Out of touch with less than a month to go!

For those of you who have tried to call or text recently I want to reassure you, everything is good and we aren't screening your calls, I promise:) We have moved around quite a bit this past month and seen MANY small towns throughout Iowa and Nebraska due to various hail storms. This past Saturday we moved further West to McCook, Nebraska! Where in the world is that you ask? I've come to find it's kind of in the middle of nowhere. Which is why neither Ben or I have any cell service.... hence the reason your calls go straight to our voice mail if you have tried to get ahold of us.  However, we DO still have internet, thankfully! So if you do need to get in touch with one of us for some reason... use emails or Facebook, we check those frequently. (Also, Ben has been checking his voice mail a couple times a day for work purposes, so you can also leave a message... but email is probably fastest).

One fun small town we got to visit Buffalo City... we didn't go there for work, we went there to meet the lovely Wood family:) They were near Omaha City for a wedding and we were close to that area as well so we met halfway in Buffalo City to have lunch and catch up! It was so fun to see them and experience a tiny town where literally they had ONE restaurant and when we walked in it was pretty obvious we didn't live there as everyone glared at us. It was incredibly cheap and good food though, so no complaints! And the company definitely made the trip and the restaurant worth it!

I likely have found one of my new favorite locations. Our previous stay was in Arnolds Park, Iowa (also called Okiboji...) We went there for a hail storm and were pleasantly surprised to find that we were in "Iowa's #1 tourist destination". Ben likes to joke and say that it doesn't have much to compete with... which is probably true, but it was a GREAT little town! It had quite a few lakes right by it and a ton of fun little things to do. It was definitely a family vacationing spot, so being there in the summer was a perfect time to go! There were people boating, jetskiing, fishing, and celebrating the 4th of July all around us; it made for such a fun atmosphere to work in! There were a few nights when Ben was done working a little earlier and we went to an amusement park and just walked around the lake and enjoyed the summer atmosphere. If you haven't been to the Midwest in the summer, it is one of the best places to be!

Walking around the lake at the amusement park:)

When we had finished up in Arnold's Park and were being sent further West, we decided to make a quick trip up to Eden Prairie, MN to visit family for a day...literally 24 hours. We were only 3 hours South of Eden Prairie while we were staying in Arnold's Park and once we moved West we would no longer be within a day trip. So we drove up Friday morning, got there around 2pm, spent the day hanging out with family and friends for the 4th of July, and then got up the next morning to head South for work again. It was so fun to see family, friends and just enjoy the day!

This little peanut fell asleep when we walked up to the Lake for the festivities and fireworks:)

Cayden and Ben got to play in the large blow up maze together:) I dont know who enjoyed it more...

Ben doesnt know how to pick on people his own size... our 4 year old nephew was being sprayed in the face with water by a grown man... and loving it:) Somehow my dad got caught in the middle since Ben tried to use him as a shield. 

And now we are back to work... I was surprised the other day as I sat in the truck writing up files, when a homeowner came walking over to me and asked if I wanted to go see his Miniature Golden Doodle Puppies! OF COURSE I did:) Apparently he and Ben were talking and got on the topic that he breeds dogs, and when Ben found out what kind of dog he said to the homeowner..."don't tell my wife, that's her favorite kind" Coincidentally, that particular breed just happens to be EXACTLY the kind of dog I hope to get someday. I have heard that Golden Doodles are great dogs with good temperament (from the Golden) and don't shed (from the poodle)... but they are HUGE, so I have always wanted a mini one so that it's not so big, and that's exactly what the puppies were! So we got to go over to see the puppies, hold them, and talk with the family... it was a lot of fun! :)

In other news... this baby is due in less than a month! It is becoming more and more real! As we drove into McCook we drove by the hospital to see where it was and where I would be having my appointment this week...  Ben kept joking and saying to the baby, "this is where we are going to meet you for the first time!" Honestly, it was the first time that I felt a little sick to my stomach thinking about giving birth to this precious little one. Up until now it has been all excitement and the feeling that I can conquer anything... But now reality is setting in a little more and the realization of what birth will be like is a little unnerving. It probably didn't help that I watched a link posted on facebook where a woman's husband video taped her on a go-pro as he drove her to the hospital as she was in labor... and she ends up having the baby at the front entrance to the hospital. Note to self: Don't watch those kinds of videos until AFTER the baby is born!

But we are still beyond thrilled and cannot wait to meet this little one! I mostly cant wait for AFTER the birth:) But I cant believe only about 4 weeks left!

You can be praying if you think of it...we still aren't sure where this little one will be born and we really wont know until it is actually time for the baby to enter the world. Although that is a little unnerving, I do know that there are doctors EVERYWHERE around this country who know how to deliver babies... and I know that God knows exactly where this precious life will be born. and will be watching over me and the baby,  I just want prayer support that everything goes smooth and that we can get to a doctor when the time comes:) All I want is a healthy baby, whether it's a healthy boy or a healthy girl doesn't make one difference!

This was last week at 35 weeks... haven't had a chance this week to take week 36