My mom and me at the final ATF of the season!

Now 31 weeks pregnant, I am realizing I would have been wise to listen to all my friends who have been pregnant before.  They were right.  There is something about a pregnant woman that seems to attract all sorts of questions, advice, and comments.  It almost seems like all of the social rules of etiquitte are laid aside, and the general public feels as if every intricate detail of a pregnancy is their business.  It’s kind of ironic to me, since pregnancy is actually a fairly personal event!  At no other time in a person’s life can they expect to have such grilling.  I have learned, like so many other pregnant women, to smile and brush off the slightly – too – personal questions.  I’m sure that almost everyone is well – meaning in their interest.  I guess it is just a part of being pregnant!  Through my musing over this humorous phenomenon, I thought of a few things on behalf of pregnant women everywhere that we wish everyone knew. 

     Of course, I would not have known all of these until I walked through pregnancy myself!  The good news is, if you’ve already found yourself a violator of this humorous list, today is a new day!

1. No, we are not going to name the baby after you

2. We are happy that “Joe’s Ginger Snaps”, “Laura’s Lemon Tea”, or your Aunt Joan’s special noodle soup made you feel better.  Frankly, they all make me throw up.

3. “Was this baby planned or an accident?”  Seriously? The conception of my baby is none of your business.

4. We don’t really enjoy being told how big we are getting or just how much we are suddenly ”showing”.  We are very aware of our increase in size – it is our constant companion.

5. Since you would never think of rubbing someone’s stomach when they are not pregnant, please refrain from rubbing now.  It is rather personal space.

6. Remember that when the baby is born is not contingent upon when your birthday is.

7. My baby feeding preferences are well, I guess, personal business.

You may have no idea what to say now!  Any of these are almost sure to bring a smile to a pregnant woman you know:

1. Wow, you look really good!

2. You’re that far along?  You don’t look that big!

3. I am so excited for you!

4. You will be a great mom!

5. I pray that you have a blessed pregnancy!

This was definately when the baby was no bigger than a pea! (7 weeks)

Adam and  I are now 21 weeks into our first pregnancy!  We are so excited!  Children are truly a blessing from the Lord.  Psalm 127:3 says, “ Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.” 

At our 20 week ultrasound, we got to see God’s miraculous creation taking form.  From the arms and legs, to the nose and mouth, to the little spine of our baby, it was amazing.  We have decided to be surprised on the baby’s gender, so only God knows if it’s a boy or girl!  (Oh, and our doctor, who made sure to find out!)

Recently, my stomach has gotten much larger, and our little one enjoys kicking and punching a LOT!  We have been reorganizing our little home to make space for all the baby gear!  Four months to go!

More photos coming soon!

The Love of My Life!

Yesterday morning I awoke to find my husband (Adam) burning with an almost 103 degree fever.  His normal lively self was weak, aching, coughing, and unable to get up.  As I got up and began reading my Bible, It felt like my heart was being torn apart.  My love, the one that I had given my life to, was sick.  I felt myself wishing that I could take his place.  I couldn’t bear to see him suffer.  As I began to pray, I felt the Lord giving me a glimpse of His love.

It was His love for us that led Him to take our place.  He couldn’t bear to see His children die lost in their sins, or to see them suffer under the curse of this world.  So He gave.

Isaiah 53:5 But He was pierced through for our transgessions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.

Love gives.  Love sacrifices. 

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish , but have eternal life.

You are God’s love.  He knows the pain you are going through.  He wants to bear it for you.  He has already taken our place.  Let Him bear the weight today!

But…Amidst newlywed bliss, a busy travel schedule, the holiday season, and most recently, morning sickness of a new pregnancy, I forgot.  That is, until the day before my mom and I were to depart for Canada (where a passport is now required) for TV interviews on “Its A New Day” ministry station. 

Well, too late now.  I would just have to take my passport, driver’s license, birth certificate, and marriage license in hopes that I could prove my newly married identity.  With a slight uneasiness, I packed my life’s worth of official documents into the 3 – ring binder my loving (and slightly concerned) husband, Adam, had so carefully labeled “Important Document Folder – Kalyn W.”

I felt even more uneasy when I arrived at the airport and discovered that my boarding pass on the very first flight (St. Louis to Minneapolis) had these large imprinted letters on the bottom:

VERIFY PASSPORT

This could not be good.  I figured the less I had to pull out all my documents and try to explain why all my IDs don’t match, the better.  Apparently, if your final destination is out of the country, they check you right off the bat!

