Surprise Surprise Surprise

Thursday March 1, 2012

I woke up with a cold that had started the day before.  It had been a sad and bit stressful couple of weeks for the community on our base and I hadn't realized till the night before that I was late.  I decided to take a pregnancy test before I took any cold medicine "just in case".

So with my sweet husband still sleeping I took a test and then walked in to the kitchen to start some coffee.  Three minutes later I turned the test over and this picture above is what I saw.  I was immediately so excited but quite a bit surprised because we weren't planning on a pregnancy till the end of the year.

All ideas of a cute way to tell Chris flew right out the window as I heard him get up and heard his toothbrush going so I walked in the bathroom with the test behind my back and waited for him to finish.  As soon as he was done he turned and looked at me and said "What?"  I know I was staring and must have had a weird look on my face.  So I said "I need to tell you something and you can't be mad"  (As a side note Chris is rarely if ever mad and I didn't really think he would be mad but I WAS anxious because this was not the plan, I should have realized he would never have been mad about a baby and that I am more the planner in our family.)  He looked at me a bit crazy and said "okay?"  I didn't actually "tell" him anything I just handed him the test.

He was happy of course and hugged me, we are so very excited about this blessing.  The way this pregnancy surprised us is actually an answer to my prayers. I had been praying for the past few months that when the time came for us to have a baby that it would just happen and I wouldn't have time to stress or worry about us "trying" to have a baby.   I am so grateful and a bit overwhelmed by God's Kindness to us.  He has a plan so much bigger than anyone we would consider or concieve.

So now that the word is out I am hoping to share more of our journey thus far on here and as it continues, so stay tuned. :)

Tonya's Wedding

My sister Tonya was married in August and I had the distict pleasure and honor of being in the wedding as well as taking the pictures. I love you Tonya and but I will NOT be doing that again! It was fun but also incredibly stressful! I did love being part of and capturing her day. Tonya and I were both incredibly blessed to be made family through living with my Aunt Nancy and Uncle David. David gave us both away at our weddings. He is quite happy to have finished with the giving aways :)

http://sonsjoyphoto.instaproofs.com/category.php?event=473363&id=946384

Grandma Update

I spoke with my Grandma on Friday and she has an appointment to meet with a Surgeon later this week to get the process started for a double mastectomy. This is the best course of action due to family history, so they decided to be proactive. It seems that the cancer has not spread as of her latest scan in December. There will be biopsy's taken of surrounding lymph nodes during her surgery to confirm this but if that is the case then chemo will not be necessary. It seems to be a positive place to be and Grandma was in good spirits when I spoke with her. All of that makes me feel more at peace with everything. Thank you all for your prayers!

This is my Grandma

Her name is Nancy and these are 2 of her daughters Valerie is on the Left & Nancy Jean is on the right.

Isn't she beautiful! She is an amazing and strong woman. She turned 75 at the end of October but you wouldn't know it to be around her. I feel like she has always been young at heart. In early December she had a biopsy and it came back that she has Breast Cancer, today she will be going to a doctors appointment her first since her diagnosis. It would really mean a lot to me if you could take a moment today and say a prayer for her. That her doctors would have wisdom and that she will have peace in her appointment today.

We serve a mighty God who is able to do above and beyond anything we can think or imagine!

Emotional Moment

So as anyone who has read this blog knows it is Wedding Week for us. I am so excited!!!

Yesterday came a moment that I didn't totally expect, I guess over the past 16 years I had thought that I would be emotional about this aspect of my wedding but since we have been engaged I hadn't felt lacking in this area so it hadn't happened yet. Well yesterday it happened...

Let me start with this scene from the movie stepmom... it has always made me cry, now to be fair I am a crier anyway but this scene has special meaning as I have known for the past 16 years that my mom will not be there on my wedding day. As she has not been there for many other special days.




So here's what happened, yesterday I was sharing with Chris more about a conversation that I had with my dad last week. I had been trying to contact him since our engagement and was finally able to get a hold of him the day after his birthday. I didn't think he would be able to be here but I did want him to know that I am getting married. I do love my Dad and hope good things for him even though he has not been a part of my life through my adult years(but that is all quite another story for another day).

When I was talking to my dad and sharing that we were engaged on the 18th and getting married on the 18th he shared with me about when he and Mom got engaged that she wanted to get married on a 29th, the month didn't matter it just had to be a 29th and so they looked at the calendar and the 1st 29th was September. So that is the date they set. The 29th was a special date in my mom's family b/c it was my Grandparents anniversary and my Grandma's birthday are both on the 29th but I had never put the significance together.

As I was sharing this I started telling Chris that there are things that I wish I had known at 13-14 to ask my Mom. Things that she would have told me I am sure but neither of us knew there wouldn't be time to ask later. Things like what her pregnancies were like, and specifics about her wedding. Just those things a Mom can share. When I shared this I started crying, I wasn't expecting it but it came. Please don't hear what I am not saying, I am SO thankful for the amazing women that God has given me in my life who do share these things with me, but there is a part of me that still does miss hearing those things from her.

