Flying Solo

I'm four days into Jon's ten day trip to Rwanda, and wow, I miss him! He went with Eternity Minded Ministries, an awesome organization that goes all over the world to visit schools, orphanages, give eyeglass clinics, put on festivals with music and preaching, and do whatever else God wants them to do while they're gone.

Some of the things the team is planning on doing include helping with an eyeglass clinic (the team brought 4,000 pairs of glasses that they will give to people who have never before been able to read because they couldn't see properly), encouraging Rwandan pastors, visiting a school and an orphanage, and visiting an AIDS clinic to talk to the people getting treatment there. Anyone who's been on a missions trip knows that this could be what they end up doing, but you never know what might come up! He could be doing something completely different, like preaching in a church or sharing his testimony in front of a group of people. I'm proud of him, no matter what he does.

Anyway, I'm hanging out by myself, realizing how much I appreciate Jon's presence. He makes me laugh, helps me around the house without ever being asked, listens to how my days go, and basically just makes me happy. This is the longest time we've been apart since we started dating over four years ago, and I really don't like it!

Baby news: I'm getting rather enormous and can feel baby girl kicking ALL THE TIME. (At least it seems like it.) She's strong and healthy, as far as I can tell from the outside! My pregnancy has been pretty much a breeze, but I'm starting to feel it now that I'm a couple weeks into the 3rd trimester. It's getting hard to sleep, since I can't find a comfy position, and after working all day my whole lower body tends to feel numb and puffy. I have plenty of weeks left, but I really can't wait till this girl is here so I can sleep on my tummy again! Last week Jon and I shone a flashlight on my belly and moved it around because I read that babies at this point can see the light and may respond to it. Baby Richert seemed uninterested at first, but after a couple minutes of Daddy teasing her, she decided to punch him. That-a-girl.

Is it bad that I'm ready for this girl to get out?

So I've heard many friends and women who are pregnant rave about the experience. How amazing it is to know you have a life growing inside of you, and that everything you do is now effecting another human being. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the miracle of life and think that God's gift of creating and having a child is freakin' awesome.

But seriously, I'm ready to be able to bend over without grunting (and yes, I realize my stomach has a LOT more growing to do), walk up a hill without breathing creepily heavy, and just to again feel like I am the one who's in control of my body. And I'm only ALMOST 6 months along! I know the time will fly by and there will definitely be days when I want to put this little girl back in once she's out, but 3 more months seems a tad like an eternity right now. Baby Girl Richert has decided she's going to be a kickboxer when she grows up, and is practicing on Mommy's uterus and ribs. (She prefers the rib that I fractured four years ago, which has never really healed.) Jon says she's just like her momma.

She's a girl, but don't make her wear too much pink

A couple weeks ago Jon and I got our ultrasound and found out baby Richert's a girl! She was facing downward for most of the time, and the doctor actually had to push on my stomach pretty hard, and have me get up and walk around, in order to even get the blurry, not so great profile you see here. She's a feisty one, which is why I was actually thinking she might be a boy. (Most of the time the big kickers have been boys from what I've heard.) Of course Jon is already saying (and worried) she's taking after mom. (A girl's got to stand up for herself... that doesn't mean she's feisty, right?)

We've got big plans for her already: doc said she's already got long arms, so our dreams of having a pro beach volleyball player is on its way to fruition (those legs better match the arms). We just hope she's not an Amazon woman who can't find any boys that are taller than she is. It's been fun to think about what it will be like having a girl, especially since most of the people around us, including our closest friends, all have boys. We can't wait to meet her!

I Know it's Either a Boy or a Girl

Jon and I get to find out the gender of our baby tomorrow morning! We have been anxiously awaiting this day, and kind of can't believe it's here. We were talking this afternoon, and when we think about the day we watched the second pink line appear on the Magic Stick (3 separate times), it feels like years ago. At the same time we can't believe we can "already" find out what it is!

People have been asking me if I have an inkling or premonition because some women do. I don't. Not at all. I have no idea what it is cruising around inside me, but I'm pretty sure it's a boy or a girl. I think it's because every couple minutes I change my mind as far as what I'd like it to be. As long as there's still only one, I'm good with the outcome.

Oh, Baby!

For those of you who look to this blog for updates on the Richerts, I apologize for being so horrible at keeping it UP to DATE...