Well, the first stop proved easier than expected.  I handed the attendant my boarding pass and passport, and said, “I recently got married, would you like to see another form of ID?”  To my surprise, she smiled, said, “I believe you,” and I headed onto the plane.  Something told me the next stops might not be so simple!

After a long day of delays and flight cancellations we finally held in our hands actual boarding passes for a flight into Winnipeg, Canada.  Except for the fact that the plane was going to be to heavy and many people were not going to make it onto the flight, I would have waited to the end of the boarding line to present my case.  But, I didn’t want bumped from my seat, so I plunged in.

Approaching the boarding gate with all my luggage and my large binder of life information, I thought for a moment I had lost one of my very important pieces.  This led to a frantic search, which, subsequently, tore the pocket holding my treasures.  (Sorry Adam)  No worries though, I located my drivers license and jumped into my explanation.  The kind attendant explained, “Ma’am, I think that will work, but I’ll need to call my manager.  Could you please stand over here?”  Meanwhile, mom had already walked through the checkpoint, but was waiting for me to proceed onto the plane.  “You better just go ahead, mom,” I concluded.  “I’m not sure this is going to work.  You go do the interviews, I’ll take the buyout deal offered by the airline for bumping off this flight and I’ll meet you back at the airport tomorrow.”

Her horrified look and “No, I can’t go by myself,” meant two of us were now holding up the process.  Well, the manager arrived, heard my story and said, “Yes, you’ll be fine to get in since you have your marriage license.”

Hooray!  I walked onto the plane and claimed my seat with relief .  No sooner had I settled in and gushed to the passenger next to me how glad I was to finally be making a connecting flight after so many delays, did the same two employees who checked my story (donned in trench coats) rush onto the plane and start scanning the passengers.

Uh oh, something in the pit of my stomach knew they were looking for me.  Sure enough, over the intercom came loud and clear something to the effect of, “Could the girl with the marriage license because she has the wrong name on her passport please hit the call button.”  As other passengers snickered, I took a deep breath, reached up, and pressed the button.  Rushing down the aisle with a clipboard they informed me they had called ahead to customs and I would have no problem getting into Canada – since they would never know what name I flew under.  Hey!  Now we were thinking alike.  But there was a hitch, “You will not be allowed to fly back into the US until you change your name on the returning ticket.”  That sounded difficult, considering the fact that our return flight was only 18 hours away.  But, they assured me it would be no problem, scribbled down a number for me to call, and we were off.  Right before they announced that cell phones had to be turned off I called my big brother, Nathan, gave him the number and asked him to see what he could find out.

Upon arrival in Canada, I made it in (See story in part 2 coming soon) as Kalyn Cherry.  Via text, Nathan informed me that he had spoken with government officials in Canada and the US and informed them of my name change.  Delta, he let me know, might not have it changed, but the officials assured him I would have no problems.

Mom and I could hardly stop laughing to finally go to sleep in our Canadian Holiday Inn.  How can a person possibly call in for someone else, change their name in the flight system, and everything be okay?  If it is true, that is very strange.  You can’t fly with a bottle of hand sanitizer, but a third party can change your name with officials 18 hours before a flight!

Well, we completed our brief trip and were back at the airport early in case their were problems.  After a headshake by the front desk employee and a call with no success to the helpline, all we could do was give customs a try.

The US boarder guard immediately put my mind at ease saying, “Ma’am, you will never have a problem getting back home because you are a US citizen.”  Oh what beautiful words!  I felt my heart swell with national pride as the guard exclaimed, “Why, look at this!  When I type in “Waller”  all of your passport information under “Cherry” comes up on my computer!  I wonder how that linked, I have never seen that before!”

I smiled as I realized that either God had done a creative miracle or my big brother really had convinced authorities to link my name in the system!  Either way, God came through big!

I have, however, taken to heart Proverbs 21:5 which says,

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.”

I plan to be better prepared in the future!

We did experience a few challenges along the way…the loss of our GPS, Tara getting extremely sick, and getting bumped from our flight home resulting in a whole day of delay getting home.  But we made it!

What a beautiful area of the country Orange County is!  The mixture of mountains and valleys, desserts, and beaches is amazing!  God’s work in creation is truly remarkable.  I only wish that Adam could have been with me since he has dreamed of going to a California beach for years!  Next time!  Check out the pictures!

Yesterday, Adam and I decided to spend the day in Chicago, since we had been in Hoffman Estates (a suburb of Chicago) over the weekend for the Acquire the Fire event.  We had a wonderful time!