She loved us so much and wanted so many things for her kids. I was talking to someone a few days ago about losing my mom at a young age, they said to me there is no reason a child should lose their mom. I don't feel that way. God knows the plans He has for us. And His plans are GOOD. He has had an amazing plan for me, and I am so thankful for the person he has created me to be. I am the person I am not inspite of losing my mom but because of it. I believe that walking this beautiful road has made me more compassionate and loving towards others even when they may not always want it. I know how precious life is and I am so grateful for the life God has given me even the tough stuff. All the love that my Mom gave us is stored up and it is as much a part of me as everything else.

I think the crying suprised me because my life with her was so far removed from my life today. Although it is part of who I am missing her is not something I think about everyday.

Well I thought it was fitting to share a picture of my parents on their special day all those years ago...



you can also read more about her Here and Here.


Just as a side note I am SO SO SO Excited about the new "Mom" I am being blessed with. Chris' family is awesome and I am so thankful that God is giving them to me.

I wanted to remember this experience so I figured putting it here preserves the memory for me.

Single Digits

YAY! :) We are in the single digits till the wedding and things are looking great!

I haven't really been stressed throughout this process, YAY for short engagement.

I was told part of it is that I am task oriented too, I like checklists and marking stuff off so I have been looking at my list and making sure that things are checked off regularly. (I was also told this is probably why they like me at my job... I don't like leaving things undone... well something I guess.)

I am so excited for Family to start coming in (his and mine) in just a few more days and to get to enjoy time with them and the activities of the week, but oh so much more excited to be his wife :)

For the rest of this week we will be celebrating graduation!!! Can't believe Miss Sohpia is finishing her 3rd year here and graduating!!! So excited to celebrate with her, but also a little sad to see her go back home.

Kids in the Tent!

Kids in the Tent!, originally uploaded by kendraplumberg.

Beautiful Rosie

Is gonna be a big sister!!! :) Yay!

Cousin Visit

A few weeks ago *(I am really late in posting this sorry guys!) My cousin and her family came to the area for a wedding so the trip was made over to see them. I was OH SO EXCITED!!! April & I always have a ton to talk about and we hadn't seen each other in 4 years since my grandpa's funeral. Also this was my first chance to meet her sweet daughters (her oldest wasn't with her at the funeral). We had a great dinner on Friday night at a resturant on the beach and then took some pictures and hung out on Saturday. We tried beach pictures but by the time we got down to the beach it was just TOO bright and TOO hot. Ah September in FL right! April & I hung out and even walked over to the Walmart that wasn't too far away.










Going to Walmart is a family past time btw... we had a family dinner one year at Ryans and when we were done took a family trip across the parking lot with ~20 people to Walmart. It was one of my SIL Patsy's first times meeting ALL the family and I think her first indication that we might all be a little nuts. It happens to be part of our charm.

I am SO glad I got to spend time with and take some pictures of them.

A Birthday Boy

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SQUIRT!!!!





Okay look at this cutie! ;) I think he looks amazing similar to his daddy and I wish I could hug and love on him on his big 3rd birthday but alas he is too far away. Happy Birthday big boy I hope it is a wonderful day!

I love you!

To remember this sweet guy from years past check out his 1st Birthday

Flashback: 30 years ago today

30 years ago today was my parents wedding day.....



Debi & Jake were married in Missouri... she was 23 and he was 29


















I had never seen (or probably remembered seeing!) My parents wedding pictures until after my mom passed away. My Grandma Plumberg found their proofs in a box after she heard me mention that I had NEVER seen them (I was possibly being a little overly dramatic at the time, I was 14). All the prints my parents had were lost in a fire when I was 6 or 7 but somehow the proofs had been left behind at my grandparents house when we had lived with them for a time after I was born.
























I love this picture of them superimposed on top of their wedding certificate... I think it is because you can see their eyes so well.

























I have a few memories of things my mom would tell us kids about their relationship... like the story of the night my parents got engaged. It was June 4, 1979 but I only know the date because of something else that happened that night... the roof of Kemper Arena collapsed. Especially significant because my parents lived in the Kansas City Area at the time. I remember my mom had kept a newspaper clipping from the next morning with an article on the collapse.

If I remember the story correctly I am pretty sure my mom also thought he was joking when he asked.




I love this picture because they are both laughing :) July 4, 1986 in Topeka, KS.



This is the last picture I have of my parents together... It was taken on July 4, 1993 at my Uncle Doyle & Aunt Julie's house. It might appear that my mom is talking with her hands and I have no idea who might also look very similar to that should a picture be taken of her talking.



