more casual and jeans are perfectly acceptable. We don't want to assume jeans are acceptable at every church in Denver so there is a fine line between being too causal and too dressed up...you will definitely stand out as the "visitor" one way or the other.
  
• Name tags. We've attended some churches where name tags are at the front doors. Surely they are for the visitors, right?! We don't want to stand out like a visitor so we don't pick up a name tag and low and behold everyone has them on but us. Lesson learned, get a name tag.
  
• Where do we sit? In the south you could easily sit in someone's regular seat if you aren't careful and no one wants that, so Chad and I have the quiet debate as we walk in the church and down the aisle about the perfect place to sit.
  
• Introduce yourself to thy neighbor. This is always a tricky part of the service. Are they going to ask all new people to stand? Do you stand if they do? Do you let your neighbor know you are new? At a recent visit all regulars said "May peace be with you" and it wasn't until the 3rd person or so I figured this out. I just feels awkward even though I know that it shouldn't.
  
• To communion or not. Enough said.
  
• To fill out the visitor card or not. I realize that many churches want to reach out and recruit new members but I'm not sure I need every church we attend calling us or stopping by. Is that rude of me? And in a big city do they even do that?

At the church we visited last Sunday, I finally realized (a light blub moment for me) that it is okay to be a "visitor" and not know what you are doing. My realization happened when we walked in some back doors and didn't know where we were going and immediately admitted that we were new to the greeters. Immediately people were so nice (not that they weren't friendly when we walked through the doors) and showed us around and took the time to really talk to us and tell us about their church and why they love it. I don't know why it has taken me so long to be comfortable with this, I'm sure it is my own insecurities.

As we visit different churches, we are starting to form some better ideas of what is important to us in a church, pastor and congregation and where we are going to fit in best. I pray we will find a place we will can call "our church" sooner than later.

To be continued...

My Birthday and The Bump

Yesterday I had a wonderful 31st birthday! Although it was a pretty normal day for me, I went to the gym in the morning and worked most of the day, I also had a chance to visit the beautiful baby, Caroline, at the hospital and Chad and I went to dinner at a new restaurant called Bones that was delicious! It was a beautiful CO day and just overall a great day! I got lots of fabulous but unnecessary gifts from friends and Chad gave me a Coach Diaper bag which I LOVE!

Here is a picture from yesterday and the reveal of "The Bump". I swear until Saturday there was NO bump and then it just appeared. I love it though, it is nice to start to look pregnant. Although I'm only 15weeks and 4 days in this picture so I'm thinking I'm going to be pretty huge by October!

16 Week Appt, Another New Addition to Denver and Baby Pool

On Friday, we had our 16 week appt. although it was about a week early since my doctor is on vacation next week. We got to hear baby's heartbeat for the 1st time which was music to our ears. The HR was in the 160s which is perfectly normal.

The weekend was one of a crazy spring storm that brought a mix of snow and rain Thursday through Saturday night and with the storm we welcome another new addition to the Denver crew...our friends, Lynda & Greg Kolb, welcomed a beautiful baby girl on Sunday morning, Caroline Adrian. Caroline made an appearance 9 days early! I'm going to visit mom and baby this afternoon.

Some of you already know, we have a Baby Pool going on where you can guess Baby Meade's sex, birth date and time and features. There will be a prize for the winner. Check it out at: http://bebepool.com/mmeade or http://bebepool.com/go/?a=mmeade&view=list

I think I officially went from no bump to bump on Saturday so I spent my Sunday buying some maternity clothes. I just couldn't fathom squeezing into my regular pants any longer! We are expecting upper 70s and 80s this week so I'm really hoping I can just transition to sun dresses. I will post a bump picture this week.

Remembering April 16th, 2007

As a sit here this morning in my hormonal pregnancy state, I reflect in deep somber the events of 4/16/2007. Two years ago I remember sitting here in shock and disbelief that a place I love so much and felt so safe in my 4 years of college could be struck with such tragedy. The words "Massacre at Virginia Tech" plastered over and over on the TV were something that just killed me to watch and the world watched it over and over again. It was heartbreaking and still is. VT and Blacksburg are two places that hold some of the best memories of my life and one day I would love to retire there. Although the events of some whack job will forever be etched into the history of VT, I couldn't be more proud to be a Hokie.

Not just today but throughout the year I remember all those who lives were lost and those who were injured in the events of the day. I just pray that they are able to find peace in their hearts and lives. They will never be forgotten.

On April 20th, we remember the 10th anniversary of Columbine, which occurred on my 21st birthday and is another tragedy that will forever be ingrained in our minds. The scary part is that it seems over and over and over again these tragedies continue to happen in schools, malls, churches, etc.

Before being pregnant, I once said to Chad that I worry that it isn't fair to bring a child into the world given the fact that more and more crazies seem to find a reason or way to take lives and that if it could happen at VT it could happen anywhere. Why would we want to do that and make our child experience that heartache or live in fear? I'll never forget, Chad said to me, "But there are so many other wonderful things in life that I wouldn't want our child to miss." And he is right. Life is wonderful even though you must sometimes deal with heartache and tragedy.

As a parent, I believe all you can do is teach your child to enjoy life, be a good person and pray everyday for their safety and happiness. That seems like a big load to take on, to shape the life of another, but one that makes the tears of remembering turn into tears of happiness.

Here is a video on YouTube that my friend, Hope, made for our friend Kim. They took most of these pictures. It is pretty amazing so check it out but get a tissue: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rM70ixI3KTg

Happy Belated Easter!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! We spent a long 4 day weekend at the lake for the holiday and thoroughly enjoyed it! We were able to catch up with lots of great friends that we miss so much (Maureen, Kim, Hope & Eric and Rick & Cindy) and Chad's parents came down Saturday night for the evening. We went to sunrise services on the lake which was great. We also got a LOT of R & R and good food! I think Chad and I took a nap or two everyday which is exactly what we both needed. (I know, we need to relish the sleep now!)

Chad's parents brought us our early birthday presents...kayaks! When we were in Key West over the New Year holiday Chad and I kayaked a little everyday and just loved it. It was so nice and peaceful being out on the water. We mentioned we should get some for the lake and low and behold here come Roberta and Charles with two kayaks strapped to the top of their vehicle! We can't wait to try them out this summer. Although it was sunny and beautiful over the weekend, it was still too chilly to get on the water.

I did a really terrible job of taking pictures over the weekend and literally only got two so here they are. I will really try to do better going forward.

I'll be 15 weeks on Thursday and other than be pretty thick around the waist I'm not really showing yet. I have a great muffin top when I sit down though....it is sexy, let me tell you! I can still wear most of my clothes, they are just getting tighter and tighter. My pants are definitely more comfortable when unbuttoned! I look forward to the baby bump and looking pregnant rather than the appearance of a big beer belly!

Weekend

Over the weekend, Chad jetted off to Miami and Key West for a Bachelor Party of a good friend, Dan Kozlowski, and my dear friend, Rhonda Elmore, from elementary/middle school when I lived Richmond came to visit. It was an action packed weekend of fun for both of us.

Rhonda and I lost touch over the years but were reunited through MySpace several years ago and have been able to pick up right where we left off. It was awesome that she was able to come out and visit and I could show her Denver. We saw a comedy show, went to Red Rocks, Coors Brewery (no tasting for me), the Grizzly Rose and even had some time for shopping. It was wonderful being able to catch up and spend time together.

Also, an update on our 1st Trimester Screen, we got our results back on Friday and everything looks great! We thank you for your prayers!