So much has happened since our major plans changed, and it's pretty amazing to look and see how God worked through it all. How He knew exactly what He was doing, and even as we went about our business, thinking we knew what He wanted, He was preparing us for what was and is to come.

When we thought we were going to be teaching in Ecuador, we sold most of our belongings (including a car and all our bikes... that's 10), packed everything else away (except a few duffle bags to get us through 2 years), and moved out of our much loved first apartment as a married couple. We also quit our jobs, which had been doing a very good job of sustaining us over the last year.

Here are a list of things God has provided for us (so far) since the day we found out I was pregnant and we wouldn't be going anywhere:
*Jon got his job back with no hesitation from his boss, and I landed a long term sub position in Atascadero (no more commute!!) that just happens to last from now until January. (Baby's due Feb. 14th...)
*An amazing apartment in Templeton that we've always admired, owned by a family friend, perfect for having our first child in, became available just a few weeks after we knew we'd be sticking around... and we moved in.
*We found an affordable car (that we like!) right before we would both need transportation for work.

The list is longer, but those are the "big" things that were taken care of while we were jobless, living at my parents' house with one car, and pondering what in the world we were supposed to do next.

Because of all this, Jon and I were able to spend the entire summer together (he got to enjoy a "teacher summer"), which will probably never happen again, since our family will soon consist of 3 instead of 2. We joined a new ministry at church, since the thought of leaving the country caused us to leave the ones we were involved in before... we are HUB group leaders this year for the high school youth group at ABC, and I get to help my brother lead worship there, which is so cool.

It's pretty amazing to see all the pieces fitting together. As much as it threw us for a loop when our plans changed in June, it's quite a comfort to look back and notice all the huge, and small, ways God has provided for us through this. I've learned not to make plans too seriously. We thought we knew what we were "supposed" to be doing, but it ended up being something completely different... it needed to be ok with us... and it was.

Now we're anxiously awaiting my appointment next week, when we get to find out the gender of our baby! (Yes, we knew we wanted to find out from the very beginning.) And no, we are not telling anyone our name choice... until it's born! Sorry, you have to wait. :)

I will be better at adding to this. Not only for the readers' sakes, but for our future child, who someday will be able to read about the year his/her parents were led all over the place before ending up with the precious gift of becoming a mom and dad for the first time.

New York, New York

Well, it took me long enough to get back on here, I know. I have no good excuses since Jon and I both quit our jobs and are living at Mom and Dad Eaton's house, pretty much doing nothing every day. On that note, we are so excited that in just a couple weeks we will be moving into a great apartment in Templeton, owned by some friends, that we just happened to hear about the same week we found out we were not moving to Ecuador. Jon is going to be returning to Art's Cyclery in SLO soon... thankfully his boss would love to have him back. As for me, I'm trying to get a teaching job in the area, which most likely won't happen. So, what am I supposed to be doing? To be continued...

Now, onto the vacation we took a month ago...

My dear friend, college roomie Misty, and her awesome husband Dan, who let us stay with them in NYC and showed us all around.

Mo, Jesse, me, and Jon at Rockefeller Center

The most amazing dessert that will ever be had: Max Brenner's. I had a cute little vanilla popsicle to dip in all that good stuff. Wow.

At the top of the Empire State Building. Kind of a hazy day, but still so cool.

Thanks goodness they force you to walk through the gift shop on the way down from the top of the Empire State Building... or we never would have seen these beauties.

A flag flying above ground zero.

Lady Liberty, looking fine, despite the haze and rain.

The view from the roof of Misty's building.

Misty and me, roomies in Page B!

No, Jesse, don't jump!

Time's Square in all it's glory.

Little Italy: the cutest area I could imagine that's actually in the U.S., and the people are so friendly!

Me & Misty in an incredible loft that... yes... belongs to a famous person. I'm not allowed to say who because I posted it on the internet. But he's famous. And he wasn't home.

We spent a fantastic four days in NYC catching up with Dan & Misty and doing the tourist thing. I expect to return soon to see Misty when she lands a role on Broadway.

After that we headed to Cooperstown, NY, which is toward the middle of the state. Really the only thing there is the Baseball Hall of Fame, which is why we went. It was my Uncle John's birthday and baseball is his thing, so it was great to celebrate with him and the whole family. I also got to tell my mom's side of the family that I'm pregnant, so it was special in a few ways!
Luckily this part of the trip was very relaxing compared to the hustle of NYC. I ended up getting pretty sick the last day in the city, and didn't feel normal again until we got home. (Morning sickness is lame.) I was able to take it easy, play cards, and hang out with family in the tiny town of Cooperstown, without missing out on too much!

Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum

A beautiful hotel on the Otsego Lake where we got to eat dinner a couple times. It used to be an actual residence. For very rich people.

Here it is from the front.

Some good looking people.

Wall of baseballs in the Hall of Fame.

Doubleday Field, where the game of baseball supposedly officially began.

A rousing game of Nertz... a must on any family vacation. Beware of the trash talking.

And that's our trip to the state of New York. I will try to update you on what's going on as we try to figure out all the details of staying here... and of course the pregnancy... as we go! Thanks for reading.

A New Adventure Begins

A lot has happened since the last post. We traveled to New York City, and Cooperstown, NY, which I will write about in a separate post, because there's something more important to write about...

Just when Jon and I were getting emotionally, physically, and spiritually ready for a huge life change, we found out God had an even bigger adventure planned for us. We are expecting our first baby next year on Valentine's Day!!

It all started when we were in Mexico City, and both Jon and I got pretty sick... assuming, of course, that it was the tasty Mexican cuisine doing a number on our systems. Which it probably was, in part (at least for Jon!). When we got home, Jon's sickness went away and mine didn't. This, along with some other clues, told me it was time to take a test... And all three (yes three, I had to be sure) came up positive. To be honest, our first reaction was not the excitement that I had pictured we'd feel finding out I was pregnant. We were very confused and wondered what it meant in regard to our upcoming move and 2 year commitment. (If you haven't figured it out yet, a baby was not our plan at this particular time!) We were flabbergasted and thought God must be playing a joke on us.

The next step was to come clean with the director of the school. We prayed that he would make the right decision for us, because I sure didn't want to have to make the decision all over again with the new info to consider. We received a timely response in which our boss made it clear that his primary concern was the baby's health, as well as mine, and that he didn't think he wanted me to have to worry about teaching, moving to a foreign country, and trying to receive proper medical care in a language I'm not proficient in, all at the same time. He made the decision, in the interest of our well being, and my future students, to replace me.

I have to admit, I was disappointed, and still confused. Hadn't God wanted us to go to Ecuador? He had lined everything up already! We had moved, sold a car, all our bikes and furniture, and quit both our jobs!

What I've learned over the last six months, and especially the last couple weeks, is that as long as you're following the Lord, and truly listening to what He's saying, whatever He brings you will be ok. We were ready and willing to move and teach in Ecuador, but that's not what God wanted us to do. He wanted us to be obedient, and willing to follow Him no matter what that meant. I'm glad to follow Him, as confusing and winding as the path may be, on this new road. We don't know what we're doing or where we'll be in two weeks, but I know we're taken care of. And I can't wait to be a mom.

So... as excited as I was to keep everyone posted on our crazy lives on the equator, this blog will now be our journey on the way to being parents, and any travels we take in the meantime. Which I'm sure will have some pretty funny stories, too. (Don't worry, we're still going to Guayaquil to visit the Sr. Richerts!) Feel free to keep reading to stay updated on our lives. If you're reading now, it's because you're a friend or family member who we'd love to keep informed!

Oh.... Mexico

About six months ago we started making plans for our busy summer... Mexico City for a college friend's wedding, New York with the family & to visit friends, then a "trip" to Ecuador to visit Dave and Danielle... Little did we know that we'd actually be moving to Ecuador, and still have all these crazy plans to hop all over North America before we headed to the South.

Last week we spent nine days in Mexico City. We floated down the river in Xochimilco; walked through town looking at the beautiful, European style buildings the Spanish brought with their rule; tried to cross a border to enter another Mexican state only to be pulled over by the Federales and chased out of town (we ended up hiding out at a water park/restaurant/hotel until late evening so the Federales' friends couldn't bust our driver or demand money); ate at various taco stands and ended up with crippling stomachaches (so much so that right now the thought of a REAL Mexican taco in a corn tortilla still gives me instant nausea... why can't you find a single flour tortilla burrito in Mexico???); had dinner at Grandma's house while a bachelor/bachelorette party took place (luckily there are no pictures to prove anything from this night... at least not on OUR cameras); toured & walked UP the stairs of the Aztec pyramids...which we learned that the Aztecs didn't actually build, but took over because the place was real nice... at a ridiculously steep incline that burned my lungs (I'd like to blame it on the altitude, which is much higher than home, but I'm not in the best shape right now, so...); crossed the train tracks in our 10 passenger van when a train was coming (MUCH too close, mind you); and FINALLY at the end of a very eventful, tiring, but overall wonderful and exciting week: witnessed one of my best friends marrying the perfect man for her.

