Baby Sackett

Yes, this is a image of our baby in Mel's body. We're pregnant!!!! 10 weeks and one day to be exact and we have waited to tell you all because we like surprises and hope that you do to. Baby Sackett is about 2 inches long and was waiving at us today when we had our first ultra sound. This technology is just amazing and the clarity of what you can see inside the womb is fantastic.

We also got to see the little heart pumping at 157 beats per minute (totally normal for little babies). Melissa and I are thrilled and it was very exciting to see the baby today. It amazes me how God can create such an intricate process of life inside a woman's body and it almost feels surreal when its yours. We need your prayers that baby Sackett will be healthy and develop properly. Pray that we would be good parents and raise our child to know and love God.

Smiles,

M & N's (soon to include baby Sackett)

STUFF

So when in life do we feel like we have enough stuff? Ever wonder where your stuff ends up when you are done with it? I found a sweet 20 minute clip that came via my MBA course that I felt was pretty sweet. Before you watch this film, think about your own bias in life and then recognize that the woman who gives the stuff talk has her own bias. Breaking our own mental models is a very challenging task but I think this video has a lot of really great aspects and its pretty entertaining as well!

Enjoy -

click here for the stuff video

10 States in 10 Days

Before you decide to drive half way across the USA give me a shout and let me tell you about our little adventure across the western half of the US. After logging 5,342 miles in 10 days I am now a firm believer in resting between long road trip days in the car. You just half to do it! While the western half of the US is beautiful scenery - when you are pushing 800 to 1,000 miles a day all you want to do is get to the next stop so you can get out of the car. With all that said we really did enjoy our time even though it was long.

We had the opportunity to see my parents, Melissa's Uncle Aunt and Cousin in Phoenix, my two beautiful nieces and Jay in Surprise Az, my friend Donnie Davis from high school in Austin, C's friend Christy from Seattle, and all of C's friends from Boise. Had we not trekked across the US we would not have been able to spend time with these guys!

I have made the drive from Medford to El Paso with my grandpa several years ago on our way to Mexico so the drive did bring back fond memories from long ago. The desert of Az and New Mexico is not the most beautiful place on earth but it was nice and warm for our trek through this portion of the country. Texas was warm and in the 80's when we arrived. The humidity had not yet started so the weather was actually very nice. I had no idea how many deer lived in the great state of Texas but if you drive on the 10 at night you will see a few hundred, some of them dead by the road side. This stretch of highway between El Paso and San Antonio is the longest most boring stretch of road I have ever traveled.

The house was a pleasant surprise and the handy man projects were not over the top or out of the ordinary. One of the realtors that I have worked with down in this area had the ability to take Melissa around the city as Peter and I worked on the house so that she could get a pulse for what the city looks like and the district areas.

My friend Donnie Davis invited us out for dinner at "Trulucks" quite possibly the swankiest restaurant in Austin. We we're very spoiled when Donnie picked up the tab at this very expensive dinner! Donnie is a wonderful friend and a very generous person. Our gratitude was communicated before we left. Melissa also told the wait staff that it was my birthday so we got the ability to celebrate my birthday in Austin!

Our trek back to Portland was fast. I have to say that Oklahoma is the ugliest state I have seen in my life. Kansas is the flattest state I have ever seen and then we hit Colorado. The Rockies are a beautiful thing. It was snowing in Wyoming and beautiful sun in Idaho. We made it back at about 5pm on Sunday evening and by the time we returned our rental car we had passed the time mark and had to pay for an extra day for our rental car =) That was the close to our road trip across the USA. The states I enjoyed looking at the most were California, Utah, Idaho, and Arizona.