One thing I have noticed about cities is that they seem to be a melting pot of humanity.  So it seems like everything goes…But we found a few things that definitely do not.  These include driving the speed limit of 65 mph when the flow of traffic is 90, backing up on an entrance ramp when you discover you are about to get on a highway by accident, and slowing down on a road when you are not sure where you are going.

There also are some expectations that I have found seem to go along with life in the city:

1. You carry enough cash to pay for parking by the minute…literally

2. You will drive as fast and furious as possible to everywhere you are going (it helps if you were a former race car driver and can navigate over and through 6 lanes of rushing traffic in nanoseconds)

3. You mind your own business.  If you really need something, you might ask (no guarantees), but otherwise you do your own thing.

4. You might get some free entertainment (i.e. talented musicians or actors with their donation briefcase on the street) or you might spend a week’s wages getting into a museum only to find out it closes in one hour.

5. You don’t mind driving through, around, OR under massive building structures, railways, drawbridges, or any other other type of architecture.

6. You drink coffee, eat donuts, and don’t mind being cramped in a tiny space with a hundred people while you do.

After debating whether it was woth the time trying to navigate the underground parking system so that we could walk through Millineum park, we took a a ticket and found a parking place.  Now if only we could remember which street exit we wanted to walk up…was it Monroe or Washington?  We wanted to hurry because time was ticking on our parking bill.  Yes!  We found what we were looking for – the fountains!  And there was the bean!  After snapping a few quick photos, we began walking back.  We needed to be heading home soon anyway.  Now we just needed to find somewhere to get some change so we could pay the automated parking machine.  A random stranger…nope…the shops underneatht the park…all closed…A coffee shop accross the street…YES!  Grabbing the change and the Coke we had just purchased, we scurried back trying to find the right stairway that would lead us underground to where our silver car was parked.  Checking the clock, I thought for sure we were going to make it.  If we were one minute past 20 minutes of parking our fine would double from $5 to $10, and this hurried trip would be in vain – we might as well have stayed 40 minutes.  Ahh, back in the garage to the machine.  Mission accomplished!  But wait, how do you get the silly thing to read your ticket?  After feverishly jamming the card under the reader, Adam was becoming frustrated.  Was it that hard to keep a real person around?  To no avail, the card was not going to read.  Just then, I spotted what appeared to be another direction “Insert Card Here,” it read.  ”There!” I yelled.  That was the answer!!  The card was printed with the parked time 5:58 – 6:18.  We came in just under the wire.  Adam and I laughed out loud, musing that we really aren’t city folks and headed back to the car.   

We breathed a sigh of relief and began reviewing the great day we had spent in the city: breakfast at IHOP,  walk along the shore, driving exploration, and visit to the field museum.  It had been such fun!  We were ready to head home…

Only one problem: our Mapquest directions only told us how to get to and from Hoffman Estates and we were way off course – how do we get home?  After a few miles wasted goint the wrong way, we just got on a highway that was going South – had to be okay since we were coming back to Southern Illinois.  Just to be sure, I called Dad and he looked at a map to confirm the route home.  Yes, as a matter of fact we were on a road that should take us right to the interstate we needed.  Boy were we in for a thrill.

I think maybe Dad and I didn’t communicate exactly where we were along the highway, and maybe we had already passed the entry point to the road we wanted.  Before we knew it, Adam and I were following a small winding road going in and out of residential and business areas.  Seemed weird, but it was still the same highway and no sign for 94 or 90 had appeared.  Well, we discovered that the signs in South Chicago can be difficult to understand, or maybe we are just not used to having to depend on them.  One way or the other, we got lost.  One wrong turn after another and we found ourselves right in the midst of barred up windows, dimly lit alleys, and not a lot of traffic…all on Halloween Night.  After one wrong turn, we thought we spotted a gang crossing the street!  No, wait…it was just a group of trick or treaters.  Whew!  We were definately losing time.  We could call Dad again, backtrack, or stop and ask for directions.  We chose the latter and spotted a Walgreen’s drug store on the corner.  I assured Adam that I would be fine in the car, just as long as he hurried.  Finding one of the only parking spaces available Adam pulled the car to a stop.  After taking one look at the hooded man staring at me from the car next to us, Adam looked at me and said, “You are coming in with me.” 