Jon and I had a great time practicing our Spanish and were surprised and also delighted to discover how quickly it came back to us over the course of just one week. It encouraged us that maybe, just maybe, we'll be able to get by pretty well in the early stages of our move to Ecuador. We shall see. Viva Mexico!

April and me at the top of one of the pyramids.
(Can you tell we're panting?)

A scene near the Basilica: Aztec Indians bowing to give reverence to the Lady Guadalupe
(an apparition of the Virgin Mary).

Our boat, "Carmelita". Vendors rowed up next to us during the ride to sell flowers, food, drinks, souvenirs, or play mariachi music in full uniform.

Jon and me in front of one of the town square buildings... does it look crooked? That's not our photo taking skills... lots of buildings in M.C. are sinking because the city was built on a lake!

The Palace of Fine Arts. Unfortunately it closes on random days, and the day we walked by, it was closed. There are beautiful murals and pieces of art inside... so I hear.

Look at those steps! We actually had to walk down with our feet sideways. Did the ancient civilization have tiny feet or something?

The new Basilica, where a cloth portraying an image of Mary resides, next to the old one, which is sinking slowly into the ground.

I'm So Tired

There are six days of school left. My little angels who I have immensely enjoyed all year long (besides the occasional need for whipping) have turned into hyper, chatty hellions who obviously have an internal clock telling them just how many minutes they have left in 3rd grade (and how many minutes Mrs. Richert has until her head's going to explode like a volcano). 

As much as I love them, I can't WAIT for this school year to be over. A teacher's first year is a huge hurdle and accomplishment, and I'm so stoked to have made it through. I just need to SLEEP for a couple days straight.

Counting Down

Today we received our list of "things to do" before we are allowed to move out of our apartment (and get our deposit back, more importantly)... I can't wait to scrub out every crevice of every drawer, cabinet, and shelf during my last week of teaching. Carpets must be professionally cleaned (but two of our local services are not allowed... they don't live up to the standards of our property managers... ok, so which ones DO? Thanks), mirrors must be wiped (NO streaks), and of course all our stuff needs to be out.

I have four weeks of school left, and we are not only checking out of our apartment the day after the last day of school, but we are leaving for Mexico City the day after that! One of my dear friends from Westmont, April, is getting married down there. We get to spend 8 days touring the city, and monuments around it, while practicing the Spanish we will so desperately need in Ecuador.

Then we'll be home for about 10 days before we head to New York City to visit another college friend and her husband! I have been waiting for years to visit NYC, and I cannot wait to be shown around by the new resident, New Yorker at heart, and future Broadway star, Misty.

THEN we'll be home for about SIX days before we make the biggest move of both our lives... the time will fly not only because we are so busy traveling the continent, but because it's less than TWO MONTHS away! ~Counting Down~

This is what we'll be missing.

This is our kitten, McGee. He has a stink eye. When we go to Ecuador we will be leaving him behind along with our golden retriever, Sydney. We will miss them. But mostly Sydney. She actually listens to directions.

Time to Get Crazy ( "Loco" That Is).

Well, it hasn't even been a full week, but already Jon and I feel the looming craziness that we know will engulf us over the next couple months. We have a marriage certificate to authorize, vaccinations to get stuck with, airline tickets to change, bank accounts to open, HIV tests to take, and yes... police reports to obtain. (I hope they don't find anything suspicious.) On top of all this, we want to spend time with all the people we love, while trying to pack up our few belongings to put away in storage. Luckily we're both pretty laid back. I'm not sure I'll be able to say this in a month or so, but I can now and that's all that matters. One step at a time. 

Ecuador, we are coming...

I started this blog because Jon and I found out today that I was offered a 2nd grade teaching position at InterAmerican Academy in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Jon's brother, David, and our sister-in-law, Danielle are already down there and put in a good word for us, so we decided to follow them into Latin America... We figured when the time comes, there may be people who want to read about our adventures.  I also figured that if we're going to follow the "Senior Richerts" around, I might as well make a sweet blog like theirs. So here it is: a short, simple first blog that will be followed by many more as we prepare to move our lives and very few belongings down to South America. Welcome to our adventure!