They were married 14 1/2 years before my mom passed away. Sometimes I might start to wonder what would things have been like had my mom lived but then I remember that God knows what He is doing. When I am tempted to think what might have been I try to remind myself it is not what was meant to be. This beautiful winding road of life is made up of experiences we would never choose.

I remember when I graduated high school and my Uncle Tim came down to GA and we were talking about my parents. He said to me "no matter what else about your parents they loved each other". Of that I have no doubt. Through many tough times and many sick days they always ended up together. Life brought many things there way that they were not expecting. I cannot imagine trying to live through them without such a big God holding my hand. Today I am thankful for this day 30 years ago. I am so thankful to be able to see the joy, hope and love on their faces. I am thankful for reminders of how good God is and what a blessing it is to be able to love one another.

And I am thankful that we do not know what the future holds, I am freshly impacted by the knowledge that to not know is God's gift to us also.


Forgive me for my silly sentimentality but I figure since this is my blog and a journal of sorts it is the appropriate place to share.

Oh one last thing... I want to wish an early Happy Birthday to my cousin Tara... her parents missed my parents wedding because my aunt was in labor... HAPPY 30th Tara!

Busted

Hehe... this is one of my nieces aka (Rosie Girl) I stole this pic from my sister in law. This is how she was when Patsy caught her playing in the sink. It made me smile!

Old photo

Just had to share this old photo from my Grandparents 50th Anniversary celebration that my Aunt Pat emailed me yesterday! Can you find me? **Double click the photo to see it full sized :).



Over 20 years ago and I remember it... one of my favorite memories of the night was dancing the polka with my dad at the party/reception. If you look closely each of my grandparents 9 children had different colored ribbons in their corsages and their family's corsages matched. So you can tell who belongs to who... maybe :)

A little Birthday Girl

Lorelei & Fin, originally uploaded by kendraplumberg.

As a bad aunt I have been meaning to post some of these pictures I took at my niece's 2nd Birthday Party in early March... I just love this first one of her and her friend Fin. She recieved the leotard and ballet shoes as a present and immediately took off her clothes and put this on. A girl who knows what she likes ;)

IMG_1812, originally uploaded by kendraplumberg.

Pure FUN!!!!

IMG_1921, originally uploaded by kendraplumberg.

A Family Picture Hank Patsy & Rosie Girl :)

IMG_1897, originally uploaded by kendraplumberg.

BUBBLES

IMG_1904, originally uploaded by kendraplumberg.

Another Birthday!!!

Today is my oldest Nephew's (Silly Boy) 3rd Birthday!!! :) Hope you have a great day birthday boy!!!! Aunt Kendra Loves you!!!

Silly Boy & His Little Sis :)

Happy Birthday Jay!

Today is my baby brother Jay's Birthday!!! Hard to believe that he is 27!
Just thought I would post a couple of pics. I am so proud of this guy and how he is living his life. He has been serving the church that we went in high school amazingly since moving back to GA in September. He really is a neat guy, I have always loved the fact that he marches to the beat of his own drummer. Even as a little guy he had his own sense of style and didn't care if someone told him it didn't look good. What others thought didn't matter much to him. He was always wearing hawaiian shirts and plaid shorts(we grew up in the midwest btw!! Those may be standard gear in FL in todays day but not so much 15-20 years ago in Kansas). Wish I could find some pictures of that!!! Happy Birthday Jay I hope it is a great day!

Just a note on the pic above... I love this pic! He was standing next to the grill in Nancy & David's backyard and the smoke adds a neat element to the pic that and the fact that he is looking off! I just like it! Kinda reminds me of James Dean.


Jay as a Mouse :)

Jay Hank & Kendra

Check out the lastest picture of Jay & I here Crazy boy!

Happy Birthday Cherry Blossom

Today is one of my sweet nieces birthday... Cherry Blossom is the only one of my nieces that I have yet to meet I am hoping that will change sometime this year! She was born half way across the world one year ago today! I hope your day is wonderful little girlie!

Pink Pig

Taking pics of daddy

Self Portrait




An Atlanta Tradition, it is a small ride for kids and there is PLENTY of pink involved. My sister in law visited it when she was a child as did her dad when he was growing up. It is only up at Christmas time and is located outside of the Lenox Mall. It was pretty cold but fun. Rosie Girl danced around and enjoyed the pink carpet. I love the little tutu she was wearing too cute :)

Horne Annual Christmas Party

I spent the past weekend up in Atlanta with my brother Hank and his wife Patsy and their daughter "Rosie Girl" It was nice to just hang out with them and to enjoy Patsy's parents annual Christmas open house. We had a blast and laughed and reminiced. Here are a few pics from the Party :)
Rosie Girl & Daddy


Proving she is her Daddy's Daughter Food Yum


Not too enthused for a pic w/Aunt Kendra

Carolyn & Justin

With Grammy

Patsy & I


Hank & I

No no no no!!!!!!!