We walked briskly into the store and scanned the area for someone to talk to.  We quickly realized we were not in Carbondale.  Let me just say: we didn’t belong.  I motioned to the security guard standing at the door, and my protecting husband piped in, asking for help.  Either we misunderstood or the guard didn’t know what he was talking about, but his directions were not helpful.  After another wrong turn and a darker street, a loud “Thud” startled us newlyweds.  I jerked, asking “what was that?”  Apparently, we had just been egged.  A sticky egg now running down our window,  we soon found ourselves right back where we had been some time ago.  Back on the phone to Dad, he was doing his best to navigate us out of who know’s where. 

Miraculously, he found us on the map and guided us through turn by turn back toward a main highway.  A few scares, some humiliation, and one and a half hours later, we finally found Interstate 94.  Nope, we were definately not city folk.  Never had there been such rejoicing as when we saw the sign for I 57 heading south.  We were going home.

The Bean!

The Fam

Children are treasures!  Growing up in a family of 12, there was never a dull moment at our house.  Since I married the love of my life, Adam Waller, and we began our own home, I’m sure I have missed out on some of the hilarious times.  But there must still be plenty to go around, as last week I had one of the funniest conversations with my 3-year old brother that I can recall….

Everyone was at REALITY, our youth outreach program where 80 – 100 young people gather every Wednesday for games, worship, and the Word.  Deal or no deal was starting and Josiah ran over to sit on my lap, bringing with him his prized miniature toy horse.  I guess just out of the goodness of his heart, he looked up at me and said, ”Kalyn, I want you to have this horse.  When you have kids, you can give it to them to play with!”  Touched by his thoughtfulness, I responded with sincere thanks.  Not long after, Adam came and sat down beside me.  Instantly, it was as if the puzzle pieces fit together!  Josiah’s eyes lit up with understanding as he exclaimed, “You and Adam are going to be a mom and dad!”  I replied, “Well, yes, we will be some day.”  The wheels were turning and there was no stopping them now!  With glee, Josiah said, “I can play with your kids.  Maybe they can come spend the night at our house!  They could sleep with me!  I wouldn’t mind if they slept in my bed, or they could sleep on the floor of my room!”  “Well yes, maybe they can,” I said, chuckling to myself.  “They could come on our family vacation, they could ride in our boat!!  Well, if there is not too many people with us, ’cause there is going to be a lot of people on our vacation,” he replied  I was impressed.  At three, Josiah seemed to comprehend that with older kids getting married and having their own families, our entire family would be multiplying.  Then came another great idea.  “Kalyn, maybe your kids could come over and camp out with us!!  With my dad, you know, with Pastor Doug!”  Uh Oh!  Somehow in the mix of family growth, Josiah forgot that he was my own brother – his dad was my dad!  Instead he was referring to him as Pastor Doug!    “Yes Josiah maybe they can.  But Josiah, that is my dad, too.”  Then came his quick reply, “Uh, oh yea!  haha – but the real dad of everyone is JESUS!”  his nervous laughter showed his cute embarrassment, as I replied  “Yes Josiah, that is right!”

I smiled to myself, thinking that was the end of our discussion about kids that we don’t even have yet.  Sitting quietly on my lap, Josiah seemed content with the information he had shared.  But his little mind was still at work.  A couple minutes later, he looked up with a serious expression and said, “How do you get kids?”  I guess he figured while we were on the topic, might as well ask all his questions!  Fumbling a bit, I said, “Well, when a woman is married, God sometimes puts a baby in her tummy.”  Not good enough.  “But how?”  Josiah eagerly asked.  “Well, you will understand when you are bigger, but God can put a baby in a mom’s tummy when she is married.”  I thought surely this answer would suffice, but then came the reply.  “I think I know how.”  “Oh,” I replied.  “Yes,”  he said eagerly,  “God MAKES the baby and puts it in there!”  “That is exactly right, Josiah!”  And that was the end of our conversation. 

What childhood simplicity!  What pure dreams!  I felt saddened to realize that my littlest brother would soon grow up.  He wouldn’t forget that I was his sister, he wouldn’t fit on my lap, and he wouldn’t beg me to spend the night at my house.  But I smile when I realize the rich love and joy all of our family will experience for generations!

I have often wondered just what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 18:3-4 when He said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Children have simple faith.  They are pure and innocent.  They trust.  I believe Jesus is pleased with Josiah.  Josiah doesn’t try to figure everything out.  He doesn’t worry about the future.  He doesn’t worry about what he doesn’t understand.  He simply believes in his God – with childlike faith.  I want to be more like Josiah!

Check back regularly for new posts!  See you then